Back to the automation lab

I don’t know about you, but when I think of a laboratory, I think of high school chemistry—all those Pyrex test tubes, Bunsen burners and nerdy kids who were smarter than I was.

Or am, for that matter.

Earlier this week, I had a chance to visit a materials handling automation lab, a place where I felt much more at home. I was in Chicago, looking at colleges and apartment complexes with my daughter, who’s about to graduate from high school. Since I was in the area, I stopped by The Numina Group’s offices in Woodridge, Illinois, and got a tour from Dan Hanrahan, Numina’s president.

Just what is an automation lab?

First, there are no test tubes. Instead, Numina has constructed a high-throughput order fulfillment system in miniature, complete with a high-speed conveyor loop, a powered pop-up directional sortation system, scan tunnels, inline weighing, cubing and dimensioning equipment, and servo-controlled print and apply engines. A separate room is dedicated to software development for warehouse control (WCS) and execution systems.

While I was there, my daughter and I loaded a variety of cartons and packages onto the conveyor, and then watched as they were automatically scanned, weighed and cubed, and labeled and sorted. Well, I watched, at least. Like most 17-year-olds, Sam was more interested in her Starbucks latte while Hanrahan and I talked automation.

What’s the point of all this hardware and software?

In a crowded marketplace where materials handling equipment providers, systems integrators and consultants are vying for the same projects, Numina distinguishes itself with real-time warehouse control systems and highly automated labeling systems. The latter can execute and validate complex labels and integrate those processes into the flow of an automated, high-volume order fulfillment operation.

Numina has about 30 of these systems out in the market now. “With solutions that can handle up to 100 cartons a minute while producing complex compliant labels, we are all about using automation for labor savings and throughput,” Hanrahan said.

Rather than simply relying on simulation to demonstrate a solution, Numina can show off a system using real equipment. “Give us your data and bring in your cartons, and we’ll show you how your operation will run on automated materials handling equipment,” said Hanrahan.

As we drove to O’Hare to catch our plane home, I had a chance to think about my tour. What struck me most about my visit was how much our industry has evolved from selling equipment to designing and implementing solutions that meet our customers’ materials handling needs while driving productivity. That’s the kind of lab I can get behind.