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In our last blog, we reproached traditional integrators for making the design, implementation, and support process for automated pack-and-ship solutions needlessly complex and cost prohibitive.
We have formed this opinion because of the lessons learned from deploying 200+ pack-and-ship solutions over the years. Our frustration stemmed from the lack of innovation and productization in a category that so desperately needs it.
Fundamentally, we understand that an operation can only achieve its business and financial goals when there is a symbiosis between each of the three outbound fulfillment processes (picking, packing, & shipping).
With that principle in mind, we have recognized an imbalance between the number of picking automation options vs packing & shipping automation options available in the marketplace.
To name a few, an operation could choose from: RF, pick-to-light, voice, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), pick modules, goods-to-person (G2P) robotics, shuttle systems, horizontal/vertical carousels, batch picking to automated unit sortation, cubed AS/RS etc.
Within each of these categories, you have countless vendors who have approached the design of their solutions with slight variations that cater to certain requirements.
When choosing both a picking methodology + a vendor, you are presented with seemingly unlimited combinations of picking automation solutions.
Better yet, how many different automated pack + ship solutions can you name that would be applicable for the size and structure of your fulfillment operation? Taking that one step further, how many affordable solutions can you name that satisfy your design criteria?
To start better answering these questions, automation vendors need to move away from customization and towards configuration. Our launch of Pakt™ is in response to the disproportionate number of productized solutions for picking vs packing & shipping, as well as the overwhelming bottleneck that exists in operations when orders are dropped at packout.
We recognize the tradeoff between configuration and customization. But seeing the advantages that standardization brings to our clients and the industry at large, it is clearly the direction that we need to go as warehouse automation providers.
Using these topics as our guiding light, we will synthesize the complexity of pack and ship automation into one consumable, dependable, high-performing technology product called Pakt.
The Numina Group
10331 Werch Drive
Woodridge, IL 60517
630-343-2600
How the Right Warehouse Automation Decisions Can Solve Your Labor Woes As the economy roars
The Numina Group
10331 Werch Drive
Woodridge, IL 60517
630-343-2600
