How does warehouse automation help E-Commerce grow?

It is a well-known fact that e-commerce is growing rapidly around the globe, and parallelly there is a slow change in the trend of the purchasing of goods by the customers, and the way they are distributed from Distribution centers to the customers.

They are creating an unsustainable scenario for warehouse users with a high volume of orders to process and very little fulfillment turnaround time. Hence, it poses a big challenge for warehouses, as the movement of goods to and from warehouses becomes more rapid. 

Real-time tracking, processing, and delivery of packages — coupled with steadily rising delivery costs– To cater to this, there is greater stress on automation to pick, pack, and ship the products, which helps in meeting the demand of online retailers. 

Warehouse Automation

Why is automation the answer? How can it help? 

The application of automation in warehousing and distribution can tackle the high logistics demands of e-commerce without high maintenance costs as such systems are compatible to be integrated into the logistics process without much customization.

A significant part of efficient warehousing is to have an effective combination of the WCS (Warehouse Control System) with the WMS (Warehouse Management System) / ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) System. This integration sends orders to the automated system, and the picking and distribution process starts.

Since a considerable part of e-commerce success lies with the speed and accuracy of items being picked, which eventually affects fulfillment lead time – from when the order is first placed to when the consumer receives the item.

Modular and scalable investments to speed up the movement of goods in the warehouse like the application of goods-to-man picking, supported by shuttles or the implementation of automated guided vehicles (AGV), systems that help in reducing the picker’s travel time to a significant extent and helps in increasing the overall warehouse efficiency.

This article was contributed by our expert Ankkit Ruustagi 

Frequently Asked Questions Answered by Ankkit Ruustagi 

Q1. What impact will automation have on warehouse workers?

Automation can ease physical demands and the new systems will improve accuracy of the tasks carried out.

Q2. Will warehouses be fully automated?

It is expected to be fully automated but will take some time for it to happen.