Inhoudsopgave
Industrial robotics and automation are poised for substantial growth, with companies planning to allocate up to 25% of their capital expenditures to these technologies over the next five years.
The increasing demand for supply chain robots highlights the critical role of warehouse automation in driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
As per a McKinsey survey, the automation market is expanding rapidly, with robot shipments expected to see an annual growth rate of up to 50% by 2030. Similarly, the warehouse automation sector is forecasted to grow at an annual rate exceeding 10% during the same period.
In logistics and fulfillment, warehouse automation is projected to account for over one-third of capital spending, representing the largest share across all sectors. This significant boost in investment reflects the growing recognition of automation’s transformative impact on operational efficiency and competitiveness.
Key Reasons for Failure of Automation Projects
1. Lack of Cohesive Vision: When organisations lack a clear and concise vision, their warehouse automation projects tend to fail. It can lead to fragmented efforts, chaos, and miscommunication. A cohesive vision ensures all stakeholders are aligned toward achieving a common goal.
2. Poor Understanding of Technology: Investing in training and knowledge is crucial as an inefficient grasp of technologies can hinder the process of efficient warehouse automation. Teams can overlook the proper utilisation of tools and top-notch software, causing the failure of automation projects.
3. Misalignment of Organisational Beliefs: Resistance is likely to occur if automation initiatives conflict with the present company culture and views of the existing workforce. It is one of the primary reasons which can cause failure of automation projects and it is essential to create a supportive and cohesive workspace where the concerns of the employees are heard.
4. Inaccurate Forecasting: Inaccurate project timetables, cost, and benefit projections can lead to disappointed and irrational expectations. Organisations risk being ill-prepared for difficulties if they fail to sufficiently evaluate the resources needed or the possible return on investment. Maintaining projects on schedule requires accurate forecasting and frequent reevaluation.
5. Insufficient Planning and Strategy: A lack of detailed planning can result in overlooked requirements and unanticipated challenges. Understanding procedures, outlining workflows, and determining key performance indicators (KPIs) to gauge success are all components of thorough planning.
6. Inefficient Use of Space: Warehouse Automation projects require appropriate management of both digital and physical space. Inefficiencies may result from poorly organised digital tools or from teams not making the most of their environment for collaboration. This comprises:
- Physical Space: Inadequate workstation and resource arrangement can impede teamwork, communication, and productivity, making it challenging for groups to successfully deploy and oversee automation.
- Digital Space: Teams may find it difficult to locate the information or tools they need if digital resources and platforms are chaotic, which could hinder warehouse automation efforts.
How to Improve Warehouse Automation Projects?
1. Clearly Defined Goals and Metrics: Warehouse automation projects must have well-defined goals to be successful. It facilitates team focus, and important performance measures let you assess performance and produce useful outcomes.
2. Address Skill Gaps: Identify and bridge the gaps within the workforce to maximise the efficiency of achieving the results. Investing in training the employees enables them to get equipped with advanced systems, and warehouse management software for continuous improvement and innovation.
3. Promote Cross-Functional Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration across several departments can streamline the process, share insights and drive collective problem-solving skills in the organisation.
4. Implement Agile Project Management Techniques: Adopt agile approaches so that you can react quickly to changes, especially when combining conveyors and autonomous robots. This adaptability enhances overall efficiency and streamlines processes.
5. Design for Scalability: Ensure that automation systems are built to scale with future growth. Choose flexible technologies and modular systems that can adapt to increased volumes and varied products. This foresight allows for easier upgrades and ensures that warehouse automation can meet evolving demands effectively.
Warehouse Automation Implementation Success at Addverb
Addverb uses a comprehensive 4D strategy (Discover, Design, Deliver, and Dedicated Support) to ensure the effective adoption of warehouse automation.
We meet a wide range of customer needs and improve operational effectiveness by customising both permanent and flexible warehouse automation solutions.
Productivity and scalability are increased by our creative solutions, which include the Zippy robotic sorters for quick SKU-wise sorting, the SortIE modular packet sorting system, and the Dynamo mobile robots for secure material handling.
Key Features Of Our Automation Solutions
- Hardware Integration: Our platform eliminates compatibility problems and guarantees smooth operation by seamlessly integrating and orchestrating automation systems and robots from several OEMs.
- Integration of WMS: We provide the freedom to implement cloud solutions locally, seamlessly integrating them into any ERP system to optimise operations.
- Microservices-Based Architecture: Our scalable and modular platform is made to digitise warehouses and meet the various requirements of intricate automation implementations.
- Intelligent Algorithms Driven by Artificial Intelligence: Our self-learning algorithms are always evolving and adapting, giving us real-time data-driven insights that improve productivity and efficiency.
Some Successful Client Implementations by Addverb
Geautomatiseerd e-commerce afhandelingscentrum van Landmark
Landmark Group is a prominent retail and e-commerce conglomerate in the GCC, and a leader in providing outstanding consumer experiences across MENA, India, and Southeast Asia.
- Problem Statement: Landmark Group identified that they require adaptable automation to handle their wide variety of SKUs, including home décor, apparel, and accessories.
- Solution Provided: Addverb has implemented the revolutionary Quazzy system, combining the carton shuttle (Quadron) with the sorting robot (Zippy). This powerful solution enhances delivery speed and order accuracy in limited spaces.
- Addverb Advantage: A throughput of 1,000 sorts per hour with a sortation system, and 100 totes per hour with a carton shuttle system
Check out the complete video here
Maersk’s Warehouse Operations with Flexible Automation
Maersk is an integrated logistics company that offers supply chain solutions for managing shipments and cargo.
- Problem Statement: Maersk needed a flexible solution that addressed every step of the process, from receiving materials to order dispatch, including scheduled reverse logistics, to manage complicated inventory control and enable omnichannel fulfillment.
- Solution Provided: Pallet and carton shuttles, as well as autonomous mobile robots for material movement, are examples of automated storage and retrieval systems that we integrated into our solution, which combines fixed and flexible automation. Using multi-carton picking robots and sorting systems, this arrangement improved efficiency and streamlined procedures from receiving to delivery.
- Addverb Advantage: Consequently, Maersk produced outstanding results, using 16,500 pallet locations for multi-deep storage, shipping 100,000 parts daily, and optimising palletizing processes using Pick-to-Light technology.
Check out the complete video here
Addverb’s Product Portfolio
Addverb product range spans what we call, the Fixed & Flexible Warehouse Automation category. Our Fixed Automation products comprise automation systems that require a Fixed infrastructure to operate and our Flexible Automation product range comprises mobile robots that help to move material from one place to another .
Fixed Automation
- Quadron: Carton Shuttle Bot for storage and retrieval of cartons/crates
- Cruiser: Pallet Shuttle Bot for storage and retrieval of Pallets
- Multi-Pro: Mother-Child Shuttle system for storage and retrieval of Pallets
- Skyron: Crane-based Automated Storage & Retrieval System for Pallet Load
- Travect: Rail Guided Vehicle for transporting pallets over long distances within factories and warehouses
- Sortie: Vertical Sortation Robot that can sort individual packets to different destinations at varied heights
- Medius: Multi-Level Shuttle is a highly dynamic shuttle system for automated storage and retrieval of cartons/totes on different levels.
Flexible Automation
- Dynamo: Autonomous Mobile Robot that is powered by Lidar and operates on natural navigation. Can carry payloads of 100 kg, 200 kg, 500 kg, 1000 kg, 1500 kg and 2500 kg
- Zippy: Sorting Robot that navigates with the help of floor-based markets to perform sorting operations on special platforms or floors. Can carry payloads of 6kg,10kg, 25kg and, 40 Kg
- Veloce: Multi-Carton Picking Robot that can perform storage and retrieval of cartons and crates
- FlowT: Autonomous Forklift that runs on natural navigation and performs operations through Computer Vision
- Syncro: Collaborative Robot designed to work alongside humans in shared spaces to perform industrial operations
Picking Solutions
- Rapido: Pick-To-Light is an order-picking technology that guides operators to perform the picking
- Zesty: Pick-by-Voice technology that helps an operator perform picking operations with the help of voice commands
Other Product Range
- Trakr: Assistive Robot dog which can be used for different applications like maintenance, surveillance, patrolling, etc. across industries such as construction, manufacturing, refineries, and defense.
- Heal: Collaborative robot for healthcare applications to perform non-invasive procedures like ultrasound
- Exo-Skeleton: Robotic exo-skeleton to help patients in rehabilitation
Eindnoot
Improving warehouse automation is critical to competitiveness. Organisations can optimise their automation potential by establishing unambiguous goals, addressing gaps in skills, and cultivating cooperation. Ready to transform your warehouse operations?
Partner with Addverb to leverage our cutting-edge warehouse automation solutions and unlock new levels of efficiency and productivity. Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve your automation goals!
Opgericht in 2016, Addverb biedt complete roboticaoplossingen voor magazijn- en industriële automatisering, met een sterke wereldwijde aanwezigheid via zijn dochterondernemingen wereldwijd. Het bedrijf levert een reeks interne automatiseringsproducten, waaronder Autonomous Mobile Robots, ASRS en sorteertechnologieën. Het bedrijf bedient meer dan 350 klanten, waaronder bekende bedrijven als Coca-Cola, Amazon en DHL.
