In the warehouses of the past, valuable time was lost as workers scaled endless aisles, personally picking order items, and making the occasional mistake, which then had to be corrected. This painstaking, time-consuming process is no longer necessary with a crucial warehouse automation solution.
Goods-to-person (GTP) automation is an order fulfillment innovation that speeds up the picking process, slashes the chances of human error, and ensures a safer, healthier workplace for your staff. By automating the delivery of inventory directly to operators at their stations, GTP allows businesses to meet consumer delivery expectations, store more goods, and weather the rise in labor costs without scaling back efforts.
Don’t be left behind by competitors taking advantage of this enhancement while your process stays the same. Let’s unpack how GTP automation can transform and revolutionize the order fulfillment process.
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How GTP Automation Works
With all the warehouse technologies now available, there’s no reason to rely on human workers to touch goods at every point in the process anymore. Material handlingequipment can be customized to any warehouse’s specific needs, safely and efficiently moving products stored in a range of receptacles, from cartons to totes, from when they arrive at the warehouse to when they ship out for distribution.
In the picking stage, cartons or totes that have already been sorted and organized with an integrated smart storage system will be transported from their shelves via a conveyor, robot, or other mechanism to a workstation. A staffer picks the ordered products at this workstation, and the conveyor transports the rest of the items back to their origin point. This reduces the opportunity for picking errors, product damage, and worker injury. Most GTP systems incorporate ergonomic workstations, where employees can comfortably and efficiently pick order items from the receptacle delivered to them.
This automation begins as soon as an order is received. A new order triggers the material handling apparatus to retrieve the cartons or totes relevant to the order and bring them to a worker with the order information on their screen. The screen shows them the exact item and quantity requested, then the worker picks the goods relevant to the order from the container and sends the rest back, all without leaving their workstation.
Decreasing Costs and Increasing Customer Loyalty
In today’s world, consumers are accustomed to short delivery windows and will prioritize purchasing from the retailers and brands that can get them their goods the fastest. Automated material handling speeds up the fulfillment process by automating material flow through the warehouse. The fulfillment stage increases individual picker productivity, since workers can concentrate on picking goods instead of manually retrieving containers and returning them to their shelves.
Additionally, when individual workers don’t have to retrieve goods by hand from their storage area, goods can be packed more tightly, allowing businesses to keep more inventory on site than ever before and fill orders faster. This makes meeting and exceeding customer expectations possible, engendering customer satisfaction and loyalty.
GTP automation can also significantly decrease labor costs, as manual retrieval of containers is no longer necessary. Eliminating this task from employee responsibility frees them up for tasks that do require human intervention and reduces walking time. Also, using well-designed, reliable technology to transport goods is safer than relying on human labor. Unfortunately, injuries do happen, and are far more likely when workers retrieveproducts from the storage areas. This can require heavy lifting and frequent visits to active areas, which carry risks. Doing away with this touchpoint will make your warehouse an all-around safer, healthier place and boost employee morale and work satisfaction.
On top of that, goods-to-person systems decrease the instances of product being damaged in the picking process, which leads to order delays, lost revenue, and customer frustration. Relying on less human intervention will also mean increased accuracy. Containers are delivered straight to stationary workstations, and trained workers are armed with order details, light indicators, and other failsafes to guarantee correct picking. And with constant movement, workers won’t have to wait for the next container to arrive.
With these systems in place, customers are far more likely to receive exactly the items they’ve purchased, resulting in fewer returns and re-shipments. Fewer returns and re-shipments mean decreasing the costs associated with those corrections and improving customer satisfaction.
Bringing Your Warehouse Into the Future
Efficiency and accuracy are non-negotiables in the e-commerce and retail spaces, with all options available to discerning consumers. And GTP automation does so much more than ensure the accuracy of each order. When integrated with inventory tracking, GTP systems allow for real-time updates, eliminating the slowdowns associated with low stock and inaccurate counts. These automation solutions have become indispensable to busy fulfillment centers that may have previously struggled to meetdemand. When time is of the essence, keeping careful tabs on warehouse stock and replenishing when necessary is crucial.
GTP systems are also designed to be scalable solutions for operations of any size. As your business grows, your variety of products expands, or your needs change, the system can evolve. Other material flow methods might become unworkable or obsolete over time, but automation is an investment. Flexible and dynamic, a GTP system doesn’t require you to be locked into one pre-planned process. Instead, it adapts to whatever future you see for your business. When your automation system grows with you, increased order capacity doesn’t require a massive increase in workforce or a significant change to your operations.
Implementing a GTP System
Warehouse automation is not a one-size-fits-all approach. When your business upgrades your warehouse operations, your logistics provider will guide you to the solutions that will increase efficiency and safety while lowering costs. To ensure that you’re installing solutions that will work for you, the implementation process will begin with assessing your current warehouse operations, selecting the right technologies and equipment, and establishing a flow based on your warehouse layout.
Your logistics provider will also recommend the right software integrations to align with your ordering and inventory systems and help train your staff on the new technologies. Once the automation solutions are in use, your provider will continue to monitor performance, perform necessary maintenance, and update the system when required.
Reaping the Benefits of Goods-to-Person Automation
To compete with the warehouses and fulfillment centers of the 21st century, adapting to new technologies is a must. Fortunately, goods-to-person automation fits seamlessly into your operations, automating the delivery of containers of goods to pickers and their workstations. Automating this stage of material flow decreases wait and travel times, increases efficiency and accuracy, and protects your staff from the injuries and over-exertion that can result from retrieving heavy or bulky items. It also increases the storage capacity of your warehouse, since goods can be packed more tightly.
All of these improvements serve to decrease costs and increase revenue. With scalable solutions and fulfillment speeds that inspire ongoing customer loyalty, GTP systems can have a long-term transformative impact on your business.