Stepping up to handle massive e-commerce requirements

If you attended Modex in Atlanta last month, a couple things were hard to overlook. The first was the realization that you were out and about experiencing first-hand one of the most comprehensive materials handing trade shows in the world—that was pretty cool. The second was how much you heard that nearly every warehouse and DC operation is still up against the same challenges: more labor-intensive filling of e-commerce orders; tighter fulfillment cycle times; and difficulty finding enough labor.

And the solution? Automation.

As we heard across the board, fulfillment pressures will continue in 2022, and flexibility and scalability will be more important than ever—putting a premium on the adoption of software, automated systems, robotics, mobile solutions and emerging next-generation technologies to build in new levels of resilience.

This month in Modern, we aim to perpetuate that momentum around the benefits of automation through three stories. Starting on page 18, executive editor Bob Trebilcock has gathered five examples of DC operations that have chosen the path of innovation to evolve and meet today’s challenges.

“We need to keep in mind that disruptions such as labor and supply shortages tend to be time limited and will pass,” says Trebilcock. “However, the exponential increase in e-commerce sales and direct-to-consumer deliveries is permanent. In that new reality, what happens inside a warehouse and DC has now moved from the bottom of the boardroom agenda—if it was even on the agenda—to the top.”

As Trebilcock emphasizes this month, order fulfillment is central to delivering on the promises made by sales and marketing teams. “And fulfilling those promises is requiring new levels of automation and technology, and different approaches to warehousing processes,” he says.

There’s a good chance you spent some time on the show floor visiting one of the many new piece-picking robotics vendors—all part of the next wave. Starting on page 36, editor at large Gary Forger rounds up a few experts in piece-picking robotics to gain their advice on best practices with these latest generation automated fulfillment systems.

“It’s about improving order fulfillment at companies as diverse as FedEx and natural products e-tailer iHerb,” says Forger. “While we’re still in the early stages, piece-picking robots are proving to offer faster, more accurate picking with reduced labor requirements. Our sources tell us that they’re already producing a high return on investment of time, money and people.”

We’re also seeing new systems assist on the shipping dock—a critical area often overlooked. Starting on page 42, senior editor Roberto Michel offers an overview on how automated trailer loading systems are transforming the task of managing inbound and outbound shipments.

“I learned that there’s more than one way to automate the loading of trailers, especially for pallets and larger, unitized loads,” says Michel. “The newer, more revolutionary front is in applying AI-enabled robotic arms to automate unloading and loading of smaller units—cases and cartons. It’s another example of intelligent robotics stepping up to automate more of the handling requirements driven by e-commerce.”