Author: Christian Juric
Images Sourced From Official Event Photographer: The Pixel Collective
Picture a busy warehouse, picking, packing, dispatching at high volume… but no employees in sight.
Automation trending in Supply Chains, Warhousing and Logistics industries.
Recently we attended CEMAT’s annual Trade Expo. The event provided incredible insight into the latest in safety and technological innovations within the supply chain and logistics space.
Like scenes from The Jetsons, exhibitors were showcasing improvements ranging from driverless forklifts, to automatic picking sorters, to completely automated and unmanned warehouse solutions. It was very apparent that these innovations will have a huge impact on employers in the way of creating efficiencies and cost savings, but also on employees in the industry, who will need to adapt to new skill set requirements.
Exhibitors at the 2023 CEMAT Annual Trade Expo included Dematic, Vanderlande and Knapp, along with many other familiar and new names in the industry. We have summarised some of the impressive innovations we saw in a two-part article.
Beyond 2023, more automation & robotics in Manufacturing & Warehousing set to increase efficiency – imagine a pick rate of 99.9%!
Exhibitor, Hai Robotics, demonstrated their automated picking and replenishment robots at the event. These robots are designed for utilisation in a manufacturing or warehousing settings and boast incredible efficiency statistics.
Hai Robotics stated their products achieve increased efficiency improvements 3 to 4 times higher, when compared to traditional warehouse workers, with a successful pick rate of 99.9% of orders. Hai Robotics was established in 2016 in Shenzhen, China – and have growing operations and presence in USA, Japan and Singapore.
An employee free workplace; Conveyers, Row & Aisle Carriers to fully automate picking in FMCG warehousing
Another Exhibitor, Swisslog, were also in attendance showcasing their PowerStore, an all-in-one automated warehousing solution. The PowerStore solution consists of vertical conveyors, RowCarriers to assist with retrieval and AisleCarriers to shift products vertically and horizontally. The fully automated warehouse solution is aimed at the FMCG industry, affording a business to maximise operations in limited space.
Swisslog’s PowerStore is currently implemented in a short run of BevChain Distribution Centres, currently tested against a requirement of 2.5 billion orders annually and meeting required demands comfortably. Swisslog said of the automated warehousing solution, “replacing manual operations with an automated system increases the accuracy of picking and removes error, which leads to fewer returns and greater profitability.” Swisslog was founded in Aarau, Switzerland in 1900.
Another vendor of note was Bavaria, creator of WITRON, an Order Fulfilment System. Similar to Swisslog’s PowerStore, however with the scalability in assisting small volume-based business’, whilst maintaining a cost efficient offering. With the potential to attach additions to your picking line as volume of orders begin to increase.
Driverless Fork Lifts & Pallet Movers: reaching new heights and increasing storage capacity
French entrant, Balyo, provided a first-hand look into their autonomous pallet movers and forklifts. Automated Forklifts reaching up to 17m high proving to be more efficient at heights than a manual driver. This feature allowing warehouses to increase their storage capacities with minimal risk of manual mistakes, reducing risk of potential product falling, becoming misaligned or lost due to miscommunication/disorganisation.
Great for employers, but what happens to employees?
All of these amazing innovations were quite something to see in person. You can’t help but be impressed with what new technology can do. It is easy to see the many positives that will come from automations and robotics for Supply Chains, Warehousing, Distribution & Fulfilments Centres.
These technological advancements will result in major disruption to warehouse and manufacturing workers. We can see a major change in required skillsets and experience for employees in the industry. We will talk more about how warehouse employees can adapt and embrace the changes that are coming in Part 2 of this article. Continue reading here.
If you’re in need of Labour Hire Recruitment Services, contact us.
Our team is based in our Western Sydney office in Bella Vista. Our Labour Hire Recruitment Consultants are highly experienced and understand the specialist hiring requirements of Supply Chains, Warehousing, Distribution & Fulfilments Centres.
Meet the dedicated Talent Focus Labour Hire Team in NSW
Loretta Salakas
Division Manager
(Labour Hire & Permanent)
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Loretta has 6 years’ experience in Permanent, Temporary and Labour Hire Management. Specialising in Supply Chain, Logistics, Manufacturing, Trades and Engineering.
Christian Juric
Recruitment Consultant/Account Manager – Labour Hire
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Almost 2 years in recruitment industry specialising within blue collar and casual hire across skilled trades and supply chain/logistics.
Pilar Riveros
Recruitment Consultant/Account Manager – Labour Hire
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Pilar has 2 years’ experience in recruitment, specialising in Labour Hire. As a recruiter she has an exceptional record in successful placements and providing excellent customer services to her clients.
About Talent Focus
Talent Focus is a leading recruitment agency that specialises in connecting organizations with exceptional talent across various industry sectors. With a strong focus on personalized service and a deep understanding of their clients’ needs, Talent Focus has earned a reputation for delivering outstanding results.