More and more companies are implementing automated warehouses to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of their logistics operations. In an automated warehouse, all transport, storage and goods management processes are fully automated.
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Automated warehouses can be found in a wide variety of industries. They offer benefits such as reduced errors, optimised space and faster processes. Below, you'll find 5 examples of companies that have installed automated warehouses to boost their supply chain throughput.
British Sugar, the leading sugar manufacturer in Great Britain and Ireland, optimised logistics operations in its sugar processing plant ' the most extensive in Europe ' with an automated warehouse for pallets. Overseen by the Easy WMS warehouse management system, the facility is seamlessly connected to production line outputs by a pallet conveyor.
Located in Wissington (UK), British Sugar's automated warehouse is equipped with the Mecalux Group's Automated Pallet Shuttle system with stacker cranes. This automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) has enhanced speed and safety in the entry and exit of 3,000 pallets a day containing finished products. It enables the business to comfortably keep up with production rate increases and changes in demand.
'All movements of goods are automated, which really accelerates product inflows and outflows. Thanks to the automated operation of the stacker cranes, conveyors and motorised shuttles, we're able to complete the cycles required to serve our customers,' says Samuel Chapman, Purchasing Manager at British Sugar.
Michael Burton, Customer Supply Lead at British Sugar's Wissington Factory, explains why the organisation opted for new technologies: 'Innovation is at the heart of everything we do and is fundamental to our factories of the future.' He also notes that automation has provided multiple benefits, 'most notably the improvements in safety and health as a result of the reduction of forklift movements within the warehouse.'
Companies that implement automated warehouses seek efficiency and safety in inflows and outflows of palletised goods. But they also aim to expedite picking of small parts. A case in point is the Manitou Group, a company specialising in material handling, people-lifting and earthmoving equipment. It installed the Mecalux Group's Shuttle System and 2 high-performance pick stations in its logistics centre in Ancenis, France. With Mecalux's Easy WMS, the business closely monitors its 16,000 SKUs in stock.
This comprehensive solution has increased productivity and capacity in the same space. The Manitou Group can prepare 500 order lines an hour following the goods-to-person method. At the same time, it houses and manages 20,000 boxes in real time in just 560 m².
'We're extremely satisfied with the performance of the Mecalux Shuttle System. It's ramped up our productivity in storing, picking and shipping spare parts. Additionally, Easy WMS more than meets our expectations. It's a very intuitive and user-friendly digital tool,' says Benoît Stanislas, Supply Chain Project Manager at Manitou Group.
In designing the AS/RS, Mecalux also took into account Manitou Group's growth strategy. The automated solution, which consists of 2 aisles, is scalable. That is, the organisation can add another aisle to handle a higher order fulfilment volume in the medium and long term.
Automated warehouses can be built from scratch. Alternatively ' as in the case of IKEA Components ' they can be implemented in a pre-existing facility. The company, which packages and distributes furniture parts and accessories, automated its warehouse in Malacky, Slovakia, with automatic trilateral stacker cranes and pallet conveyors without halting operations.
Frantisek Stora, Managing Director of IKEA Components Slovakia, says: 'We had experience in warehouse automation but primarily in greenfield projects ' started from scratch. With Mecalux's help, we transformed an existing facility, leveraging the building structure and racks. The project was more challenging than others we'd done in the past, but now that it's finished, I can confidently say that it's been a complete success.'
Made up of 12 aisles, the automated warehouse streamlines the storage of finished products from the production lines. Moreover, it has a 99% order fill rate, attributed in part to the effectiveness of Mecalux's Easy WMS. 'With the warehouse management software, we can see our material flows and how much stock we have in the facility at any given time,' says Pavol Masarovič, Operations Manager at IKEA Components.
In conclusion, Masarovič highlights the advantages of transforming the facility: 'Automation brings us flexibility, efficiency and the storage capacity we need. Likewise, the automated warehouse gives us real-time inventory visibility.'
Blechwarenfabrik, a manufacturer of aluminium cans, installed 2 automated warehouses in its plant in Offheim, Germany. One houses raw materials and the other, finished products. The two are linked by means of automated guided vehicles. This systematic connection between production and logistics operations enables the company to process 22.000 tonnes of steel annually, making over 100 million packaging units.
'We've automated goods management, from inbound flows to order shipping. In partnership with Mecalux, we've built the most modern metal packaging plant in Europe,' says Christoph Weber, Technical Manager at Blechwarenfabrik.
To effectively combine logistics and manufacturing operations, the company employs Easy WMS software. The Mecalux program connects with Infor, Blechwarenfabrik's ERP system and its manufacturing execution system (MES) to know which items are needed in production and organise their distribution. 'The programs support each other. If we're looking for information on products, Easy WMS gives us all the details, including the available quantities and exact locations,' says Uwe Wonsack, Operations Manager at Blechwarenfabrik.
With the automated solutions from Mecalux and management provided by Easy WMS, the company benefits from an interconnected supply chain. Consequently, it now maintains tight control over its processes and provides its customers with top-rate service. 'When we opened the new plant in Offheim (Limburg), it was clear that our facility had to be automation-driven. With the technology of our partner Mecalux, our supply chain has taken a huge leap forward,' says Wonsack.
Automated warehouses are ideal for enhancing efficiency in facilities that work with frozen and/or refrigerated products. Copacol (Cooperativa Agroindustrial Consolata ' Consolata Agribusiness Cooperative) centralised its logistics operations in a fully automated distribution centre (DC) in the Brazilian town of Corbélia.
The company set up 2 automated warehouses that run at different temperatures. The first is a clad-rack warehouse that houses frozen products (made primarily from chicken and fish). Its 4 aisles, which operate at -25 ºC, hold 12,500 tonnes of chicken and 1,700 tonnes of fish. The other automated warehouse stores refrigerated products. It has a single aisle run at 4 ºC and capacity for 1,300 tonnes of chicken.
'We have a very modern DC. It's equipped with stacker cranes that perform the storage tasks autonomously. The speed of product inflows and outflows is much faster than it would be with forklifts. Plus, as the stacker cranes do all the work, we've gained in accuracy and eliminated errors,' says Itamar Ferrari, Logistics Manager at Copacol.
With the automated warehouses and Mecalux's Easy WMS ' which ensures real-time product traceability ' Copacol has raised its productivity by 20%. It now ships 925 tonnes of meat a day.
Automated warehouses offer efficiency and accuracy, optimising inventory management and the supply chain. Therefore, they can benefit all types of products and companies.
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Fully automated warehouses are logistics facilities that make use of automated handling equipment and conveying systems to optimize the performance of operations, including truck loading and unloading. Automated warehouses do away with standard forklifts and minimize the presence of operators inside them.
Against a backdrop in which companies seek to raise their competitiveness, warehouse automation is a trend seen more and more in logistics nowadays. The goal is to gain in efficiency and productivity: only automated processes can ensure maximum throughput 24/7.
A fully automated warehouse is a facility that uses automated logistics solutions to carry out all operations, from goods receiving to the processing of orders and their subsequent dispatch.
These centers are characterized by minimal operator intervention in their logistics processes. There are even facilities known as dark warehouses: as no operators work inside them, they don't need lighting.
Completely automated warehouses can be designed to handle different types of goods, making them increasingly common in sectors as varied as the ecommerce, automotive, and food industries, among others.
The healthcare situation has spurred the latest push towards process automation: in a scenario of mobility constraints and a changing workforce, automated solutions make it possible to comply with all safety measures while maintaining production levels. In an interview with Mecalux, Yossi Sheffi, Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, says: 'COVID-19 has accelerated the implementation of new technologies in the supply chain, and one area that has seen the most growth is warehouse automation.'
A study by consulting firm McKinsey foresees a highly automated future: 'Many operations could be automated by , as artificial intelligence (AI) takes over the many repetitive activities that logistics companies perform. We expect to see fully automated high-rack warehouses, with autonomous vehicles navigating the aisles. Managers with augmented-reality glasses will be able to 'see' the entire operation, helping them coordinate both people and robots. Warehouse-management systems will keep track of inventory in real time, ensuring it is matched to the ordering system. 3D printers will crank out spare parts made to order.'
Industrial process automation consists of implementing automated solutions in one or more warehouse operations, e.g., goods receipt, order picking, and stock management.
The main objective of installing automated systems is to optimize movements that take place in the facility, boost productivity, and limit errors that could undermine the company's competitiveness. In a fully automated warehouse, all logistics operations have minimal human intervention. Let's see how it works in the operations below:
In a logistics facility, the goods receiving process is key for effective stock control. In this operation, the docks can be equipped with automatic truck loading and unloading systems. This solution was implemented by the Mecalux Group in the automated warehouse of Hayat Kimya in Turkey.
To streamline movements of goods from the loading docks to the various storage and/or work zones, you can install automated conveying systems such as pallet conveyors and roller conveyors for boxes, totes, and bins. In automated facilities, this entire operation is controlled by warehouse management software that coordinates the automatic equipment to improve efficiency.
Fully automated warehouses replace manual handling equipment (forklifts) with automated transportation systems that continuously supply the storage, order picking, and dispatch areas.
Examples of these are pallet or box conveyors ' depending on the unit load ' which streamline the movement of goods to the different areas in the facility. This is the case of Zbyszko Company, a Polish drinks manufacturer. To connect the storage and production zones in its new warehouse, it has incorporated a pallet conveyor system from the Mecalux Group.
For facilities with a low product density, manual handling equipment can be swapped with automated guided vehicles. Meanwhile, warehouses requiring several areas to be connected by means of a closed circuit can install electrified monorails. These transportation systems, which can be aerial or floor-mounted, comprise self-propelled trolleys that deliver the goods to the workstations.
The extraction/depositing of products on the racks is one of the most commonly automated operations in a logistics facility. This is because automated solutions such as stacker cranes (AS/RS for pallets) and miniload systems (AS/RS for boxes) ensure productivity and accuracy under the supervision of a warehouse management system (WMS).
In fully automated warehouses, where goods are distributed via conveyors, pallet checkpoints need to be implemented. These validate the proper condition of the pallet and of the goods at the entrance to the facility.
One example of automation of product storage and retrieval from racks is BASF's rack-supported warehouse in Brazil. This 15,070 ft2 facility is divided into two aisles served by twin-mast stacker cranes for pallets. Easy WMS, the warehouse management software from the Mecalux Group, acts as the brain of the facility, ensuring efficiency in the storage of the goods.
Order preparation is one of the most complex operations to automate, as processes are rarely constant or repetitive. Nevertheless, there are solutions such as industrial robotic arms (supplied by conveyors), which greatly boost picking throughput in a facility. This can be seen in the warehouse of Havi Logistics in Portugal, which uses robotic arms to handle multiple boxes simultaneously.
Order picking and dispatch can also be automated with solutions such as sorters, which divert products to the different workstations or shipping containers. Likewise, there are solutions on the market for automating value-added processes in order preparation and dispatch, such as stretch-wrapping and palletizing robots and labeling machines.
A fully automated warehouse requires software that coordinates the operations of the automated handling and transportation equipment in the facility. The warehouse management system (WMS), which directs where each product should go and which operations to perform, interacts with the warehouse control system (WCS), responsible for coordinating the movements of the machines. The Mecalux Group has developed its own versions of these two software programs: Easy WMS (the management software) and Galileo (the WCS).
Thanks to this technology, all movements in the automated warehouse are optimized, and errors are prevented in processes as complex as goods receipt and multi-SKU order picking.
Streamlined storage operations are a key feature of the new AS/RS for boxes of automotive company Continental in Mexico. Easy WMS coordinates the tasks of the miniload system and of the conveyors, taking into account criteria such as product turnover and final destination.
Warehouse automation improves an organization's performance and reliability. Process automation entails enhanced safety and accuracy. But above all, it provides complete control over stock in the facility.
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