Think you need to invest in a Unit-Load Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS)? Maybe not. Combining automated guided vehicles (AGVs) or autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) with deep lane storage provides similar operational benefits! Dependent on your application this solution: Costs less Reduces manual labor Offers more flexibility Is more easily scalable Our data-driven engineering […]
We hear from our clients that labor is the biggest challenge in their business every day. In particular, labor availability and turnover are often mentioned as issues companies are desperate to find a solution for. The costs associated with employee churn add up in a tangible way for fulfillment and distribution centers. On average, the […]
There is a rapidly growing market for interest in automation solutions, especially in response to the COVID-19 crisis that has reshaped supply chains globally. Before the crisis began, businesses of all types were slowly shifting to support e-commerce. However, when the pandemic hit, that shift suddenly forced those interested in these solutions to re-evaluate if […]
To describe the 2020s thus far as “unprecedented” would be an understatement. For the early part of this decade, various unforeseen and mostly unpredictable forces have tested the world’s supply chain, from sourcing material to delivering it to the end-user. Already adjusting to the acceleration of the direct-to-consumer model, the supply chain has endured COVID-19, […]
Historically, businesses satisfied with no or slow growth used a qualitative approach to planning, evaluating, and growing their bottom lines. What worked before? What did that one person say that one time? What’s your gut feeling? Now, as more distribution and fulfillment centers are tasked with meeting increased customer demands, including needing a more comprehensive […]
Throughout the supply chain, businesses are experiencing labor challenges in various ways, and it has taken a toll on throughput and profitability for many. First of all, labor availability is at an all-time low, and fulfillment centers are routinely operating at below capacity because of it. That puts undue pressure on the remaining workers, who […]
Depending on your business cycle, planning comes at different times of the fiscal year. Typically, we see businesses planning for next year’s budget or big projects toward the second half of the year, especially in the third quarter (and sometimes, into the fourth). However – as evidenced in almost every line of business – we […]
According to Digital Commerce 360, e-commerce, as a portion of total retail sales, rose 44% in 2020, triple the rate increase of sales over the prior year. While the result has been increased convenience for consumers, warehouses, fulfillment centers, and distribution centers are looking to overcome challenges associated with that dramatic shift in consumer behavior. […]
It is no secret that e-commerce continues to take a larger and larger share of total retail sales. Throw in a pandemic that forced millions of people and businesses to shop from home, and you will find that fulfillment centers, distribution centers, and warehouses are increasingly searching for methods to optimize fulfillment while minimizing how […]
As e-commerce orders continue to comprise an increasingly more significant share of orders in fulfillment centers nationwide, warehouse managers continually evaluate practices to keep the costs associated with fulfilling these smaller, less profitable orders down. The overall costs associated with packing and shipping e-commerce orders formerly were not a major concern because they made up […]
