Checklist for warehouse robotization

Last year, there were a record-breaking 490,000 vacancies in the warehousing and transportation sector, according to The Washington Post, and that number continues to rise. On the other hand, there are reports that robotics and automation are taking over people’s jobs. Are warehouse operatives right to worry about being replaced by robots? It helps to gain insight into the root of their concern and the benefits of robots from an employee’s perspective.

Quick, accurate and cost-effective order fulfilment in the warehouse is essential for successful e-commerce to consumers. It is becoming ever clearer that brand manufacturers, retailers and logistics service providers need to expand their current fulfilment operations to remain competitive. So how can businesses improve their existing activities to operate faster, more flexibly and more effectively?

Autonomous mobile robots

It is crucial that business leaders understand how warehouse mechanization and robotization can contribute to the critical factors of speed, cost, accuracy and even the customer experience. By adding a number of collaborative autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to existing warehouse operations, they can achieve various e-commerce fulfilment benefits. The timing and lead time of orders typically improves by 40-50% after the introduction of AMRs into the warehouse, while AMR-supported order picking can boost accuracy and productivity by 100% in some cases.
By reducing ergonomically demanding work, robotization leads to significantly lower absenteeism and staff turnover levels. Meanwhile, thanks to the built-in collision-avoidance technology, AMRs can cut the number of warehouse accidents. Whereas operatives in traditional warehouses often have to walk between 18 and 21 kilometres a day, in a facility with AMRs the mobile robots do most of the walking while the operatives stay in one section. Moreover, the intuitive displays on AMRs support onboarding of new order pickers with minimal initial guidance – often requiring five minutes or less.

Download the checklist for warehouse robotization

Locus Robotics and Supply Chain Media have created this practical checklist to determine whether your warehouse operation is ready for the future. Answer these 10 questions to assess the extent to which you need to mechanize and robotize your warehouse.