To remain competitive in today’s market, warehouse managers and executives are searching for ways to improve efficiency and operations, while also cutting costs and boosting revenues. The solution to their problem is a simple one: warehouse automation.

The advancement of industrial technology has led to the creation of new automated warehouse solutions and warehouse robots capable of improving every facet of operations. From picking to assembly to cleaning, robotic warehouse systems have made warehouses more efficient, and therefore more profitable.

At NITCO, we provide collaborative robotic solutions for warehouse automation, including:

• Automated material handling
• Automated cycle/inventory counting
• Automated floor cleaning

No matter what your needs are, there are automated warehouse solutions or robotics that fit your operations.

What is Warehouse Automation?

Warehouse automation is a mainstream concept these days, but there are often misconceptions about what it truly is. In a broad sense, warehouse automation is the application of technologies, robotics, and software systems to perform repetitive, low-skill tasks that were traditionally performed manually. Where confusion comes in, however, is in the differences between automation and robotics.

Automation refers to processes and tasks a person would perform within a warehouse setting, such as picking. Robotics refers machinery that is built to perform particular physical functions. To put it simply, automation refers to processes while robotics refers to physical task automation.

How Warehouse Automation Improves Operations

There is a growing labor shortage around the world, and many warehouses are struggling to keep up in the face of rapidly increasing consumer demand. In order to close the labor gap and ensure shipments happen on time, many are turning to warehouse robotics and automation.

While the tasks impacted by warehouse automation are practically endless, some of the most common processes improved by automation include:

• Automated storage and retrieval systems
• Packaging, stretch wrapping, etc.
• Conveyor systems to assist manufacturing
• Mobile machinery to execute tasks (forklifts, pallet jacks, robotic haulers, etc.)
• Inventory automation
• Barcode scanning
• Workplace safety

Benefits of Automation

Did you know that most NITCO warehouse automation customers are seeing a return on their investment in 12 months or less? Beyond cost savings, the benefits of warehouse automation are countless, but also include:

• Improve workplace and employee safety
• Develop consistent fulfillment and order accuracy
• Enhance and autonomous sanitation/cleanliness in the time of COVID-19
• Increase operational efficiency across the production
• Close the ongoing labor shortage gap
• Increase overall job satisfaction and company reputation

By letting warehouse robots do the time-consuming, non-value added, repetitive tasks, human employees can focus on the skilled, value-added work they were trained to do.

Find the right automated warehouse system for you – speak with a NITCO expert today

Solutions for All Areas of Warehouse Ops

At NITCO, we have strategic partnerships with the leading warehouse automation and robotics companies. This enables us to find specific solutions for every area of the warehouse, which helps you improve all aspects of warehouse operations with specialized high-tech tools and systems for nearly every task. Some of the most popular warehouse automation solutions that we provide help businesses optimize:

• Materials handling and non-value-added tasks
• Long forklift runs and pallet transport
• Inventory and cycle counting
• Automated floor cleaning

We have numerous warehouse automation partners that have years of experience finding flexible solutions for all areas of warehouse ops. Whether you need help with inventory management or automated storage solutions, our partners have the tools for you. Some of our trusted partners are:

Fetch – a leader in autonomous materials handling robots, Fetch helps industrial operations streamline transport and inventory management.

Hyster-Yale Robotics – builds automated reach trucks, automated vertical pallet put away, and automated floor to floor transport solutions to assist with warehouse logistics.

Peak Logix – provides automated distribution solutions, which helps improve storage, inventory management, and ultimately shipping.

Nilfisk Liberty – autonomous sanitation made possible with their robotic floor cleaning with UV light for disinfecting.

How to Begin Your Warehouse Automation Process

No warehouse automation implementation should be an off-the-shelf program. The workflows, operations and challenges are unique to each business, and it’s vital that the automated warehouse solutions are tailored to their individual needs. To get started, it’s best to do a thorough audit and have a comprehensive understanding of the many logistics that go into warehouse operations, such as:

• Pallets per hour
• Shifts per week
• Operators need
• Layouts and configuration
• And more

Implementing robotics requires the expertise of a warehouse solutions provider. If you are considering automation and robotics in your warehouse, a NITCO automation expert can provide a consultation to assess your needs. Using your predetermined operation stats, your warehouse solutions provider can quickly determine what the ROI would be for your upgraded automation solutions.

If you have any questions about warehouse robotics or would like to discuss what warehouse automation would look like for you, speak to one of our experts. We have helped warehouses of all shapes and sizes save time and money with automated warehouse systems.