Monthly Archives

November 2022

Machine Learning in SCM

by OWM Logistics November 16, 2022

Machine learning is a type of supervised or unsupervised artificial intelligence where software has the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed. The adoption of machine learning is in full swing. For more than a decade, companies have used the power of machine learning to improve supply chain planning efficiencies and develop optimized supply chain decisions. Automatic model switching to improve forecast accuracy is just one of many examples of the early use of machine learning to continually tune the digital supply chain and optimally leverage physical supply chain network performance. Early results are driving the hype of machine learning applications to a fever pitch and there’s no question that machine learning is a topic that supply chain practitioners should be actively investigating. The real question is, “Are we, as a profession, ready to embrace machine learning in an unsupervised fashion”? If so, what does that mean and how do we get there?

“CEOs expect supply chain leaders to prepare for DIGITAL BUSINESS and want to know how they intend to DEVELOP CAPABILITIES and use advanced technologies like artificial intelligence to create a flexible, agile and RESPONSIVE DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN.”

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MACHINE LEARNING AND BIG DATA Terms like advanced analytics, algorithmic optimization, artificial intelligence and deep learning are often used interchangeably with machine learning. These terms are not the same, and it’s worthwhile to explain the differences:

BUILDING THE MACHINE LEARNING PLATFORM Does your supply chain platform support your plans to harness machine learning capabilities? Here are a few capabilities that your supply chain planning platform needs:

1. Process Automation to free up resources to focus on higher value-added activities 2. Advanced Visualization for support of all analysis requirements 3. Support for All Levels of Analytic Maturity from descriptive through cognitive 4. In-Memory Processing for robust analysis and fast response times 5. Cloud-Based for fast deployment and flexible scalability 6. Configurable User Interface for cross-functional analysis requirements 7. Mobile Device Support for 24×7 access to supply chain operations 8. Master Data Management (MDM) for consistent, harmonized and managed data across your complete supply chain

November 16, 2022

Warehousing

Warehousing Operations

by OWM Logistics November 15, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

What are warehousing operations? How is warehousing equipment used? What are the three types of warehouse configurations? The primary responsibility of a warehouse manager is to ensure that goods are stored and retrieved in an efficient and orderly manner. These duties can be performed by a range of people, from hourly employees to corporate executives, depending on the size of the company. Warehousing operations are the core function in any supply chain. This publication is designed to offer guidance to anyone involved in warehousing and distribution. The warehouse has traditionally consisted of two or more aisles, with the aisles separated by a physical barrier. Products were stored on shelves along the walls of the aisle and in racks at the end of each aisle. Warehousing operations are concerned with the storage, handling, and distribution of goods and materials. These operations may also be used for manufacturing or other kinds of industrial processing. It’s possible that a warehouse is one building or that it might have many buildings.

November 15, 2022

Robotics & Automation

Warehouse Management System

by OWM Logistics November 14, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

The warehouse is an integral part of any business. It provides the space and tools for all goods to be received, stored, processed, packaged and shipped out to customers. A lot of time, effort and money goes into its management. In order to keep things running smoothly, a functional system is needed; this post explores the benefits of vertical left modules in warehouse management systems.

We have been supplying the needs of the world’s supply chain industry for over a decade. We are specialists in warehouse management system, pallet racking and conveyors.

OWM Warehouse Management Systems – WMS enable users’ management overall workflows of warehouse like inbound process, put away, management the fulfillment, shipping and receiving tasks in the warehouse or distribution centers, receiving goods from inbound gate, perform quality audit, picking goods from shelves for shipment or dispatch.

Adoption of WMS within your warehouse and distribution centers help reduce labor costs, improve accuracy and efficiency in overall warehouse operations and processes, it is responsive, decrease errors in picking and shipping goods, improve inventory accuracy and customer services Our WMS is cloud-based WMS do not require extra investment on purchasing and maintaining hardware traditional hardware in fracture, software installation and IT administrator to manage them. Upgrading & customization is easy is less costly compare to on-premises system.

With the right warehouse management system, you can save money and time on your warehouses, maximize productivity and efficiency, reduce trucking activity in and out of your facility, improve customer satisfaction, and improve inventory control. A vertical left module for a warehouse is an amazing way to increase efficiency at a low cost.

The benefits of vertical left modules are that they over-deliver. The maintenance cost is less than a traditional store. It’s flexible, movable and you don’t need to take much space for it.

A storage warehouse is a very important part of any business. In order to have a well-run warehouse, it requires horizontal modules for the flow of goods and the movement of people. You’ll also need vertical racks for storing items, which are organized with their input locations on the left and their output locations on the right.

vertical left modules are a way for warehouse managers and store owners to organize product in a space-saving, orderly fashion. The article includes several benefits of using this system, such as reducing the space needed for storage, improving the speed of picking by cutting down on the distance that employees need to travel, and keeping everything close at hand so that employees can retrieve items without ever needing to walk too far.

Data-driven decisions are a must in modern business. From automating low-volume production lines to creating new value chains, the use of data is essential. One recent example of this is the warehouse management system. Important areas to watch out for are:

The many benefits of vertical left modules in a warehouse management system. The advantages of vertical left modules within the warehouse management system are their ability to store higher volumes on less square footage, and their improved access to aisles and shelves.

November 14, 2022

Pharmaceuticals

Advantage of AS/RS in Pharmaceuticals Company

by OWM Logistics November 13, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

The automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) Is one of the productive/systematic storage systems in recent times that is increasingly being installed in distribution centers and warehouses. This was initially integrated with warehouses of automobile, manufacturing, food and beverage, 3PL Logistics, and FMCG Sectors. Recently, more industries have paid greater attention to this system since it provides an excellent option for managing and controlling warehouse storage and picking activities for all industrial sectors.

Pharmaceutical producers and distributors are constantly pushed to boost production while increasing operational efficiency as automation in the pharmaceutical business rises, with specially designed warehouse to maintain safety standards playing a crucial role. To fulfill the industry’s stringent criteria and internal operational issues, pharmaceutical businesses are resorting to fully automated warehouse systems, resulting in storage solutions that benefit them. Warehouse automation allows for real-time quality monitoring without requiring human touch with the substances being made, which aids pharmaceutical warehouse management. This significantly decreases the possibility of contamination while also improving employee safety.

Automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) and a warehouse management system (WMS), speeds up the movement of items in and out of the warehouse, resulting a boost in production, storage and handling. Also, Manufacturers can produce new pharmaceuticals with reduced time-to-market metrics using automated technology while adhering to strict standards.

Key Benefits

AS/RS moves the products through the warehouse, reducing human interaction.

Capability to handle various SKUs

Restricted access for the pest

Real-time inventory in the warehouse

Complete product traceability- shelf-life tracking to find the expiry.

Durable equipment designed for the freezer, refrigerated, or ambient environments.

Cleanroom application to preserve stored products free of contamination.

Establish efficient picking methods, routes, and sequences to improve warehouse overall performance.

VSTORE for Pharma Sector

Our vertical Automated storage and retrieval systems with a compact footprint and high density, make the most use of floor and vertical space to provide cost-effective, efficient, rapid, and ergonomic storage and retrieval solutions. VStore is an ASRS – Vertical Lift Module that is manufactured in-house at our Coimbatore factory. VStore’s capabilities are limitless. This sort of automated storage and retrieval system are being used in a variety of sectors, including automotive, electronics, manufacturing, health care, retail, logistics and textile.

Advantages of a Vertical Storage System

November 13, 2022

Vertical Storage

Vertical lift module to enhance the warehouse productivity

by OWM Logistics November 8, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

A growing number of warehouses and industrial facilities are turning to automated solutions to improve warehouse operations, profits, worker safety, and comfort. The vertical lift module is one such automated solution: an enclosed set of trays that mechanically delivers goods to the operator.

Vertical Automated Storage and Retrieval System

Vertical lift modules are automated storage and retrieval systems. They can dramatically expand your warehouse storage capacity while also improving material handling efficiency, resulting in faster pick rates.

Use vertical space effectively- Low footprint to free up floor space

Floor space savings of up to 80% compared to conventional storage methods like shelving VLMs will use less area than racking and shelving with aisles. VLMs require no additional space for aisles and store all of your materials in a single compact location.

Modular design for future adaptability

A standalone solution and no grouting required, allow for quick relocation of the machine and quick increase or decrease in height. VLMs can easily be relocated, and trays can be added or removed, as well as automatically re-slotted based on changes in existing inventory.

Safe and secure storage with the Inventory Management Suite

Reduced supervising requirements with a limited, well-defined work area for staff who no longer need to travel between locations. Computer-driven storage activities improve picking and allow batch order processing, and tray weight management guarantees that trays are not overloaded; the unit will not store them until they are adjusted. The overload detection system ensures that the machine load does not exceed any structural engineering standards, and the log-on and log-off passwords identify who controls each piece of equipment, facilitating tracking and reporting and automatic shutter doors for all access openings.

Ergonomics

Trays are provided to each operator at the preferred height of 800 – 836mm for increased ergonomics. Reduce bending and reaching for stored things, and the tray delivery height may be adjusted to varied access heights to accommodate different operators, allowing large and heavy items to be delivered at ergonomically optimal heights.

November 8, 2022

Warehouse Safety

Selective Pallet Racking Safety Guidelines

by OWM Logistics November 7, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

Operating a safe and secure warehouse reduces the chance of occupational and on-the-job injuries, as well as the never-ending list of dangers and costs that come with them. Here are some guidelines for operational aspects relevant to the structural safety of storage systems because these systems operate with heavy Material handling equipment working in close condition to the storage equipment. These guidelines help you minimize the risk and consequences of unsafe operation or damage to the structure Person Responsible for Storage Equipment Safety The person responsible for storage equipment safety shall be aware of the nature of the operations in the warehouse and the associated dangers based on a risk assessment, as well as the precautions that are taken to prevent or limit the dangers, using instructions or signs Safety Load Warning Charts Load Capacity Charts and other important information related to the racking installation should be posted in the storage area. Heavier unit loads than those prescribed by the specifier must be notified by a warning notice. All operating persons within the warehouse are to be trained in safe working practices. Forklift truck drivers should be trained properly to use the system safely and also about the right pallet to be used, load capacity of rack, loading and unloading method on racks. They should be certified/licensed Load Placement Spillage of Goods Spillage of goods occurs when unstable goods are loaded. Fanning Loading Bulging Loading Over Hanging Load Load Heavier unit loads than those prescribed by the specifier and shown on the load warning notice should not be placed in the storage equipment. Aisle Obstructions Pallets placed on the aisle affect the MHE movement. The operating aisle width should be maintained with sufficient clearance for smooth MHE movement. Pallet Conditions Pallet Damages Damaged Pallets, broken or cracked boards, protruding nails, or other deficiencies can damage the rack beams. Use only pallets of the correct size and in good working condition. The pallet type, dimensions, tolerances, quality, and design should be suitable for safe operation and storage on the particular storage equipment. Load Stability The load must be uniformly distributed and properly stacked on the pallet. Material Handling Equipment Material handling equipment such as Forklift, Reach Trucks, Stacker Cranes should have the capacity to lift the specified load at the required height and also be suitable for the available aisle width. Since MHE affects the safety of the rack structure, proper MHE maintenance and skilled operators are required. Pallet Picking Method The pallet must be picked up square to the forks. The fork length should be sufficient to support the pallet and it should not be too long or short than the load. User Responsibility The user is responsible for the safety of persons working in the area of storage equipment and for safe working conditions. The user must make sure that the MHE is operated carefully and overall dimension and weight of the unit load should not exceed the limitations in the specification. The pallet should be kept only on the loading member and other than that there should not be any contact or hitting between the fork truck or the pallet with any part of storage equipment. SPR – Selective Pallet Racking SPR is the most widely used storage system for fast-moving palletized loads. It is the most economical form of pallet racking because it provides 100% selective storage. It offers direct access to all pallets with great load flexibility. It consists of upright frames interconnected by cross beams in the horizontal direction and the MHE is driven into the aisle in between the racks to deposit and retrieve pallets. Moreover, the racking configuration can be easily modified and extended Loading the System When a pallet is placed into the SPR, the loading sequence shall ensure that there is no contact with the racks structure or a unit load already stored during the placement or retrieval operation. Forklift drives with the pallet and takes up the position in front of the vacant storage location. Forks shall be horizontal and the pallet or SKU shall be lifted clear from the top of the support beam. Pallet shall be positioned concentrically in the depth of the rack concerning the pallet beams. After placement, the fork entry of the pallet shall be visible to the truck operator. Unloading the System The forklift truck approaches the rack squarely and raises the forks to the required storage level and inserts the forks into the required pallet. Carefully lift the pallet just clear of the cross beams, ensuring it is not raised too far thus hitting the above level cross beam. Remove the pallet clear of the rack before lowering the forks to the correct traveling position before moving off. Improper and Proper Entry Method The forklift should not approach the rack at an angle and realign after handling the pallet. Forklift trucks should approach squarely towards the rack. Pallet Placement in SPR Correct Load Distribution With a maximum allowable compartment loading of 200 kg pallets, it is a good practice to load the pallet centrally over the front and back cross beams with 100 kg each. Pallet Placement Order If the number of pallets is more than two it is recommended to place the outer side pallets first and then place the inner pallets for maintaining clearance properly. Pallet Placement Method on Cross Beam Lift the pallet horizontally over the cross beam and place it uniformly on both beams Clearance Required The horizontal and vertical clearances for pallet and rack shall be greater than or equal to the values shown in the below table

Beam Height from ground to beam level (mm)	X (mm)	Y (mm)
3000	75	75
6000	75	100
9000	75	125
13000	100	150

Safety Lock Pin Safety pins are used to prevent accidental dislodging of beams and if missing should be replaced. Alternatively, the beam can be bolted to the upright. Inspection of Storage Equipment Storage equipment should be checked frequently and repair should be carried out in a timely and effective manner. Damage can be to the upright bracing beam or any other part of the system. Measurement of Damage to Upright, Bracing, and Beam For an upright bend in the direction of the rack beam spans, the maximum gap between the upright and straight edge shall not exceed 5 mm.

Straight edge 1,0 m long is placed in contact with a flat surface on the concave side of the damaged member such that the damaged area lies central, as near as possible, to the length of the straight edge.
For an upright bent in the direction of the rack beam spans, the maximum gap between the upright and straight edge shall not exceed 5,0 mm.
For an upright bent in the plane of the frame bracing, the maximum gap between the upright and straight edge shall not exceed 3,0 mm.
Beams should not deflect (Bend in the center) more than the L/200, where L = the distance between two beam supports.
For an upright that has been damaged such that there is a simultaneous bend in both longitudinal and lateral directions the left-to-right and the front-to-back deformation shall be measured and treated separately and the appropriate 5,0 mm and 3,0 mm, limits observed.
For bracing members bent in either plane, the gap between the straight edge and the bracing member shall not exceed 10,0 mm over a 1.0 m gauge length or pro-rata for shorter bracings where a 1,0 m gauge length is not practical.

Damage Classification

Green level – Require surveillance
Orange Risk – Hazardous damage requiring action as soon as possible
Red Risk – Very serious damage requiring immediate action

November 7, 2022

Warehousing

Warehouse Problems and its ultimate solutions

by OWM Logistics November 6, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

Warehouses are finding themselves in increasingly volatile situations as faraway events in the global supply chain have an impact on local firms. When dealing with these difficulties, the best solution for your warehouse’s lifespan and sustainability is to ensure that you have flexible and scalable systems in place that adhere to industry best practices.

1. Inventory Accuracy

Inaccurate inventory leads to issues such as maintaining inaccurate stock levels and stockpiles of obsolete inventory. Picking issues occur as a result of pickers relying on erroneous information, resulting in inefficient operations. Other consequences of faulty inventory include decreased productivity, greater expenses, and corresponding revenue loss.

Solution:

Craftsman’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) helps to automate data-recording processes, provides real-time and reliable information about stock levels and composition. The technology helps the user to visualize the pallet location, id, quantity and any other relevant data necessary for the ease of operations.

2. Space Utilization

Space utilization is a major success factor in warehousing. In warehouses with poor facility layouts, insufficient storage capacity and inefficient utilization of limited space are major challenges. Managers are concerned about unfavorable warehouse design because it has a direct correlation to a potential negative impact on profits. Furthermore, warehouses near population centers sometimes occupy the more expensive property, which raises prices.

Solution:

The optimal warehouse plan considers both the available floor area and the available vertical space. A good plan not only maximizes the use of space, but also the utilization of equipment and labor, accessibility to all goods, the security of all items, and the safety of workers. Stacker cranes help to achieve volumetric efficiency whereas conventional MHEs take up more horizontal and vertical area. Our Vertical storage system – Vstore saves the floor space up to 80% when compared to other static systems.

3. Redundant Activities

Many warehouses are plagued by unnecessary, excessive product handling, with cases or pallets being transferred through many intermediate locations. However, redundant actions are not always visible. Duplicate data entry and information duplication are two key time wasters.

Solution:

Our barcode reading technology in ASRS reduces the part details entry time and sends the input directly to IPC, thus improving the warehousing process by eliminating unnecessary operations and better user interface. Automated systems are continuously evolving, and are the worldwide trends to drive the process owners by keeping up-to-date technologies in order to quickly adapt and prosper, not just survive.

4. Labour Cost

Excellent warehouse managers try to maximize productivity while minimizing labor expenditures in a labor-intensive environment; these costs can account for up to 65 percent of most warehouses’ operating budgets. Warehouses typically use expensive equipment and big labor groups, posing a difficulty that is specific to warehousing operations.

Solution:

The “goods to person” strategy reduces the amount of time spent walking from one pick location to another within a warehouse. The two basic approaches to tackling labor-related issues are minimizing available labor and replacing labor with automated technology.

5. Quality Control

In many situations, staff in charge of quality control also pick, pack, and ship inventory products, therefore many errors go undetected until they reach the client. This is especially true in a pandemic setting, as warehouses are attempting to transport more with fewer personnel available.

A quality control feature can track vendor accuracy, increase stock rotation, and eliminate the requirement for manual warehouse processing. Quality control methods ensure that the rest of the warehouse management program works properly.

Solution:

Consider a holistic system with updated WMS technology to ensure the flexibility required to manage any storm. The more transparent and available your data is, the more you can decrease these risks and have a constant, trustworthy warehouse analysis methods in which staff and customers can find maximum efficiency and trust.

November 6, 2022

Warehouse Safety

Safety Guidelines for a safe warehouse

by OWM Logistics November 5, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

The most common causes of accident in warehouse are as follows

Heavy Equipment Mishaps

Forklifts are essential pieces of equipment in warehouses and storage facilities. When used inappropriately can cause serious harm to operators, associates, and property. OSHA’s most often identified hazard in warehouse operations is unsafe forklift operation. The following can be done to avoid the same,

Back stoppers, column guards, and row guards, when Installed at their dedicated positions can absorb any hit that occurred during the operator’s error to safeguard racks.
Guide rails can be used to prevent the forklift or MHE from exceeding permissible limits.
Ascertain that all forklift operators are competent and have received certified training. When an operator is spotted dangerously operating the vehicle, regular refresher training and evaluation are required.
Always make sure that there are warning signs and procedures in place to keep people away from docks.

Conveyors

Conveyors, on the other hand, pose major hazards to workers while operating closer to them and being struck by falling materials.

Ensure that suitable safety equipment is installed between the conveyor and the worker to prevent clothing, body parts, and hair from being entangled.
During conveyor maintenance and repairs, use strict lockout/Tagout protocols.
The use of a driving system and presence of detection systems enabled by mechanical or optical sensors allow boxes to be moved under controlled conditions.

Chemicals that are hazardous

An awareness program should be created when handling hazardous substances in your warehouse or storage facility that should include effective training on detecting chemical dangers, as well as correct chemical handling, storage, and disposal, as well as the use of suitable PPE (personal protective equipment) like overalls, aprons, safety shoes, gloves, chemical resistant glasses, face shields, and respirators. To maintain warehouse safety, workers and management teams must be aware of doing improved safety inspections as well as proper handling and storing of hazardous materials.

Manual lifting and moving

Improper lifting and handling are the leading cause of physical injuries in warehouses and storage facilities. Failure to adhere to basic procedures might result in muscle spasms, especially if performed in uncomfortable postures, repetitive actions, or overexertion. Warehouse safety can be assured during physical lifting or handling by completing the following:

Plan ahead of time to see if the demand for lifting can be reduced by using sound technical design procedures like Light Crane Systems.
When carrying or shifting loads, maintain correct ergonomic posture. Heavier items should be lifted only with cranes and moved with the help of trolleys.

November 5, 2022

Warehousing

Reducing Warehousing Costs

by OWM Logistics November 4, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

Every warehouse requires Thousands of SQFT areas along with huge consumption of resources like manpower, electricity, storage systems, lifting, and material handling equipment. Most industries don’t have a regulated methodology to assess this significant costs.

The Pie chart Below shows the factors and their respective % which affects the Warehousing costs.

Inventory Management

Managing the inventory plays a major role in streamlining the warehouse operations, this involves maintaining the data of the products stored in the warehouse-like their name, ID, location, quantity, date of shipments, transit details, shelf life, etc. A properly maintained inventory complements the ease of access to all the other 3 factors by

Easing Replenishment
Identification of the picking items
Auto-update of the available stocks
Generate reports for easy evaluation
Maintaining a full proof database

All our automated systems like the Pallet AS/RS, Shuttle AS/RS, VStore, Crato – Bin shuttle, Mobile Pallet Racking, and Mini Load AS/RS incorporated with Our ERP and WMS enabling a great platform for to smooth the warehouse operations. Thanks to our in-house ERP which incorporates with external sensors and IOT for managing data efficiently thereby reducing the operation cost and better utilization of the resources.

Put Away and Retrieval

Accessing , monitoring, retrieving and put away takes much time when the warehouse size is large. In addition to this, when the height of the building is also utilized it needs to be oriented properly with easy and well-defined visual identification to enable the operators to access the materials quickly. So, we design storage solutions like Selective Pallet Racking, Shelving, drive-in racks, VStore, and AS/RS before its construction to align its orientation along with the docks/staging area so that put away and retrieval operations take place easily and efficiently.

Order Picking

Picking the exact order is very significant to get it delivered on time, in right quantities, with right quality, at right place, and to the right person, in order to reduce material handling and returning costs and to increase the maximum satisfaction of customers, the storage systems are designed to complement the material flow with different types of order picking techniques.

An automated vertical storage system like the VStore is well suited for piecewise picking, batch picking, zone picking, and cluster picking. And an AS/RS can be designed to offer the desired type of picking based on the user’s operation whilst maintaining FIFO or LIFO and cutting down movement costs. Static Storage solutions also offer wave picking, piece picking, zone picking, and batch picking which is manually monitored and adds more costs to ensure continuous material movement.

Material Handling

Reducing the handling costs by implementing the AS/RS systems, below are the comparative results between dedicated MHE and AS/RS.

SNo	Dedicated MHE	AS/RS
1	Requires skilled labour	Anyone can operate
2	Requires certification and extensive training	Easy to train and adapt
3	Highly expensive maintenance	Cheaper periodic maintenance
4	Involves the risk of disasters	Trouble-free operation
5	The possibility to become a bottleneck	Designed to avoid any bottleneck operations
6	System height is limited to MHE	Not limited by height

In addition to this throughput, the number of pallets handled per hour, error identification, ease of use and many more factors bring down the cost of operation significantly in the long run. For a low throughput warehouse with a lower storage need, static solutions tend to be the best option in the long run.

Sort and Access

Sorting mostly takes place during the inbound of the materials and outbound of the materials, if we can manage this flow ideally from the start then costs are well maintained till the end. Sorting the materials helps to maintain a bird’s eye view over all the above-mentioned processes and makes the verification of the stocks and operations in a warehouse much easier, providing more time to dispense on the core activities. A few types of sorting systems are cross belt sorting, line sorter, shoe sorter, etc.

For a warehouse to be a profit center all these factors are to be considered from planning the building to the storage of goods till the last-mile delivery of the supply chain.

November 4, 2022

ASRS

ASRS helps in managing rising demands of E-Commerce

by OWM Logistics November 3, 2022

written by OWM Logistics

E-commerce is witnessing the era of ever-changing order demand, since the emerging of buyers as an mobile users is increasing significantly. The hike of Constant fluctuations in demands and supply make it difficult for companies to predict their daily sales. The rate of change in inventory units (SKUs) required to fulfill an order can vary by up to 85% from day to day. The rising fluctuation of demand for SKUs complicates picking operations and slows down the fulfillment process as workers have to travel between warehouses to pick the requested products.

Because retailers had a better understanding of what consumers buy regularly, they were able to take action to place high-demand SKUs in more accessible locations. These “forward picking areas” store its frequently ordered SKUs, reducing picking time and expediting order processing.

However, e-commerce demand is highly variable, so forward pick areas need to be continually changed to accommodate fluctuations in demand for items. The ensuing process of constantly rearranging SKUs not only ultimately defeats the purpose of the front picking area, but also requires additional manpower just to keep up with demand for inventory turnarounds.

If you’re doing high-volume e-commerce operations, ASRS is the best solution. An automated storage and retrieval system integrated with robots provide an ideal solution for meeting the fluctuating SKU demand inherent in today’s e-commerce fulfillment. Craftsman’s ASRS shuttle utilizes a unique configuration that allows shuttles to be shared between levels coupled with algorithmic logic for product movement given by Craftsman’s Warehouse Management System. This makes it the closest approach to giving equal accessibility to all SKUs inside a system.

Another benefit of ASRS is that it can be used to support goods-to-person order fulfillment stations. In such an operation, ASRS retrieves the SKUs required to fulfill the order from storage and delivers them to the workstation’s order picker. A goods-to-person approach for picking reduces worker movement throughout the warehouse and expedites order fulfillment.

Using the Goods-to-Persons Station in conjunction with the Craftsman’s ASRS Shuttle eliminates the need for forward picking areas and all associated replenishment/rescheduling tasks associated with picking area maintenance. The goods- to-people operations supported by ASRS are so efficient that manual picking, replenishment, and inventory management manpower can be reduced by up to two-thirds.

The labor force reductions that are experienced as a result of integrating an automated storage and retrieval system into a fulfillment operation often enable a company to recover its investment in a few years, even though an ASRS does require initial capital expenditure.

However, the need for an automated storage and retrieval system isn’t solely supported by lower labor costs. An ASRS not only controls SKU demand fluctuations but also speeds up the fulfillment process, allowing e-commerce and omnichannel businesses to meet order delivery deadlines. This, in turn, builds customer loyalty and produces the numerous revenue-generating advantages that come with it.

November 3, 2022

November 2022

Machine Learning in SCM

Warehousing Operations

Warehouse Management System

Advantage of AS/RS in Pharmaceuticals Company

Key Benefits

VSTORE for Pharma Sector

Advantages of a Vertical Storage System

Vertical lift module to enhance the warehouse productivity

Vertical Automated Storage and Retrieval System

Use vertical space effectively- Low footprint to free up floor space

Modular design for future adaptability

Safe and secure storage with the Inventory Management Suite

Ergonomics

Selective Pallet Racking Safety Guidelines

Warehouse Problems and its ultimate solutions

1. Inventory Accuracy

Solution:

2. Space Utilization

Solution:

3. Redundant Activities

Solution:

4. Labour Cost

Solution:

5. Quality Control

Solution:

Safety Guidelines for a safe warehouse

Reducing Warehousing Costs

Inventory Management

Put Away and Retrieval

Order Picking

Material Handling

Sort and Access

ASRS helps in managing rising demands of E-Commerce

Editors' Picks

Advantage of AS/RS in Pharmaceuticals Company

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