22 October 2023 Discover the biggest trends in robotic automation for your warehouse and understand the competitive advantages that new technologies can bring to your company. Considering this scenario of increasing order numbers, combined with high consumer expectations when it comes to receiving their products and strong competition, what are logistics warehouses like? Distribution centers now take on enormous responsibility, as their operations directly influence the consumer experience. When logistics are well-organized, with a fast and cohesive flow, the chances of ensuring profitability for the company increase significantly. But, after all, how can we seek efficiency, agility, and productivity to serve an ever-growing market? The answer lies in robotic automation, and this is the topic we will discuss next. The importance of robotic automation for your warehouse Robotic automation is nothing more than the replacement of manual activities with a series of software and machines capable of reducing long and often repetitive work, focusing on time optimization, error elimination, and greater productivity for the supply chain. Moreover, with robotic automation, the warehouse can execute increasingly fast and efficient processes. As a result, the company can absorb the increase in orders without difficulty, as it has greater flexibility, effective management, and better stock storage strategies, always adapting to demand needs. Another point of transformation that robotic automation offers to warehouses is integration with employees and team activities. With automated systems, it is possible to prioritize activities and direct employees to essential tasks, such as quality control and customer service. The combination of technology, robots, and manual labor within warehouses is therefore crucial to offering ever-improving services, increasing competition and profitability for businesses. The main trends in robotic automation for your warehouse 1. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) The days are gone when it was believed that robots were only part of parallel realities, dystopias, and futuristic universes. Today they are more than essential and have gained space even in domestic activities. They are also a reality in warehouses: in countries like South Korea, Singapore, and Japan, for example, robots play an important role in productivity and sector growth. According to research conducted by the Warehouse Automation Market of LogisticsIQ, 15% of the global market will have AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robots) in their logistics operations by 2025. The great advantage of autonomous mobile robots is that they can perform tasks independently throughout the warehouse, meaning without the need for someone to direct them. Furthermore, they can easily map and recognize the environment and are essential for loading inventory items, moving pallets, optimizing times, and performing tasks with precision. Bonus tip: since this is a very new technology for the reality of many warehouses, the investment can be high. However, there is the possibility of renting AMRs, meaning it is possible to purchase a usage license (RaaS mode, Robotics as a Service), test them in your warehouse’s robotic automation strategy, and decide if the investment is worth it. 2. Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) aim to facilitate the movement of items in and out of stock, especially if done during periods of high demand. Controlled by a computer, this automation provides real-time information on everything happening within the inventory. This allows minimizing assumptions about items in stock and ensuring product integrity, eliminating the need for long manual checks. Moreover, systems like these have the capability to optimize vertical and horizontal inventory spaces, making the best use of the entire installation area, ensuring operational efficiency and perfect stock control. 3. Internet of Things (IoT) Integration is the keyword for the future of logistics, and one of the trends for robotic automation that allows connectivity between the network of physical objects, sensors, and software is IoT or Internet of Things. The Internet of Things is used by major market and technology leaders. Its main goal is to interconnect objects, devices, sensors, and systems capable of exchanging information with each other, processing data collected during the entire warehouse activity, and making the entire supply chain intelligent. By achieving connectivity between devices and machinery, the benefits obtained are: agile recognition of inefficient processes, errors, and failures. possibility to solve a problem and monitor its resolution in real-time. maximizing operational results and productivity in the workflow. saving resources, such as time and money. achieving efficient and practical storage. remote maintenance of all warehouse machinery. greater data and industrial process security. 4. Big Data and Analytics How much information does your warehouse generate daily? Besides the internal structure, such as order reception, storage, shipping, activity recording, and sales results, every day your company also generates a multitude of external information, such as market data, consumer profile, product preferences, among others. All this information history provides valuable insights both for improving productivity and for the growth and profitability of a company. The question remains: where do these data go? One of the most used resources in logistics robotic automation is Big Data. It is essential for storing large-scale information and conducting important analyses for the best performance of a warehouse. With this tool, it is possible to monitor and track inventory not only within the supply chain but also outside it. The study and analysis of these data are crucial for making clearer and more assertive decisions for the future of the company. 5. Collaborative Robots (COBOT) Another trend in robotic automation that is gaining ground in logistics warehouses is collaborative robots, also known as cobots, used with the main purpose of interacting with human employees in the workplace. This partnership works because collaborative robots can perform functions that require a lot of physical effort, pose a risk to employees, or even perform boring and repetitive tasks. In this way, it is possible to assign the human team more specific activities that really make a difference for the business strategy and are valuable for logistics performance. The main advantages that can be obtained by applying cobots in warehouse automation are: continuous operation of activities, scheduling of autonomous activities 24 hours a day, reduction of risks and health damages to employees, reduction of execution times for activities, and increased productivity. 6. Voice Picking Also known as pick-by-voice or voice-directed, voice picking systems make the warehouse routine safer and reduce errors, as the software assists employees through instructions and voice commands. In general, the voice picking system is integrated with a WMS management system and converts picking orders already sent by the system into verbal notifications. In this way, the employee listens through headphones to the tasks that need to be performed. Subsequently, they can respond, even by voice, whether a task has been completed or not. This system accelerates productivity within the warehouse, provides greater safety to the team, and minimizes noise and communication errors during operational processes. 7. Wearables Augmented reality and wearable equipment are part of the robotic automation trend that has gained ground in logistics. This equipment can assist in data collection, warehouse, and employee performance. It is possible, through a device like smart glasses, smartphones, augmented reality glasses, watches, rings, helmets, among others, to see the work environment with a layer of information projected in the field of view, managing to accelerate the execution of processes, offering greater efficiency in the work of employees performing activities such as stock storage, picking, and order shipping. 8. Smart Layouts with Automated Shelving The warehouse layout encompasses the entire internal and external environment of a distribution center, and it is important that all these spaces are strategically designed, with the aim of always improving the performance and results of the supply chain. Today, many companies have already adopted technologies such as automated shelving to optimize layout, data flow, and inventory management. By adopting innovative structures for goods allocation, companies can optimize spaces, better control stocks, and reduce employee efforts. 9. Drones Used in various market segments, including delivery services, drones have gained much popularity in recent years. In logistics and warehouse robotic automation, they can be great allies due to their ability to fly, allowing them to scan pallets, map spaces, and conduct inventory checks. These devices are easily integrable into management systems (WMS), with cloud data sharing, capable of sending and receiving real-time notifications. Additionally, they are agile in the process, as drones can scan between 200 and 400 pallets per hour. Prepare your logistics for the challenges of the future In this text, you have learned about some of the major trends in the coming years in robotic automation for warehouses that want to reach ever greater heights and meet the expectations of a market that grows every day. Understanding and choosing the perfect robotic automation for your business model requires analysis, strategy, and excellent partners who understand your company’s needs and priorities. Here at Deagor, you will find technological solutions that have made a difference for various market niches and have allowed for increased productivity, greater competitiveness, and excellent results for logistics. Discover our solutions for logistics automation! Speak with one of our consultants today and achieve great results. 9 Trends in Warehouse Robotics Automation Deagor WMS per ecommerce può aiutarti!