Warehouse automation benefits companies with a competitive edge in the industry. Without it, keeping your warehouse running efficiently at optimized productivity levels is hard because of various challenges. These warehouse challenges include human errors, high operational costs, safety risks, high processing time, etc. Fortunately, warehouse automation has several benefits that keep your workflow running smoothly.
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This article explains the seven warehouse automation benefits that maximize your warehouse efficiency. But first, let’s understand what warehouse automation is and its benefits.
What Is Warehouse Automation?
Warehouse automation aims to automate repetitive and tedious manual tasks in warehousing operations. According to a study, the warehouse automation adoption rate was only 8% in 2019; however, it is expected to rise to 45% by 2030. Automation aims to make manual work less labor-intensive to reduce labor costs, increase productivity and accuracy, and improve safety. Different types of warehouse automation solutions are designed to speed up various warehouse processes.
To learn more about warehouse automation, watch this video: https://youtu.be/k6AN2f2BCzc
Now that you understand warehouse automation let’s take a look at seven benefits that will increase warehouse efficiency.
7 Key Benefits of Warehouse Automation
1. Fewer Human Errors
Human errors can occur; however, you can reduce them with the right warehouse automation system. These errors cause significant delays and will lead to poor customer satisfaction. One of the prime benefits of warehouse automation is that it prevents human mistakes that cost time and money, increasing warehouse accuracy and efficiency.
For example, a pallet dimensioner is a warehouse automation technology that allows warehouses to quickly and accurately measure pallet dimensions (length, width, and height) and weight and capture images. It eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone manual process of measuring pallets with a tape measure, calculating weight, taking photos, and uploading the data into a system.
2. Reduce Operational Costs
There is no doubt that warehouse automation systems are expensive, but they often pay off fast. One of the prime benefits of warehouse automation is that it cuts labor and operational costs. Warehouse automation offers impressively fast ROI by offering multiple saving points such as:
- Reducing the need for manual labor, causing less management and HR-related expenses due to lower personnel
- Achieving higher performance
- Optimizing product handling and storage cost
- Minimizing inventory errors
- Eliminating risks of mishandling product
Warehouse workflows is another automation technology that can help you reduce operational costs. Workflows allow you to automatically execute tasks using a specific trigger. Therefore, instead of manually performing tasks such as emailing the shipper about receiving an order, you can use warehouse workflows to complete that task accurately and automatically within seconds.
To inquire about warehouse workflows, visit our custom warehouse technologies page and request information on the warehouse workflow solution tile.
3. Improve Warehouse Productivity
Most warehouse tasks are often repetitive and need hours of work. Warehouse automation systems lighten the workload that workers must contend with. Automation means no more manually measuring pallets or parcels, carting heavy loads, and spending hours receiving and storing the products. Instead, warehouse workers can be assigned less exhausting and more productive tasks. This will increase your staff’s retention rates and overall warehouse productivity.
4. Eliminating Safety Risks
Another benefit of warehouse automation is enhanced warehouse safety. Warehouse operations often involve many high-risk activities, including operating in a high-traffic environment, handling high racks and heavy pallets, etc. Warehouse automation systems such as AGVs and AMRs can automate such tasks, thus eliminating safety risks for warehouse workers. Moreover, rather than the worker going to the products, warehouse automation systems bring the products to the worker. As a result, it reduces human traffic throughout the facility, minimizes product damage, and improves overall warehouse safety.
To make your warehouse safer, here are the 10 tips to keep your warehouse employees safe.
5. Reduce Processing Time
Another benefit of warehouse automation is speeding up and reducing processing time. Humans can’t match the accuracy and relentless pace of robots. A parcel dimensioner automates the measurement process and accurately takes dimensions, weight, and images of a parcel within a few seconds. It saves you hours when you need to measure thousands of parcels. This automation makes it a valuable and necessary investment for warehouses.
6. Space Optimization
Space optimization is another benefit of warehouse automation that enables you to make the most of every inch of space within your warehouse. Drones, automated guided vehicles (AVGs), automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) solutions, and more enable you to increase rack size vertically and reduce/eliminate the need for wide aisles. These warehouse automation technologies require less space to retrieve pallets or parcels, allowing warehouses to monetize more cubic feet.
7. Strengthen Customer Satisfaction
Satisfying customers is the goal of any business, and it is the same here in the warehouse industry. Achieving customer satisfaction is one of the critical benefits of warehouse automation. Automating warehouse operations can improve order accuracy and reduce shipping times. As a result, you fulfill your order more quickly and efficiently, which boosts your business reputation and increases customer retention. This smooth experience will make your customers prefer you to your competitors.
Conclusion
Investing in the right warehouse automation solutions offers many benefits to keep your workflow running smoothly. Warehouse automation reduces human errors, lowers operation costs, improves warehouse productivity, eliminates safety risks, optimizes space, reduces processing time, and strengthens customer satisfaction. Automated warehouse systems can have a huge, positive impact on your business, especially in the long run.
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