Automation sweeping warehouses to be smart for tomorrow

Warehouses in India are going through a makeover to add facilities for the needs of tomorrow. The next generation automation, powered by a clutch of smart technologies from machine learning to blockchain, from Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to robotics, is driving this makeover. Though automation has been taking place in the sector for long now to simplify the process and avoid repetitive jobs, we see a highly accelerated momentum now to shape up the sector for Industry 4.0.

According to projections, the Indian Warehouse Automation Market is growing at a CAGR of 26.4% between 2020 and 2026. This shows the pace of automation sweeping the sector. The pandemic compulsions and the huge spike in e-commerce have further accentuated this growth. The growing customer demands are pushing not just the last-mile delivery companies but also even the warehouses to be more intelligent and smart for tomorrow.

Automation is synonymous with higher output, seamless processes and cost optimization.  Digital automation leads to improved accuracy, which simply means reduced human error opportunities. It enhances security, ensures responsive transactions, and provides finer, granular data quality for mobile analytics and consequently decision-making agility. While the initial investments may appear high the gains of automation are manifold with an ROI ranging from 6 to 18 months.

If automation was earlier limited to simple tasks, the new age-technologies now have made a deep impact in the working of warehouses, from routine workflows to even more complex tasks like decision-making. Deep technology is making a profound sway on transformation of warehouses. Sortation, lighting, weight scanning, and conveyor movements now are run with the help of deep learning. Advancements in LIDAR have led to a proliferation of Autonomous Motorized Robots. The industry is witnessing an enhanced traction in the AMR domain with most Chief Supply Chain Officers and Chief Information officers teaming up for Proof of Concepts and Product Demos. 

However, still the biggest impact of automation is seen in the transformation of repetitive manual processes, covering the entire gamut of operations. In the days to come, we will see a flurry of innovation in this space right from picking, put-away staging and even delivery of goods. Humans and machines will manage the warehouses of tomorrow with the count ratio of man to machine in favor of the latter. 

Some estimates foresee that there will be over four million robot installations and 50,000 robotic warehouses by 2025 in the world.

Apart from robotics, smart devices powered by IoT are being increasingly employed in packing and tracking the goods within the warehouse and beyond. The remotely operated smart devices also come handy to control even the luminosity of the dense racking areas within warehouses. Smart devices are considerably enhancing convenience. BOTS, Voice enabled assistants have reached already consumer’s homes.

Automated machines had found place in the warehouses several decades ago.

Forklifts, pallet movers, drones, shelving, floor cleaners, and local delivery vehicles are an integral part of warehouse operations. Now they can be managed and controlled better using insights of big data and machine learning. An order can be placed using voice-based systems that integrate with software and hardware systems. Augmented reality is further assisting the warehouse solutions and design teams to get a 360-degree view of simulation options. The very design and layout of warehouses has undergone a major change to accommodate devices sprung from emerging automation technologies.

Though drones have been around since early 2010, they are now getting the right regulatory attention with less stringent norms, improved software and hardware technologies and reduced prices. Modern drones with high-definition videos, cloud connectivity and GPS-controls are already being tested for cycle counting within warehouse and last mile deliveries.

The automation space in the country at the cusp of a transformational leap. Its journey from ‘nice to have’ to ‘good to have’ to ‘must have’ would be short and successful!

By Shalabh Raizada, Chief Information Officer, Stellar Value Chain Solutions