How Automation Solutions Support Dense Storage Needs

Whether it is time to reconfigure your operations within a warehouse or design a new warehouse, a common goal in the design team is to get the most capacity out of each square foot of the facility. Wasted space – both horizontally and vertically – means lost potential revenue because, by default, you are not able to store as much as you would with dense storage solutions.

Traditionally, facility design engineers would take standard pallet racking – a lot of it – and find ways to slot inventory appropriately to optimize storage. They would look at opportunities to reduce unused space while factoring in order frequency and a few other variables. Occasionally, dense storage options like pushback racking and carton flow get included as well. Others would fill their facility with a sprawl of shelving or a combination of all the above.

But what happens when the supply chain changes? What happens when consumer expectations change? What happens when you need to incorporate more safety stock or turn around orders faster?

When considering the design (or redesign) of a facility, there are great alternatives to increase storage capacity within your footprint by introducing a combination of dense storage and automation solutions at varying degrees.

By introducing automation, warehouses can maximize space utilization with good throughput in the face of labor challenges. Especially as e-commerce continues to rise while traditional full-pallet shipping falls, warehouses are looking to adapt by doing more work with less labor.

So what options are out there for those making these decisions? Let’s take a look.

Semi-Automated Deep Lane Storage Solutions

For those who store products on pallets with large quantities of pallets on hand for specific SKUs, semi-automated deep lane storage solutions – commonly referred to as pallet runners, shuttles, or moles – can add capacity to warehouses by using technology to load, store, and unload pallets. A cart (or runner/shuttle/mole) transports a pallet along a lane with these storage systems and empties it into the first available storage position. These systems are dense in that they can store 12-40 pallets per lane, depending on the configuration. They are adaptable, capable of running continuously and help reduce damage to products and racking structures by staying within their respective lanes.

Example: AutoMHA’s Pallet Runner

Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) for Unit Load Handling

Cart-Based Solutions

In some ways, like the semi-automated deep lane storage, there are cart-based unit load AS/RS pallet handling solutions that can move bi-directionally to store and retrieve pallets and products automatically. These shuttles are highly reliable, easy to install, and adapted and scaled when growth calls for additional throughput needs. Cart-based systems can often provide higher throughput & better storage density than traditional crane-based AS/RS systems.

Examples: Optimus Automation’s Robotic Pallet Shuttles, Advanced Storage’s Rover

Crane-Based Solutions

Crane-based AS/RS technology has been around for some time in warehouses. These cranes can store and retrieve pallets within a storage system that maximizes vertical storage density at high speed. These systems offer improved efficiency, simple operation, and an easy maintenance plan.

Example: Daifuku’s Stacker Cranes

Cart-Crane Combination Solutions

Crane-based AS/RS systems that also incorporate carts provide the cost benefits of crane solutions with the added storage density that can be achieved using carts. These systems can accommodate both deeper lane storage and single or double-deep storage if there is a mix of typical on-hand quantities per SKU.

Example: AutoMHA’s AutosatMover

Dense Storage Solutions for Less-Than-Pallet, Unit Handling Environments

Mini-Load AS/RS Shuttles

Mini-load AS/RS shuttles are excellent in environments in which high throughput rates are required for picking eaches or cases within a distribution center. They significantly increase the storage density, accuracy, and speed with which products are stored and picked, and adapted to different building configurations. As a solution for getting products as quickly as possible from storage to staging, these systems can also serve as a short-term buffer system or act as manufacturing support for production operations.

Example: Dematic’s MiniShuttle

Vertical Lift Machines (VLMs)

VLMs offer warehouses a goods-to-man picking solution, ideal for storage and picking of small-cube and slower-moving items. They are great because they maximize floor space – 5,000 square feet of traditional storage can fit into about 150 square feet because of the machine’s height. VLMs offer high pick rates and can store a large cubic volume of a product. They are typically paired with a pick-to-light batching table and utilize software to allow for picking multiple orders simultaneously.

Example: Kardex’s Vertical Lift Modules

Vertical and Horizontal Carousels

As a high-density storage solution with a small footprint, vertical carousels are ideal for storing small parts. Products are organized by SKU in individualized boxes or totes that are secured to a series of shelves that rotate like a Ferris wheel. They revolve around a track and are accessible to a picker through a pick window. Horizontal carousels rotate similar to a dry cleaning rack, which allows your worker to stay in one area while the products turn to them. This action reduces travel distance and picking time, with multi-window and multi-level configurations available.

Example: Kardex-Remstar’s Vertical Carousels and Horizontal Carousels

Which Automation Solution is Right for Your Operation?

These are just a few of the options out there, but there are a lot more that may be the right option for your operation. Sorting through and finding the right choice to meet your needs can be challenging.

We have a team of experts on hand to learn about what set of challenges you are seeing in your warehouse today and learn about what you see down the road. You may only need to invest in entry-level automation, or you may need to evaluate a fully automated facility. In reality, the answer is likely in between. Call us today and speak with a Storage Solutions expert!

The Incremental Value of Introducing Fetch Solutions

Automation

Order fulfillment in today’s world is significantly different from even just a few years ago. With the rise of e-commerce, expectations for order fulfillment’s speed and accuracy make it hard for traditional warehouse operators to keep up.

In competing with the Amazons of the world, these traditional distribution centers are battling against now-slow fulfillment times, rising labor costs, and throughput challenges. Meeting those customer demands can be trying without introducing technology and dynamic solutions designed to meet those challenges head-on.

For those new to these emerging technologies, making that jump into automation can be scary. However, Fetch Robotics offers a line of products designed to assist with several operational variations without massive infrastructure investment.

They may not fully understand that there are introductory-level solutions available that allow incrementally beneficial solutions, many of which offer a return on investment relatively quickly. Plus, you do not have to deal with software integration or making a bunch of infrastructure changes. Instead, you can get a simple solution up and running quickly and easily. If you need something complicated or need a more comprehensive solution over time, these solutions can be more fully integrated to meet those needs.

Here are five ways that Fetch can incrementally add value to your operations:

Zone Pick/Batch Picking: Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are great tools to handle material movement, especially in zone or batch picking scenarios. They can physically move products from the pick area to another point in the process – perhaps to a conveyor or packing area. This usage saves your labor force from the physical toll of handling the material and traveling required, which also cuts down on travel time and allows your fulfillment to happen quicker.
Each Picking / Case Picking: People typically do not think of AMRs when handling each pick or case pick scenarios. However, that is a misconception. In fact, with the rise of e-commerce, these AMRs can similarly speed up the fulfillment process. Because each picking tends to associate itself with higher labor costs, integrating AMRs can be a great way to keep those labor costs down by reducing the distance traveled and the wear-and-tear on your workers.
Adaptability: As consumer demand continues to change, distribution centers that rely on heavy-duty pick modules or conveyors can fall behind. Why? Because they cannot change their processes quickly enough to meet those changes, the infrastructure they have constructed is too limiting and costly to move. Fetch Solutions allow your operations to quickly and easily adjust as needed.
Scalability: With a Fetch AMR solution, you can scale your automation quickly and simply by adding robots. Because workflows are developed within the FetchCore cloud operating platform, they can be programmed within just a few minutes. By adding more robots, you can increase your throughput as needed, allowing you to respond to demand changes as quickly as you need to.
Flexibility: Because these AMRs run on cloud-based software, they can be re-programmed at any point from anywhere that has an internet connection. That means, should your needs change – for instance, a new pick point needs to be added or removed, you can set those points without needing to re-program or re-map an entire facility.

Let’s Talk this Through

These solutions are not solely limited to support e-commerce, either. AMRs can support a wide variety of material handling needs and distribution concepts. Their adaptability, scalability, and flexibility can be explicitly designed to suit any number of needs.

If this is all new to you, know that we are here to help. Our team has years of experience in integrating these systems to fit a variety of industry models. Give us a call today, and we can talk about what challenges you face and determine the right course of action to give your organization that incremental value needed when you are first integrating dynamic solutions.

The Future of Warehouses: Conveyors or AMRs

Automation

For decades, conveyor systems have been a standard solution in warehouses to move products through the fulfillment process. They grew popular because they can handle the heavy-lifting of transporting products while saving the wear-and-tear on your workers, who would otherwise be required to move those products physically.

Unfortunately, conveyor systems can be expensive, bulky, and take up too much room on the warehouse floor. More importantly, they offer an inherent lack of flexibility as companies adapt to changes in the way consumers are ordering products.

One solution we see in this area is integrating autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) alongside conveyors. For the right tasks, these AMRs can give businesses the adaptability to adjust their operations to meet where consumer demand is going. For warehouses and distribution centers, flexibility is more important now than ever. The speed of change is accelerating, and warehouses that rely solely on conveyor systems may not be able to react with the swiftness they need to.

Where AMRs can replace conveyors is in the areas of transportation and work distribution. They assist in moving products from one pick zone to the next or from a pick zone to a packing area or a quality control area. They can also move products from pick locations to a put-to-light area. Several applications potentially make sense for this change. Really, other than when a package must move through a place at a very high rate, AMRs can potentially make sense to replace conveyors.

By integrating AMRs, you can have your labor force working on more valuable tasks like picking versus physically moving products themselves. We have broken down the many advantages of these AMRs in warehouse operations prior (link), but this relatively new technology is a smart, flexible technology that can sometimes replace functionality historically handled by conveyance.

Look, conveyors will never go away completely. There are some things a conveyor does that really can’t be replaced altogether. Especially with high-speed transportation or sortation, a conveyor will probably be needed. However, full reliance on these monuments of infrastructure may keep your company from adapting as necessary to changes within the supply chain industry.

Really, an investment like this is an investment in your facility’s ability to be dynamic in response to demand changes. As e-commerce continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, facilities need to follow suit and understand how to react accordingly. By prioritizing adaptability in your processes, you can meet the challenge of changing demand quicker. That means down the road, your costs will be fewer, your downtime will lessen, and ultimately your customers will be more satisfied.

Of course, if you need any assistance in evaluating your facility design, the Storage Solutions team will help. Our experts have decades of experience in equipping warehouses and distribution centers with the right mix of tools to get the job done right. We understand that, as the industry continues to change, adaptability is becoming increasingly important. Armed with the right combination of technology with tried-and-true mechanisms, warehouses can respond to dynamic changes with relative ease.

If you are considering adding conveyor systems to your facility, talk with us first. While we recognize the value that these systems have traditionally brought to warehouse operations, technology has evolved to the point where they may not be the best option any longer. Our team of experts can talk with you about your processes, challenges, and then design a custom workflow to amplify efficiencies without breaking the bank.

AMRs for Efficient Material Transport

Automation

If there is one pain point we hear most often from operations managers, they are always fighting a battle between what they need to accomplish today versus preparing for changes down the road. The priority always defaults to ensure that day-to-day operations remain steady, restricting the amount of planning one could be doing.

Often, the operation team doesn’t know what is coming down the road. The team is often blind to the decision to add a new product, remove a product, or some other mandate that will require a new aisle or a lane to their storage configuration. However, especially in the age of Amazon, those changes are coming faster than before. The change is happening regardless — “when” not “if.”

Traditionally, pick modules have been constructed along with a conveyor system within a facility to optimize the fulfillment process. The pick modules and conveyance systems can be seen essentially as giant monuments within a facility. Costly and inflexible, multi-level structures have been “how things have been done” for so long that even the most attuned manager may not realize that alternatives exist. Not only do they exist, but they may also make more sense for certain operations.

Pick modules are becoming the “old school” way to process orders. Technology continues to evolve, and new processes have shown that perhaps that old-school way of thinking may be outdated. Especially when it comes to adaptability, the types of changes you can make with a pick module or a conveyor are limited. What can an operations manager do when a change is required?

In response, we have seen facilities create several efficiencies and save resources by switching to a more “new school” methodology by modernizing using autonomous mobile robots. By automating material transport with AMRs, you can see all the same benefits of the traditional pick module/conveyor system, without the massive investment in infrastructure.

The thought behind the process is the same: You can conduct the same picking operation, but you pick in an environment where everything is on the ground. Instead of using the inflexible conveyor to move products, you utilize the AMRs. Instead of the multi-tiered structure, you can use vertical storage space to store safety stock or reserve inventory. Plus, you still save the steps – and time – for your employees to move products down the line.

The real advantage of this system is how quickly you can adapt to the next change. Let’s face it: consumer demands and behavior will continue to change, but it is unlikely that change will come in the form of slower expectations with a greater appreciation for errors. Using cloud-based on-demand automation software, changes in processes can be quickly made via a mobile device. That is a little easier than installing a new “monument” to an old school way of thinking.

The costs are similar, especially when you consider the ongoing maintenance costs that come with the conveyor. By adopting this “new school” way of thinking, you set yourself up to adapt to the next change in the fulfillment process. This is the type of investment that can see returns early through efficiencies and continue delivering for years to come.

When it comes to investing in the future of your operations, the decision isn’t always easy. However, learning more is.

Our Solutions Development team would love to learn more about the challenges you face and develop a simple, smart, and strategic way to address those concerns for the future while understanding the need to fight the fires that come with managing day-to-day operations in a distribution center. We’re here to help – give us a call today!

Enlighten Your Safety Procedures with SmartGuard UV AMR

Automation

As the supply chain industry continues to adjust to a “new normal” in business operations due to the COVID-19 crisis, managers across the country are looking to provide their employees with additional measures to stay safe in uncertain times.

What new products are out there to keep your team moving? What solutions could maintain – or improve – productivity while limiting distractions? Is there such a thing?

We are excited to share an innovative solution for warehouse safety, introducing the SmartGuard UV disinfection autonomous mobile robot (AMR). The AMR moves through a facility and uses flashing ultraviolet lights that send out antibacterial and germicidal flashes that act as a powerful sterilization agent.

The result is a process that eliminates 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the AMR’s path.

Dual pulsed xenon UV lamps power SmartGuardUV, so while the robot has the highest germicidal power, it is also environmentally friendly with low power requirements and no toxic mercury like other UV lamps.

The SmartGuard UV technology has been tested by independent, accredited third-party testing labs to deploy these broad-spectrum UV-C, UV-B, UV-A, and violet-blue light to kill germs. The system has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in food and medical areas but is adaptable to take the same disinfecting technology into the warehouse. The device is also registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The SmartGuard UV robot offers quick disinfection with minimal downtown and can disinfect from 2,400 to 3,800 square feet of space in an eight-hour shift. The technology also features a safety motion sensor for automatic shut-off to prevent unnecessary UV exposure. So, once the robot completes an area, it is immediately available for use by employees.

These AMRs are particularly effective in disinfecting areas where there is a high level of activity in a condensed space, making it perfect for:

Pick modules
Picking/packing areas
Break rooms
Changing rooms
Cafeterias
Waiting areas/lobbies

Private offices
Conference rooms
Loading areas
Entrances / exits
Hallways
Work stations

Because these devices run on the cloud-based FetchCore operating system, you can be up and running in just hours. The AMR’s task flow can be mapped, tested, and deployed simply and easily. Once deployed, the AMR’s sensors allow it to follow workflows while avoiding obstacles, keeping employees safe.

If changes need to be made once deployed, the cloud-based platform also allows you to dynamically schedule, initiate, or modify the workflows from anywhere with an internet connection using a mobile device. This technology gives you more control to disinfect your facility without requiring you to supervise every move.

Optional disinfection analytics provides disinfection event validation and UV light performance, including date, time, location, photographic evidence, disinfection duration, and cleaning performance.

All this means the SmartGuard UV offers a fully-automated disinfection solution that allows the employees currently tasked with a new degree of workplace cleaning to be repurposed to only focus on high-traffic or high-touch areas when the AMR is not in those areas. In short, you can clean more areas more thoroughly, using fewer labor resources.

As times change, we understand that businesses and managers change to meet the needs of changing demands. With employee safety at a premium during the COVID-19 crisis, these AMRs provide a simple but effective tool to ensure your team stays safe in uncertain times. If you are interested in utilizing a SmartGuard UV AMR in your facility, contact our team of experts, who can speak further to these devices’ benefits.

What is On-Demand Automation?

Automation

On-Demand Automation may be a foreign term to warehouse managers who look at the prospect of introducing automation as an insurmountable hurdle in their warehouse operations. Those decision-makers are hesitant to learn about implementation because they see the idea as too costly, too distracting, and too steep of a learning curve.

“It will take too many resources. I will never get a return on my investment. I’ll have to reconfigure my entire operation.”

These are all misconceptions, especially by introducing on-demand automation.

In short, on-demand automation allows warehouses to introduce technology into any facility, as is, at any scale, without installing IT systems, and with the flexibility to change at any time. Fetch Robotics, a pioneer of on-demand automation offers software that works with a line of autonomous mobile robots that increases productivity with a return on investment in under two years for most applications.

On-demand automation is the perfect way to introduce automation into your operation, earning ROI while providing evidence for buy-in from stakeholders for further investment into automation.

Why Introduce On-Demand Automation?

Deploy AMRs in hours: In the past, automation brought long lead times, engineering, and installation requirements. With on-demand automation, we can create virtual conveyors or transport maps in just hours using cloud-based software.
No facility reconfiguration: Most automation solutions require changes to your facility, including floor space, layout, and storage mediums, to work with the system. However, on-demand automation solutions work with your existing floorplan and can independently navigate without modifying anything.
No additional IT systems: Because on-demand solutions use cloud-based software like FetchCore, they can work with or without Warehouse Management systems. That flexibility means AMRs are ready to go no matter your operating system.
Scalability: Once you go with on-demand automation, you can add to your robot fleet without adding infrastructure. So, you can continue to easily add AMRs as needed without investing in costly automation systems.
Flexibility: Consumer demand is changing rapidly, so warehouse managers need to be adaptable. On-demand solutions are not limited to a single-function workflow. Modifications can be made on the cloud-based platform and pushed to the robot in just a few clicks.
Data, data, data: On-demand automation software collects data from robots, equipment, systems, and devices across all facility operations, giving you actionable insights into how your warehouse operates.

If you are interested in automation but just not sure how to get started, we will help. Our Solutions Development team is prepared to answer any questions or misconceptions you may have about introducing automation into your operations. It may not be as difficult or costly as you think, with a return on investment quicker than you may realize.

What You Need to Know About Carton Flow

Automation

Warehouse managers are often tasked with finding new and innovative ways to increase storage capacity while increasing speed and effectiveness in order fulfillment operations. Carton flow, also known as case flow or gravity flow, features various storage options that may be the right solution for your facility.

A carton flow system can be an ideal way to improve picking speeds and storage capacity within a warehouse. These systems consist of tracking and rollers that use gravity to push products through a pallet rack. As an item is picked from the rack’s front, the package behind it gravity feeds into the front position, ready to be selected.

This storage style is ideal for a warehouse set up for case picking or each picking. This process allows for each SKU to have a dedicated pick face, helping the picker with the accuracy of an order. Because a lot of SKUs can be presented for picking in a bay of rack, that means shortened travel with a reduced pick path, increasing throughput. It allows you to get more done at a faster rate because you are making a shorter run.

One additional benefit is that these can be installed into standard pallet rack, with the tracks being dropped into hangers that attach to the beams. These systems can be designed to fit multiple sizes of cartons, bins, and boxes to accommodate different SKU sizes.

Traditionally, there are two downsides to carton flow picking. Because someone (or something) physically places the boxes into storage, then another person retrieves them, there are additional material touches with each pick. The extra step may slow down some processes that require high throughput to remain effective.

With this storage method, products are automatically sorted for a first-in, first-out inventory system.

There are many different styles of carton flow available and finding the right mix of these may be the way to turn your warehouse into a more profitable fulfillment operation that maximizes its storage capacity.

Click here to order Carton Flow Racking Systems

Full-Width Roller Tracks

Pros: Typically, this style of racking is suitable for heavy loads because of its durability and ability to withstand abuse. It offers higher capacity on a per-square-foot basis, so this type of racking is often found in beverage storage situations where there is a need to store heavy cases of product.

Cons: The downside of the durability is that this style of racking is rigid in its configuration. It offers almost zero flexibility after it is assembled (without tearing it down and re-assembling, of course). For instance, if you have 15″ wide lanes and the packaging size for that product changes, you have to get new lanes to accommodate the updated package.

Example: UNEX’s SpanTrack Carton Flow Lane

Polycarbonate Skate Wheel Tracks

Pros: These polycarbonate skate wheel tracks essentially make a level of carton flow lanes a full flow bed. Since carton lanes are not configured ahead of time, this style of racking is very flexible in terms of the package sizes that can flow through the storage. Meaning, if your product size or packaging type changes, then you will not have to reconfigure this system. It is also relatively easy to install into new or existing racks.

Cons: Because there are no pre-defined lanes, this racking style makes it easier to change pick faces frequently. However, if your warehouse is relatively static in terms of the number of SKUs in inventory & their packaging, there may be lower-cost alternatives for carton flow storage.

Example: Engineered Products’ Flextrak Bed Carton Flow

Small-Diameter Plastic Wheel Carton Flow In Shelves

Pros: Small-diameter plastic wheel carton flow is a light-weight shelf and track system that can be flexible in that it allows for adjustments as product or packaging changes. This style of racking is ideal for lighter-weight products that will not damage the light-duty carton flow during use. While it is used in a low percentage of carton flow applications today, this type of racking has historically been popular because of its low initial cost.

Cons: Because of the plastic wheel’s small diameter, this type of racking is not built to store large or heavy packages. It is also susceptible to damage due to its light-weight design.

Example: Gauer Metal’s Flow-Track Option

Heavy-Duty Carton Flow

Pros: Heavy-Duty Carton Flow is an excellent option if you are storing very heavy or bulky items like automotive parts, and you have concerns about the durability of your carton flow racking. Like the polycarbonate skate wheel tracks, this carton flow style offers a full bed of rollers, though snap-in wire dividers are also available. The main difference is that the rollers are full steel, offering additional durability with an estimated 40% higher weight capacity.

Cons: With the added durability, there comes a higher initial cost in material and installation for heavy-duty carton flow.

Example:3D Storage Solutions’ Heavy Duty Carton Flow Applications

To find the option best for you, talk with an expert. Our team of Storage Solutions experts has decades of experience finding creative solutions for nearly any use case. We can walk you through what may be best for your warehouse and see if carton flow is ideal for increasing your storage capacity and optimizing your fulfillment operations.

Spotlight: Pick-to-Light and Put-to-Light Systems

Automation

Order accuracy and fulfillment throughput are two measures of a successful warehouse that could vary by a wide margin, depending on your order volume, error allowance, and pick rate.

Two solutions that can allow companies to increase throughput & accuracy are put-to-light or pick-to-light technologies. Depending on their needs, these systems offer efficiencies such as reduced lead times, increased order accuracy, labor efficiency, and more. If these are challenges that you face, you may see a return on your investment in the technology faster than you think.

Both technologies use similar hardware and software and allow companies to reduce training time for employees, getting them up to speed – quite literally – faster.

Is Your Business Right for Pick-to-Light Systems?

The profile of a distribution center that could benefit most from a pick-to-light system is housing a fixed set of SKUs with a high volume of orders. Here is how it works:

Operators scan a bar code on a tote to start an order
The lights on your pick locations illuminate, directing pickers to designated slots
Pickers select product in appropriate quantities
Operators confirm the picks using buttons on the lights
Steps 1-4 are repeated until the order is fulfilled
Order is sent to shipping

These systems do have two downsides with higher upfront costs for larger-scale facilities and limited flexibilities in terms of reconfiguration. However, that is often offset through a return on investment that comes with increased order accuracy and labor productivity. Particularly in zone picking operations, this system keeps your team active in an assembly-line process that builds orders actively.

Is Your Business Right for Put-to-Light Systems?

The businesses that benefit the most from put-to-light systems fulfill a high volume of orders from a relatively small number of SKUs, particularly in e-commerce. How it works:

SKUs are picked in large batches for multiple orders & sent to the put area
The operator scans a bar code
Lights illuminate on the put wall indicating which orders need the SKU
Those items are put to the appropriate order totes, boxes or slots
Once all items are put to an order, the put wall operator is notified that order is complete & it is sent to packing
Another associate packs the goods at a packing station
Order is sent to shipping

While there are more advanced fulfillment systems, put-to-light can offer increased efficiencies and accuracy in fulfillment. It provides a paperless strategy that links an employee to an order and can facilitate distribution centers that house a subset of SKUs that account for a large percentage of item movement. E-commerce, direct-to-consumer-and other situations with a large volume of small line count orders often see the best return.

Learn More, Get Started

By reducing errors, quicker picking and faster fulfillment, put-to-light, and pick-to-light systems are beneficial for a variety of industries. However, it may not be necessary if your order accuracies and workflows are at ideal levels. But are they at the appropriate levels of efficiency? How do you know?

Our team has years of expertise in the utilization of both put-to-light and pick-to-light technologies and would be happy to speak with you if you think your business can benefit from installing these systems. If you are interested, or even unsure if your warehouse is an ideal fit, contact us today to learn more!

Semi-Automated Solutions Add Capacity

Automation

As the supply chain industry continues to evolve, workers are challenged with finding new and innovative methods to implement technology to reduce disruptions and increase operational efficiency in each facility. Warehouse managers in need of a dynamic yet straightforward solution should evaluate implementing semi-automated pallet carts with deep lane storage systems.

Semi-automated storage solutions – sometimes referred to as pallet runners, pallet shuttles, or pallet moles – allow for efficient organization of a warehouse because they can store, load, and retrieve full pallets. They are fast, easy-to-use, and adaptable enough for more inventory systems (First-In, First Out; Last-In, First-Out, etc.).

Essentially, the system centers around a cart that travels along pre-determined lanes within deep storage structures within a warehouse. While there may be some level of fully automated programming available, the carts typically are controlled via remote. An operator can control up to four carts simultaneously.

How Do Semi-Automated Deep Lane Storage Systems Work?

The functionality of a semi-automated deep lane storage system is relatively easy to understand. Once a pallet is placed onto the load position in the pallet rack by a forklift, the cart transfers it based on the direction of an operator with a remote control. From there, there are three main functions of a pallet runner:

Loading/Storing: After the pallet is loaded onto the rack, a cart will position the pallet for storage in the first available storage position in that lane. Semi-automated deep lane storage systems allow for very dense storage, with systems typically being 12-40 pallets deep per lane.
Unloading: Like the loading function, an operator can use a pallet runner as an unloading mechanism. The cart travels the lane until the first available pallet is located. Once located, the cart picks up the pallet and moves it to the unload end position in the rack where a forklift driver picks it up & loads it for shipment.
Continuous Loading/Unloading: This is like the manual loading/unloading function; however, the runner can be programmed to return to retrieve the next available pallet automatically.

What Are Other Benefits of Semi-Automated Storage Systems?

Semi-automated deep lane storage systems help maximize space in a warehouse while creating optimal storage density by using technology to load, store, and unload full pallets. This system comes as a benefit to your forklifts by moving wear-and-tear from those more expensive-to-replace capital expenses and onto this more versatile option. They also help reduce damage to both product and racking structure by keeping products within a lane and minimally exposed to hazards within the warehouse.

You can further outfit these semi-automated carts with additional features that may suit your operational needs, including integration in cold environments (from 30 degrees to -22 degrees Fahrenheit), wi-fi enablement, remote control charging capabilities, and more.

Want to Learn More?

If you have an interest in implementing dynamic solutions like semi-automated deep lane storage, we should talk. Storage Solutions experts are ready to share their knowledge, experience, and guidance in the installation and maintenance of these semi-automated storage solutions. We are one of the few United States-based integrators who can offer support and service 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Contact us today to start developing your semi-automated deep lane storage project!

Storage Solutions Vincennes Partnership 1

Storage Solutions Provides Robotics Demonstrations

News & Press Releases, Automation

As of 2018, Plainfield, Indiana, boasted 50% of all warehouse jobs in Central Indiana, including employers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Foxconn. As the supply chain and logistics industries continue to grow in Central Indiana – and Hendricks County in particular – there is a high demand for training and education to maximize employment for skilled labor.

To support that educational demand, Storage Solutions has partnered with Vincennes University’s Logistics Training and Education Center (VULTEC) to introduce students to on-demand automation and its increasing role in warehouse operations.

Storage Solutions has loaned Fetch Robotics’ HMIShelf robot, a picking transportation solution, to the Vincennes center for training purposes. The robot works alongside warehouse associates to carry a wide range of bins, totes, and packages from multiple pick zones or locations to a packing area. The HMIShelf is designed to reduce associate travel time, increasing productivity, and lessening the hardship of employees who would otherwise be carrying the loads.

“As a Fetch Solutions Certified Provider, we can be at the forefront of implementing on-demand automation in warehouse environments,” explained Nathan Storey, Vice President of Operations at Storage Solutions. “Our partnership with Vincennes allows us to help students of all ages learn about how warehouses currently operate, but also be prepared to adjust to technological advances.”

For the next two years, students and visitors to the VULTEC can obtain first-hand experience with the autonomous mobile robot and see how it can assist in real-world applications in the supply chain industry. Whether it comes to programming or picking, students in the programs will likely be working with elements of warehouse automation in some form in their next jobs.

“We are thrilled to have Storage Solutions exhibiting their automated mobile robots at our training and education center,” explained Debbie Furnish, Warehouse Technician at Vincennes’ Logistics Training and Education Center.

“Partnerships like these help us put premium value to the educational opportunities we give to our students. These AMRs are part of the future of the industry, so it gives our students a leg-up to have that first-hand knowledge of how they work and how to work with them.”

THE VULTEC is a 30,000 square foot warehouse that combines a hands-on learning environment with classroom instructions. Students gain the knowledge base that makes them attractive to potential employers while providing the opportunity to apply their education using the latest equipment and technology.

For more information on the VULTEC, visit www.vulogistics.com.

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