What is warehouse automation?
Warehouse automation is the process of using technology to automate the movement of inventory in, around and out of the warehouse, with minimal human involvement, which can result in efficient working.
In a recent webinar, Mintsoft’s warehousing and ecommerce expert, Rob Hodgson said: “There are many levels of automation – for people who are starting out in business, automation could be them ‘throwing the spreadsheets into the virtual bin’ and moving to a system that allows them to control inventory and manage orders; all the way to warehouses implementing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).”
To hear more from Rob, you can register to watch the full webinar on-demand.
5 benefits of warehouse automation
Below, we have detailed the top 5 benefits of warehouse automation that will help give your business a competitive advantage, which includes:
1. Reduced errors
The primary benefit of automating warehouse tasks is a reduction in errors as there will be fewer tasks being performed manually. By breaking down your warehouse processes into smaller actions and automating parts or all of them, you can reduce errors in areas such as:
- Tracking inventory levels
- Sending customer emails and invoices
- Creating pick lists
- Selecting couriers based on package dimensions and weight
- Printing shipping labels
By removing the human touch points within your processes and therefore reducing errors, you will see additional benefits such as higher customer satisfaction and fewer customer returns or redeliveries due to incorrect items being packed or incorrect shipping being attached to a package.
2. Improved efficiency
All businesses want their employees to work as efficiently as possible, and automating warehouse tasks can help with that. For example, you could implement a barcode scanning system which connects to your warehouse management system. This can allow you to automate pick lists based on the urgency of orders; and will send directly from your system to your employees handheld device – your employee will receive a pick list with stock location information to speed up the picking process. Read more about using data to increase order fulfilment efficiency.
To go to the next level of automation, the introduction of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) into your warehouse can further improve efficiency, as the AMRs can be programmed to collect items from a stock location and bring them to an employee in the packing area.
3. Increased warehouse productivity
A by-product of removing errors and improving efficiency through warehouse automation, is that your overall warehouse productivity will increase.
Your processes will speed up due to reduced human touch points. With workflow changes being sent to your pickers through the system based on urgency, there are no longer any delays due to amendments and needing to communicate that to your staff.
4. Reduced costs
An efficient warehouse can help you reduce costs across your business – you can reduce overheads on staff with less unexpected overtime and fewer team members needed; a reduction in errors will result in fewer returned items and refunds; and by having accurate and real-time inventory levels, you will have less chance of over-ordering and eventual inventory loss.
5. Scalability
Warehouse automation can help you rapidly scale your warehouse operations when necessary, for example, during peak seasons such as Black Friday and Christmas – with efficient processes, you can stock up on inventory and map your warehouse locations for speedy picking of popular items, add seasonal staff with simple training and book couriers for higher levels of shipments with minimal human involvement.
Having a scalable warehouse space also future-proofs your business for growth, new clients and increased demand.
Read about the five signs it’s time to upgrade the software in your warehouse.
Automating your warehouse with Mintsoft
You might be thinking that warehouse automation software could benefit your business, or maybe you already have warehouse automation software in mind. A key factor you need to take into account is making sure you choose a warehouse automation system that integrates with your WMS platform. Our Mintsoft software has over 160 integrations available.
Choosing a warehouse management system (WMS) is the first step to automating your internal processes to experience the benefits discussed in this article. You can further explore warehouse management systems by reading about their advantages and disadvantages or learn how Mintsoft can help specifically warehouses and fulfilment houses.
If you’d like to see Mintsoft in action, please book a demo with one of our product experts.
You might also be interested in learning about ecommerce automation strategies that you can use in 2023 to help scale and streamline your business.