By the Numbers: Incorporating Robotics in Your Warehouse Operation

Although warehouse robotics are far more widespread and proven today than they were a decade ago, many businesses are still reluctant to adopt this technology for a variety of reasons. Concerns vary by business size and industry, but they primarily revolve around affordability, integration and migration, flexibility, and lack of in-house maintenance and support expertise.

At the heart of all these concerns is uncertainty, and the central questions of what robotics are capable of and where—or if—they fit into your operation. Let’s take a look at some of the common misconceptions about warehouse robotics, the best applications for warehouse robotics today and some steps you can take to smooth the adoption of robotics in your warehouse operation.

Three Myths and Misconceptions

One of the major stumbling blocks for businesses considering robotics implementation is a lack of understanding of exactly what automation can do and the positive (and negative) effects it might have on day-to-day operations. Getting past these common myths and misconceptions is an important first step toward successful implementation.

1. Robotics and automation are always the right answer. Sometimes it’s hard to beat a simple, manual, highly productive process. Even with the flexibility of today’s robots, they still have limitations. For example, if your business has large swings in throughput requirements, robots might not be an ideal solution. You can boost throughput on manual processes and tasks as needed by hiring temporary workers for seasonal and other fluctuations. For robotic solutions, that’s not an option. With scalable automated solutions like mobile robots, you can add more robots, but not in a matter of hours or days—and doing so is impractical when you only need to increase throughput for short periods of time throughout the year.

2. Robotics can or will completely replace humans. Today, the idea that artificial intelligence and automation will eventually replace people is a common misconception for businesses and a common fear for workers. Warehouse robotics complement human workers and augment what they do. They are designed to help take over repetitive, low-value tasks so that human workers can concentrate on more complex work that robots and automation aren’t capable of handling. Robotics is not about labor reduction. It’s about doing more with the workforce you already have and helping employees take a more active role in growing your business.

3. Robots are too expensive. Because robotics have a reduced physical infrastructure compared to some more traditional automation solutions—like conveyers—their implementation lends itself to a more phased approach. Robotic solutions are modular and flexible, allowing you to start small and scale up as needed. You can pay as you grow, matching your capital outlay to your growth rather than making a huge upfront investment and waiting for your business to catch up. This flexibility means that there are certain instances in which robotics have a higher return on investment (ROI) than traditional automation.

Five Top Applications

A key to successfully implementing robotics in your warehouse operation is identifying the tasks for which they are best suited. Although there are some tasks—like unloading non-palletized goods from shipping containers or trucks—where robotics are probably not the best answer (yet!), there are a number of areas where they can provide tremendous value.

1. Order picking. Robotic arm piece picking compliments goods-to-person automation, supplementing your existing labor pool by helping eliminate worker movement and travel and improving ergonomics, especially in high-volume e-commerce fulfillment operations. Because picking is typically the largest portion of a warehouse’s labor pool, it presents one of the biggest opportunities for robotic assistance.

2. Palletization/depalletization. Robotic arm palletization and depalletization helps reduce repetitive motion injuries in your workforce by alleviating the manual labor requirement in this back-breaking task. Additionally, once the system is honed in, product damage is typically reduced compared to performing these tasks manually.

3. Transport. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) provide a scalable, flexible alternative to conveyers that requires less upfront investment and reduces infrastructure requirements. And automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are a proven alternative to forklifts and other types of automation for moving full pallet loads and picking or depositing product in racks.

4. Sortation. In addition to transport applications, AMRs are now being used in batch picking environments to build orders. AMRs improve sortation accuracy and help bridge the gap between manually intensive put walls and traditional high-volume automated sorting solutions that require a huge infrastructure investment.

5. Packaging. Automated packaging reduces dunnage and excess cubic volume of shipments by building custom packaging around items for single-unit orders, ultimately saving money on transportation. Robotic arm pick and place technology can easily be integrated into automated packaging solutions to further enhance their speed and effectiveness.

Three Potential Pitfalls to Avoid

Once you’ve found the right application and are ready to start moving forward with robotics, there are a few common things to keep in mind to ensure that the implementation goes smoothly.

1. Implement proper training and get buy-in. Make sure your workforce understands not only how the solution works, but also that it is there to help them, not replace them. Getting buy-in early and ensuring that everyone is trained on how the solution integrates into their existing workflows helps make the transition smoother and more productive.

2. Understand the limitations. Unlike manual processes, the throughput for robotics solutions is limited. Because implementing additional automation and robots takes time, increasing output to fit variable demand can be a slow process or will require a solution that can run around the clock to meet output requirements at peak times. Understand what the solution is capable of and how those fits with your demand cycles before committing to it.

3. Remember maintenance and support. Every machine eventually needs repair, so a comprehensive maintenance and support plan is crucial. Choosing a partner that doesn't have the capability to provide extensive training and long-term support can lead to system downtime and inefficiencies.

Start Small and Work Your Way Up

There are, obviously many steps involved in adopting robotics, but it all starts with identifying an area of your operation that’s ripe for disruption where robotics will simplify—not complicate—the process. Metrics like space savings and increased productivity are good measures of potential value. A significant boost in productivity is something that can turn everyone from the operators on the floor to the C-suite into change champions throughout your organization.

Remember: it’s okay to start small. Today’s warehouse robotics solutions are modular and flexible. Begin with a single process or small pilot program and scale up from there. Small successes beget bigger ones. And, as you achieve wins in one area, you’ll likely find new avenues of opportunity for robotics throughout your operation.