Is Your Warehouse Ready For Robots?

How are completed orders being moved through your warehouse?

Robots in the warehouse are coming whether warehouse management is ready or not. But robots in the warehouse no longer look like the huge Automated Guided Vehicles that used to take over space with dedicated paths and restricted areas. These systems were time-consuming to install, and expensive to implement before any transition could be considered successful but they did move inventory quickly.

Today, a robot in the warehouse might simply be a small individual Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) that enables pickers to be more productive by loading the unit with completed orders and sending the AMR to deliver the load to the next destination.

Warehouse Management System -Have Map, Will Travel

An AMR doesn’t need a dedicated path or special installations to do its job. All the robot needs is a map of the warehouse and it can navigate around obstacles like a forklift or group of people because it has sensors. Warehouses with clear pathways are more efficient, so a well-managed warehouse already has an effective layout. The units usually need a low-profile docking station like a regular wall outlet where they can plug themselves in for recharging so their maintenance is minimal.

ChainDrive’s warehouse management component includes a professional warehouse layout tool that simplifies mapping. This makes it easy to integrate some docking stations and program the map into the AMR. As warehouse size increases, the cost effectiveness of an AMR system also increases because the distance between stations is not an issue.

Control Inventory Movement, Optimize Operations

Most warehouses take less than a week to integrate AMRs into their infrastructure because the robot is designed to function automatically within user-defined parameters and secure access to the cloud. Since an AMR is cloud-based, it can be run from any location with authorized access to its database. Moving completed orders with a robot frees up human pickers so they can fill the next order immediately.

If a warehouse is using ChainDrive’s Warehouse Management System software, the centralized database provides the foundation for efficient integration of all data. Much of what happens in the platform is automatic within user-defined parameters. This enables accurate analysis and effective decision making.

If your warehouse is using ChainDrive to optimize operations, integrating robotic material handling is a decision that can be made with confidence.