2016 03 09 warehouse automationMarch 9, 2016 | bis-spacexchange.com
 
Businesses often find that they need to expand their warehouse before they have the available cash to afford another building. There are also good financial reasons to stop expanding, including pressure from governments to freeze business footprints in order to conserve natural resources. Whether you are trying to save space from financial considerations, or want to consolidate your storage so that it is more efficient, one of the more advanced ways to expand your warehouse storage space without increasing your footprint is to turn to warehouse automation. This method can increase productivity and benefit inventory control, making your supply chain feel more organised. If you are thinking about using automation, then there are several reasons for this step.
 
Automated storage for space-saving purposes
The main reason why most businesses turn to automated warehouse systems is to save space. If you only have a limited amount of warehouse space, then moving your inventory upwards by increasing rack size can be the only practical solution to your problem, and research suggests that automated warehouses use up about 40% less floor space than traditional warehouses. If you want to have a smaller footprint, then automated lifts and robot carousels can significantly reduce the amount of warehouse space which you use for storage.
 
Improving inventory control
The advantage to your inventory of using an automated system is twofold. Firstly, because you are automating the picking and movement of warehouse items, you are effectively computerising your inventory. Each time the automated system takes an item, that item is automatically removed from your stock lists. Known as warehouse management systems, these processes can have absolute control over the inventory, and your logistics teams will be able to track the goods across the whole supply chain.  Secondly, as goods are picked correctly each time, there is less time lost on replacement and reordering, and there is also less stock checking required. Warehouse management systems help to streamline processes, moving the supply chain onto the next age more quickly, and helping you to store items more efficiently.
 
Reducing business costs
Having an automated system can be extremely beneficial if you wish to keep your supply chain and logistics costs down. The use of smaller, more tightly packed racking systems helps to increase the efficiency of the operation, and there is also less product wastage, which means that those costs are also reduced. Labour costs in warehouses are lessened, and there are also training costs involved with having staff which can be reduced. Streamlining logistics services through automation means that less time is spent in calculating stock and inventory control, which means that your logistics teams can spend more time working in other parts of the supply chain. This ensures that there is greater efficiency in the warehouse. There is also evidence to suggest that automated systems save energy and repair bills, as you will need less lighting at the top of the warehouse, and there will be reduced maintenance costs for the automated system against pallet and forklift trucks.
 
BIO : BiS spaceXchange assists businesses looking for warehouse space and supply chain management solutions via our network of industry contacts. Whether you require help finding suitable 3PL’s to outsource your logistics operation to or you have a third party logistics company you want to advertise and fill your available pallet storage space then visit www.bis-spacexchange.com or call Phil Degavino on +44 (0)1604 876352
 
 

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