Introduction
Autonomous mobile robots (AMR) are now widely used in a wide range of sectors and can be employed on a variety of scales. AMR is a scalable solution and when integrated with a powerful Warehouse Management System (WMS), it is intelligent and technologically advanced, placing it ahead of many other automated warehouse options.
Without any technology, a warehouse worker may walk more than 10 kilometers per shift. The installation of AMR, on the other hand, eliminates the need to walk as far. Your workers will be able to focus more on productivity.
What is AMR?
Autonomous mobile robots (AMR) employ a fleet of robots to transfer inventory from various locations in the warehouse.
Benefits of AMR
There are numerous advantages to implementing AMR into your warehouse. The following are some of the benefits:
- Operational Efficiency
Pallets, shelving, and goods can be moved quickly with the robots
Truck loading and unloading is more efficient and thus faster
To guarantee optimal efficiency, the warehouse management system sequences the movements and transactions
Increase throughput levels by increasing speed.
- Workforce and Asset Optimization
The picking process requires less operators for the same warehouse task
Robots can work a 24-hour shift without taking a break
You require less usage of assets such as forklift and machinery operators
- Growth and Scalability
Ability to scale up and down in response to demand by adding more robots
Your warehousing process can be replicated and automated as you expand
AMR Integration with WMS
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) can help increase the efficiency of logistics and supply chain operations of all sizes when compared to manual activities or a typically automated environment.
AMR provides significant benefits in terms of efficiency, growth, scalability, and speed. You can implement AMR with existing tools like Warehouse Management Software (WMS) to provide an overall Warehouse Automation Solution, where most of the manual processes such as data capture, inventory control and data analysis can be automated with the help of the WMS Software.
The WMS can integrate with Warehouse Automation Solutions to automate tasks in different business and supply chain functions. The aim of Warehouse Automation is to eliminate labour-intensive tasks, allowing workers to focus on more value-added tasks.
Are There Automation Grants Available?
The Singapore Government has announced Automation Grants to help eligible businesses defray the cost of large-scale deployment of automation solutions (Click here for more information on Automation Grants). However, as a warehousing company, how do you know if you are ready for warehousing automation?
How Do I know If I am Ready for Automation?
Here is a check-list of questions to ask before you commit to a warehouse automation project: –
- Do you still use manual inventory management tools like spreadsheets?
- Are customer orders delayed because of a limited workforce?
- Are your existing warehouse processes labour-intensive?
- Is your order fulfilment capacity going down?
- Are the inventory counts accurate?
- Do you have to increase or decrease your workforce to meet changing demand?
- Are you getting buy-in from key stakeholders?
Don’t get caught up in the automation trend because other people are doing it but make the right move for your warehouse and create value for your business.
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