Buying the Robots Is the Easy Part: Why Warehouse Modernization Requires an Operating Model Rethink

Warehouse automation is advancing quickly. Automated storage and retrieval systems, autonomous mobile robots, robotic picking, sophisticated warehouse management systems, and increasingly intelligent execution software are changing how goods move through distribution facilities. But installing more technology does not automatically create a modern warehouse. In many operations, the physical technology is advancing faster than the operating model surrounding it. A warehouse may introduce robotics into one process, automated storage into another, and new software on top of both, while still relying on procedures, labor structures, and decision-making processes originally built around predominantly manual operations.

That mismatch is becoming increasingly important. As fulfillment requirements become more complex, warehouse modernization needs to move beyond a discussion about which technology to deploy. The bigger question is how the operation itself must change when people, software, and automation increasingly perform work together.

Historically, warehouse operations were designed largely around the movement of people. Workers traveled to storage locations, searched for inventory, picked products, moved carts or pallets, sorted orders, and delivered goods to packing and shipping areas. Warehouse management systems helped coordinate this activity, but execution ultimately depended heavily on people moving through the building. Automation changes that fundamental relationship.

In a goods-to-person environment, for example, the employee may remain at a workstation while inventory moves to that person. An AS/RS can replace portions of traditional storage and retrieval activity. Mobile robots can take over transportation between operating areas. Robotic picking can potentially shift additional handling activities away from employees.

This story was originally published by Logistics Viewpoints. Read the full story at Logistics Viewpoints →