Robotic goods-to-person solutions lead market in supply chain race

E-commerce sales grew to $35.3 billion in 2011 and are predicted to increase 10 percent annually, according to the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

The rise in e-commerce has made a variety of products accessible to consumers on and offline at any time of the day or night. This increased availability has shifted the supply chain to accommodate multi-channel distribution of goods from one warehouse, adding to the already complex process of back-end fulfillment. The changing market presents challenges and opportunities for businesses to streamline the fulfillment process, and find space, time and cost efficiencies through advanced order-picking technologies, such as robotic goods-to-person solutions.

Dematic, a leading supplier of logistics systems for distribution, manufacturing and warehouse environments, is helping businesses navigate wholesale, retail and ecommerce fulfillment while maximizing inventory storage space and increasing labor productivity through its Multishuttle and RapidPick goods-to-person systems. By reversing the order-fulfillment process and bringing the goods to the person fulfilling the order, these automated solutions eliminate the travel time associated with conventional picking methods and deliver higher levels of accuracy, flexibility, and safety, positively impacting a company’s bottom line.

“In the increasingly complex world of multichannel order fulfillment, robotic goods-to-person systems can be the silver bullet for businesses, presenting an option that increases accuracy and delivery performance while reducing costs,” said John Baysore, president and CEO, Dematic North America.

Designed to enhance the interface between bulk stock and functions such as picking, order assembly and sequencing, the Dematic Multishuttle is a robotic next-generation system for automated storage and retrieval of cases, totes and trays. The system can be easily adapted to any shape or size building, which is important for retailers experiencing rapid growth and change in product-demand profiles.

The Dematic RapidPick System is also engineered for ergonomic split-case order fulfillment, enabling pick rates of up to 1,000 line items per operator, per hour. Its compact design typically uses a 30 to 65 percent smaller footprint than other systems.

“Customizable to businesses’ activity profiles and business drivers, the Multishuttle and RapidPick systems deliver powerful productivity to distribution centers,” Baysore said. “These goods-to-person technologies exemplify Dematic’s commitment of continuing to provide flexible, scalable and modular solutions to our customers.”

Both the Dematic Multishuttle and RapidPick System will be on display at the Internet Retailer Conference and Expo, June 5 to 8 in Chicago.