Due to the pandemic, companies have been left with no choice other than to look beyond conventional technologies to overcome market changes. How they automate to remain competitive is the million dollar question, says Vinayak Bhat, General Manager, Bastian Solutions India.
Automation has been at the forefront since COVID-19. How have the past two years changed the perception towards use of robotics in warehousing segment?
The pandemic has forced brands to meet consumers where they are at – online. The digitization and increase in consumer e-Commerce is shifting the way warehouses operate thereby creating new challenges that companies must address quickly to remain competitive. Additionally, COVID-19 is created delays in transportation and a labour crunch that ensued due to lockdowns. These have only exacerbated problems of keeping supply chain operations running smoothly and managing new consumer demand cycles successfully. The companies are now looking beyond conventional approaches to modern automation. They are adopting new, advanced technologies such as robotic-enabled automation systems. They are striving to not only have an edge over the competition, but also to make their organization thoroughly future-proofed so that they can easily adapt and thrive iin future market changes.
One such technology that is transforming the way manufacturing and distribution centres operate are automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). They are easier to integrate into your operations and are currently seeing a significant boost in adoption. These mobile robots are helpful in transferring products between locations or sorting them in an optimum sequence.
Even more noticeable in today’s operations is the impact on the workforce. Human operators do not have to walk or search, risks from heavy lifting has been reduced, safe distances can be maintained during the pandemic, and their time and skills can be better utilized for other operations. To be future ready and to be competitive, the companies need to move beyond ‘thinking about automation’, and start adopting warehouse autom ation solutions for improved operations, labour efficiencies, safety, fleet scalability, and the flexibility to adjust operation processes or facility locations.
Automating processes is no more perceived as a cost to business, rather a necessity now. What is your take on it?
When demand for products rise and customers expect quicker delivery, one cannot compromise fulfilling customer expectations. The objective for automation is to bring efficiencies, increase productivity, and remove the slightest possibility of an error. It has become a necessity, since increased competition and pressures to reduce costs force businesses in the country to adopt automation.
Whether you incorporate one automation solution or integrate a whole automation system that features various technologies, software support can help further optimize your overall fulfilment process. An integrator can help assess and identify a right-fit solution that meets your business objectives today and in the future. This will lead to increased accuracy, productivity, and efficiency, but it will also help reduce the general expenses, establish better work conditions, and drive customer satisfaction.
In addition, to improving the product flow and being able to rise to the challenges or changes in the market with automation, you can also achieve several labour benefits. Automation can create better work conditions — minimizing the time spent on manual tasks, reducing risks for injury, and eliminating order errors. By automating repetitive work, workers can now spend more time on other essential processes.
