It's teetering in our warehouses. We see the distances on the floor growing and the number of extra tasks increasing. At the same time, we have less time and less manpower at our disposal. We will have to design our warehouse processes even smarter to process all orders on time. The Logistica trade fair will show new solutions for smart warehousing on 5, 6 and 7 November.
'Endless aisles' is the promise of e-commerce: the endless shelf. What retailers cannot accommodate in their shops, they offer on the internet. There, space is unlimited. Bol.com now displays more than 20 million items in its webshop. Other companies - also in the business market - follow the trend and expand their assortments to avoid having to say "no".
Meanwhile, there also seems to be no end to the aisles in our warehouses. We continue to build new XL and XXL warehouses to stock the growing ranges. As a result, driving and walking distances on the floor are increasing. At the same time, we have to perform more and more operations for customers who place more orders with smaller volumes and become more demanding with each order. We also see this most clearly at webshops. A gift wrap around it? A handwritten card? A name or logo on the product? And if the consumer still doesn't like it? Then we take the product back free of charge.
Need to work smarter
These greater distances and extra operations force us to work smarter. The need for this is all the more urgent because we have less and less time to process orders. Customers order later and later and expect their deliveries earlier and earlier. More and more warehouses are moving to two or maybe even more 'cut-off' times. No longer just at the end of the day for next morning's deliveries, but mid-day for deliveries that same afternoon or evening.
We are finding it increasingly difficult to find the people to do the work. Unemployment has never been so low. In some regions, the labour market is virtually empty. Companies in those regions are having to make more and more of an effort to retain their existing employees. They cannot do that by making them do heavy physical work day in and day out, lugging miles through the warehouse. That has to change.
Mobile and collaborative robots
The solution to these problems lies largely in automation and robotisation. In recent years, a new generation of autonomous mobile and 'collaborative' robots has started to make inroads in logistics. They find their way through the warehouse independently without having to program routes in a complicated way. They pick, sort and transport boxes, totes, pallets or complete shelving units to a variety of points in the warehouse. They pick, lift, turn and stack goods with extreme precision. In this way, they relieve the burden on employees, allowing us to do much more justice to their specific competences.
Robotisation makes new logistics concepts possible. Think of robots that bring shelving units with picking stock to the order pickers, so they no longer have to walk miles. Or think of robots carrying shipping boxes that drive to picking locations, where order pickers are waiting to put the right number of products in the boxes. Is the box full? Then the robots take the boxes to the packing department, so the order pickers can proceed with the next orders. An additional advantage of these concepts is flexibility and scalability. Robots can easily be added in high season.
Challenges of today and tomorrow
Does the market demand higher order throughput? Then fully automated storage and order picking systems including conveyors and sorters are available, in which all human actions that do not add immediate value - walking, searching, bending and lifting - have been eliminated. These are systems that lead to shorter lead times. And good news: the flexibility and scalability of these systems is also increasing. Think of storage systems into which additional shuttles can be inserted or conveyors whose configuration can be easily adjusted thanks to the plug-and-play principle. This not only prepares you for today's challenges, but also for those of tomorrow. Now that is smart.
Logistica
Logistica will take place on 5,6 and 7 November at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, simultaneously with trade fair ICT & Logistiek. The theme of both exhibitions is Smart Warehousing. Within this theme, both partners and the content programme will show practical examples that will inspire visitors and provide tools for their business operations. Go to the Logistica website for more information or register here directly.
