GENCO Canada
Fulfillment operations present a number of challenges. There are continual pressures for warehouses to grow, increase productivity, speed and accuracy. Unfortunately, traditional material-handling systems in the majority of warehouses are slow, inflexible and costly. That's surprising, considering robotics technologies are out there just waiting to be implemented.
As companies seek to improve their fulfillment operations, traditional solutions have clear limitations. GENCO Supply Chain Solutions is always looking ahead to explore how it can cut costs while reducing unnecessary touches and travel. GENCO Supply Chain Solutions views robotics as an ever-evolving technology that keeps up with and anticipates warehouse management fulfillment needs. In fact, order fulfillment promises to be one of the fastest-growing robotics initiatives.
GENCO Supply Chain Solutions has partnered with the leading-edge manufacturer of a new robotics technology, which combines unique customized software with inventory storage pods and robots to manage the storage, movement and sortation of inventory for any item to any operator at any time. The technology is based on a warehouse configuration laid out on a grid with inventory pods in the center, work stations on the perimeter and a control system that directs the hardware. The technology can be installed and ready to deploy in eight hours.
Unique features include:
GENCO Supply Chain Solutions conducted a pilot program using this new robotics technology at a customer's facility.
As they move through the facility, the robots respond to commands from a centralized computer, which signals instructions wirelessly and are guided by optical navigation systems linked to barcode floor markers.
At the designated location, they access multi-shelved inventory pods by positioning themselves beneath the units and lifting them. The number of shelves per pod can be selected and configured to meet specific needs, providing additional flexibility.
Once the robot has secured the pod, it delivers the specified inventory to the queue of the fulfillment/picking station operators, at which time the robot parks the pod.
The system is designed to present a new "pick face" to the operator every six seconds. Based on real-time order volumes, the computer can also instruct the robots to leave the pods that hold the most frequently ordered products in easily accessible locations.
Productivity was increased by 89 percent. It completely eliminated the travel needed for picking, which typically takes up most of the time to do any type of fulfillment.
GENCO Supply Chain Solutions goal is to eliminate unnecessary travel throughout the warehouse. To that end, the company is piloting an unmanned tugger that can pull multiple flatbed carts with multiple pallets from one area to another.
The technology manufacturer GENCO Supply Chain Solutions partners with utilizes 3D MOS digital imaging to constantly recreate its environment. It reduces non-value added transport work in a warehouse by "teaching" the unit to travel from point to point within the facility. It can transport multiple pallets weighing up to 10,000 pounds on a repeating circuit directed by a warehouse management system. Carts can be customized to haul additional weight as required.
A different application will be piloted utilizing a single or double pallet jack. Pallets are loaded onto the pallet jack by a material handler, sent on a path or multiple paths and automatically dropped off at specified locations without human intervention.
Unlike the tugger, the advantage of the new application is that it will be able to drop off pallets independently, without the assistance of a material handler, which creates a huge advantage. Once this technology is proven to be efficient and cost effective, GENCO Supply Chain Solutions can then extrapolate this into other applications, possibly loading or unloading trailers utilizing a variation of the software and equipment.
Many robotics opportunities exist. These robotics technologies are just the beginning. There are more to follow in the near future.
