Automation: The buzz you hear is real

There’s a good chance the buzz that’s still ringing in your ears from ProMat last month may be with you for a while.

As we found in our “2019 Warehouse and Distribution Center Equipment Survey” in March and then validated in Chicago, Modern readers are still fired up to invest in solutions to help overcome increasing service demands while managing diminishing resources.

If we needed any more data to support this vibe, the findings from our latest “Usage and Implementation of Warehouse and DC Automation Solutions” reveals that readers are getting adventurous, especially when it comes to robotics. Editor at large Bridget McCrea puts context behind the findings starting on page 56.

“After combing through the results,” says McCrea, “it becomes pretty apparent that the increasing need to manage high-velocity operations with limited labor resources is clearly pushing companies toward more automation—and they’re breaking down any long-felt apprehensions in the process.”

According to the results, 63% of companies already use conveyor and sortation systems to automate their facilities; 55% rely on weighing, cubing and dimensioning equipment; 33% use goods-to-person picking solutions; 22% use automated storage; and 20% rely on automated packaging solutions.

“While these are all positive numbers regarding what are now traditional approaches to automation, we were more encouraged by what readers were forecasting over the next two years,” says McCrea.

While 57% of respondents say they plan to shop around for conveyor and sortation systems over the next 24 months, 50% tell us they’re ready to invest in robotics for picking; 55% are interested in mobile collaborative robots; 47% are looking into shuttle systems and mobile robotic storage; and 47% say they’re ready to make a move toward robotics for palletizing.

While we’ve been watching the slow and steady growth of new technology adoption, we’ve also been tracking how small- to medium-sized business are applying automation inside their operations to keep up with the well-known e-tail behemoths.

This month in Modern, executive editor Bob Trebilcock offers his second of three System Reports that focus on smaller organizations that are turning their order fulfillment and logistics capabilities into a competitive advantage. Starting on page 16, he shares how Turn 14 Distribution, a distributor of performance auto parts, grew from a single 52,000-square-foot DC in Pennsylvania into a distribution network with locations in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Texas.

“In short order, the company built out three strategically located DCs comprising more than 700,000 square feet of space,” says Trebilcock.

However, the key was bringing in a new level of automation that now allows the company to hit most of the country in one day. “What impressed me the most was that, having done it once,” adds Trebilcock, “the company’s CEO said he’d do it again. This is just another great example of the power of materials handling automation done right regardless of company size.”