Meeting people's expectations for fast delivery requires corresponding logistics operations. For busy warehouses and distribution centers, robotic automation has proven to deliver a significant return on investment by improving efficiency, increasing throughput, and enhancing accuracy, thereby reducing returns and improving customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it provides the flexibility to adapt logistics operations to future changes, not only in the level of demand but also in the form and channels of demand.
During the embargo, the e-commerce and parcel sectors will need to undergo a massive readjustment. For many, the bottleneck will be the number of available vehicles and the deliveries that can be made. But faster order pickup and delivery are also a requirement.
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Pursuit of flexibility
Like other industrial sectors, the logistics sector has been cautious about venturing into unfamiliar technologies, with operators eager to see working examples of systems performing the same or similar functions. However, while fully automated warehouses and distribution centers still tend to remain the exception rather than the rule, there is growing interest in deploying robotic automation to handle an increasing number of tasks as users become more aware of the potential benefits it can offer.
This is partly because robotic systems have evolved to offer more industry- and function-specific hardware and software options, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming customization of generic models. Preparation and commissioning times can often be further reduced by using digital twin simulations to virtually check specific online operations and compatibility. Integrated and modular systems are also more readily available.
The publicity surrounding collaborative robots (cobots) has also helped alleviate potential users' safety concerns. Indeed, in broader systems, robot safety has not only improved but has also become more transparent to end users. A great deal of thought—and programming—has been invested in how humans and robots can work confidently side-by-side in busy environments.
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Four Ways Robots Are Changing Logistics Operations
Whether as part of the end-of-line operations of a FMCG production line, or as part of a retail distribution center, e-commerce fulfillment site, or parcel sorting facility, robotic automation offers a wide range of capabilities. Among these and other logistics roles, the four key areas of product handling and sorting include item picking, palletizing, depalletizing and repalletizing, robotic storage and retrieval systems, and sorting and classification. When deployed in these and other applications, robots can help make inefficient, inaccurate, and potentially unsafe human processes more efficient, reliable, accurate, and safer. There is no limit to the number of shifts they can operate on.
Providing flexibility for the future
We can conclude that for many in the logistics industry, the coronavirus lockdowns and their consequences have highlighted the importance of systems that are not only flexible but also possess a flexibility that may never have been imagined before. Incorporating "what if?" elements into such "what if?" scenarios does not significantly increase the capital costs of projects, while simultaneously providing a considerable competitive advantage when these additional options become available.
Of course, in more "normal" times, many of the benefits of flexibility relate to evolution rather than revolution. They don't mean suddenly switching from one sales channel to another, but rather the ability to gradually transition to e-commerce and home delivery while keeping all retail options open. This may also involve the ability to handle seasonal fluctuations in parcel volume or trends in increasing unit size.
When proposing equipment specifications, an experienced logistics automation partner will always keep these and many other future possibilities in mind, but will not overlook today's needs.
