Best Practices in Automation
During the late 1990s, automated materials handling and information systems were all the rage. In fact, there was an automation arms race. Internet upstarts drove up the cost of warehouse space, hired the best employees, and implemented to-die-for materials handling systems. Traditional manufacturers and distributors automated their order fulfillment processes just to stay even.
Today’s business landscape is very different from those heady times. Warehouse space and labor are plentiful. Money is tight. Those factors alone would seem to argue that investments in materials handling automation are no longer on the front burner. That may be why many companies put automation projects on the back burner over the last few years.
For companies with a vision, there is still a strong case to be made for automation: when done right, it is an investment in productivity that will pay dividends for years to come. That is a solid investment that never goes out of fashion.
In the July best practices newsletter we’ll look at the three central questions any potential user should ask when considering an investment in productivity: Why should I automate? Where will I see the return? And what are the factors I should consider before automating?
