Automation in intralogistics

With efficiency and productivity being the main challenges of modern material handling solutions, the automation of processes and machines becomes more and more a focal point of discussion. But which degree of automation is best? And what does the ideal interface between man and machine look like?

The paper notes that 'automation is one of the most powerful weapons the industry has in the battle against costs, and while capital equipment budgets may be able to support new projects, many organisations are wondering if now is the right time to make the move to forklift automation'.

Capital equipment budgets are finally returning to pre-2008 levels and many fleets are overdue for an infusion of new lift trucks. At the same time, the drive to reduce material handling costs persists. In a 2012 Crown survey of more than 300 material handling professionals, 71% cited the need to drive down costs as the biggest material handling challenge facing their organisation.

Despite the success of automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) in manufacturing, these have not been widely adopted in warehousing. This is because the warehouse environment presents challenges not found in manufacturing and some early adopters have been disappointed with the amount of support required to keep forklifts retrofitted with AGV technology operational.

Forklift automation has made progress in recent years. The technology is still maturing and is evolving to the point where it holds real promise to be an integral part of the warehouse of the future. There are some tasks that may be appropriate for forklift automation today if expectations are kept in line and proper resources are devoted to support its implementation and operation. So, is now the right time to implement forklift automation, moving quickly to reap the benefits of this exciting technology and possibly creating competitive advantage? Or, is it wiser to wait for the technology to mature, minimising the risk of an unsuccessful deployment that could disrupt operations and have a negative return on investment? Here, Crown offers some questions that it believes every organisation should address when determining whether to move forward with the current generation of forklift automation technology or wait for the technology to evolve:

Do we have an application that suits current forklift automation systems?  

High-volume picking and predictable product movement over a well-defined path have emerged as the best applications for current-generation technology.

Do we need vehicles that can operate in manual and automatic mode?  

Traditional AGVs may be suitable for some applications but lack the flexibility many warehouses require, particularly those with seasonal peaks or other variations in workload. Vehicles that can accommodate both automatic and manual operation provide the flexibility required—if they are robust enough to operate reliably in each mode.

Will new technology introduce any safety issues?

A safety audit is an essential first step in any automation project. If you can’t answer this question in the negative, it may not make sense to move forward.

Is our environment ready for automation? 

Congestion and damaged pallets can derail a forklift automation project. Have sources of congestion been identified and eliminated?

Who will assume service responsibility and what are their capabilities?

Current-generation systems often involve technologies from multiple companies. Define who has service responsibility for the system and analyse their ability to deliver in a timely manner.

Do we have the internal resources to support the project?

Some early adopters have discovered that more resources were required to support forklift automation than anticipated. These include management resources to support project planning and implementation, training resources, and dedicated personnel to ensure automated vehicles operate with minimal downtime. For organisations that aren’t quite ready to move forward with forklift automation, two developments hold particular promise for the future. The first is advances in positioning and tracking systems that will expand the tasks automated vehicles can safely and efficiently perform. The second is the eventual introduction of forklifts fully purpose-built for warehouse automation. Future generations of vehicles will have automation controls and sensors designed and built into the truck, rather than being added on, as well as more sophisticated positioning and tracking systems, thereby eliminating many of the issues with the current generation of systems.

The full discussion paper can be downloaded at http://news.crown.com/uk/2013/the-state-of-forklift-automation/.