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When meeting with companies interested in investing in warehouse automation for to optimize their warehouse, the senior management team’s focus is increasingly on the financial return to be expected from this investment. The questions asked include:
These questions set the stage for a strategic discussion on the role a data-driven design plan plays as the first step in selecting warehouse automation and achieving the highest ROI on their investment.
In our experience, the best warehouse automation project outcomes are achieved by taking, in collaboration with the customer, a data-driven design approach that value-maps the desired operational improvement outcomes.
The first step in this process is to identify any inefficiencies in the DC’s current operation. We define and document the current operation processes and create flow charts that outline current steps and touches.
We also identify new, leaner, improved processes, which, when compared to the original operation, will determine the reduced labor achievements and operational savings that help define the improvements’ value.
While considering new warehouse automation, most businesses wrestle with how to leverage their current ERP-WMS software investment in conjunction with new warehouse automation. There is understandably little interest in changing the business software when implementing the warehouse project.
The key is to define the ideal warehouse optimization software platform to connect the all the selected warehouse technologies to your existing ERP and WMS systems. The preferred solution is increasingly a Tier 1 Warehouse Execution System (WES) software platform such as Numina’s RDS™ WES Platform that interacts and extends the functionality of your ERP and WMS systems.
Think of the WES platform as your warehouse automation “glue.”
The WES is the connector to the company’s warehouse and business systems, serving as a single cohesive software platform that unites multiple automation technologies across the operation.
A mature WES system such as Numina’s RDS™ WES Platform contains API interface modules and a proven track record of connecting a variety of ERP and WMS systems to both traditional conveyor-based pick and pack automation along with the latest generation robotics-based picking, moving, and sorting AMRs and robotics-based goods-to-person (G2P) systems.
Blog: How a Warehouse Execution System Enriches Your ERP and WMS Systems
The WES must be flexible and scalable, and include a large family of software modules that manage and control all three order fulfillment components – picking, packing, and shipping. It needs to be rock solid, fast, handle real-time messaging, and be designed to handle high-speed control decisions.
The WES also needs web-based visualization screens for critical information display, alerts, and report tools that empower managers and operators to manage and orchestrate order-picking practices in real-time across multiple zones using a combination of order-picking technologies such as pick-by-voice, pick-to-light, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), goods-to-person (G2P), and conveyor systems in the operation.
The WES orchestrates a continuous order flow machine using data-driven optimization algorithms to continuously release orders while preventing bottlenecks in warehouse fulfillment operations.
In order for companies selling products to maintain a competitive advantage, their DC operations must have an efficient, software-driven, and paperless order fulfillment process driving the warehouse. To achieve this, businesses must embrace intelligent warehouse order orchestration and the right blend of automation.
A seamless order orchestration process strategically moves people and products in an automated method to achieve the ultimate objective – timely and accurate order fulfillment practices.
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The order fulfillment operation must execute optimized order release to create a continuous order flow while considering critical order shipment details such as the order cube weight and priority shipment logic in a low-touch pick, pack, and ship operation.
Releasing the right blend of orders across multiple zones, knowing the optimal-sized shipment cartons, and the order start time required to meet the selected carrier’s cut-off delivery pick-up window are not luxuries – they are operational necessities! Missing critical order delivery commitments damages customer service expectations and can lead to the loss of the client.
Gain a Competitive Advantage with RDS WES with Order Orchestration
This is why it is essential to invest in a Tier 1 WES such as Numina Group’s Real-time Distribution RDS™ WES solution that includes advanced order orchestration, advanced cartonization, and priority order release logic to enable robots and people to fulfill orders faster and increase order flow across a unified operation.
A WES with advanced order fulfillment orchestration capabilities is a winning investment move! The WES eliminates touches by utilizing a superior pick-by-voice process that utilizes hands-free barcode scan validation, allowing the pick and packing process to become a single-step process, fulfilling orders directly into the right-sized carton. It eliminates manual labor at repack to further reduce labor requirements.
Voice picking within the WES includes pick-and-pack validation by combining voice, vision, and barcode scan validation of the item ID, lot, and sell-by date capture – all at the industry’s highest accuracy and fastest performance levels.
Many of our current customers are exceeding 450 picks/hour per operator using this solution.
Numina Group’s RDS AMR Batchbot™ Order Picking Module is a wonderful use case of pick-by-voice automation to direct workers’ picking movement tasks using voice commands, a wireless headset, a mobile, wearable computer display, hands-free barcode scanner operator, and AMRs in a zone-based picking application.
RDS Batchbot, which combines voice-picking technology with AMRs, is proven to help operators pick faster and more accurately and achieve higher each- or case-picks/hour. RDS directs and optimizes the AMRs to do the mundane, repetitive heavy load transport move tasks of batch carts of pallets throughout the warehouse.
RDS Voice unites the operator’s and AMR’s order-picking work tasks with the WES intelligent order release and orchestration for a faster, more accurate order pick and pack process.
Further efficiencies can be gained by combining pick-by-voice and AMRs in a “Meet Me Mode” for a zone-based multi-aisle order-picking application. This configuration directs AMRs for mixed case pick-to-pallet applications and large 25+ order quantity batch-pick carts in mixed case and each item picking.
In both applications, the pick operators are voice-directed to storage locations in the shortest walk distance path to meet the AMR at the location by the wearable mobile computer using hands-free SKU scan validation of the pick and put process.
In the dynamic world of fast-changing warehouse automation, there are compelling reasons to investigate flexible, scalable order release orchestration and managing order fulfillment automation technologies that will accelerate the productivity in a new or existing warehouse operation.
Blog: Automate an Existing DC or Open a New Satellite Facility?
Numina Group’s RDS WES solution, with its advanced order orchestration module, voice picking engine, and proven success in integrating AMR, G2P, conveyors, and sorters in a cohesive picking, packing, and shipping automation solution, is a winning investment in any size B2B and B2C warehouse operation.
By combining multiple highly productive automation technologies into a single seamless process, we can affirmatively answer a prospective client’s financial leadership team, “Can you show me a 40% or higher warehouse productivity gain so that we obtain monthly positive cash flow from the investment?”
Learn how Numina Group’s design engineering, software team, and RDS warehouse automation solutions can breathe new life into existing ERP/WMS in warehouse automation projects and generate positive cash flow in the investment by obtaining:
Contact us to get a rapid ROI on your warehouse automation initiative for a positive cash flow that will make your warehouse automation solution free!
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
