Maximizing warehouse space is not just a matter of efficiency and cost management. It’s a key driver of productivity, storage capacity, and workflow. By effectively utilizing the entire warehouse volume, you can significantly enhance these aspects of your operations, leading to a more streamlined and profitable business.
As a warehouse business leader, you’re no stranger to the challenges of optimizing space. Naturally, maximizing warehouse space is crucial for enhancing productivity, storage capacity, workflow and, ultimately, return on investment. Inefficient inventory management, improper use of storage solutions, lack of advanced warehouse management systems, and suboptimal warehouse design can all hinder your efforts. But don’t worry! You can overcome these issues with the right strategies and technologies.
Effective utilization of the entire warehouse volume can significantly improve these aspects of your operations, leading to a more streamlined and profitable business.
Understanding Warehouse Capacity and Factors for Optimization
Warehouse volume refers to the total cubic space available, including both floor and vertical space. Utilizing this space efficiently is essential as it directly impacts storage capacity, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Efficient use ensures organized storage, reduces retrieval times, and minimizes wasted space, thereby enhancing overall warehouse performance.
Warehouse layout and design is as much a function of the types of goods passing through, as the methods and equipment used to move and store them. The question faced by warehouse leaders and operations teams is about the tools and options on how to achieve their efficiency goals. Traditional warehouses with forklifts and carts certainly look different than modern warehouses blending people with robots and automated storage and retrieval systems.
The First Step in Maximizing Warehouse Efficiency
Whether planning a new facility, trying to maintain traditional processes in an existing facility or faced with modernizing a working site, the design and layout are key to unlocking the possibilities. When change is thrust upon a warehouse, the complex project management required to change an existing operation has been an obstacle for adopting more automated systems. However, there are trending options that bring the opportunity for automation and also serves professionals planning significant investments in new, greenfield operations. Simulation can provide incalculable value in proving concepts as well as generating a project management execution plan.
Isn’t space planning primarily concerned with rack layout, aisle width, and high-moving inventory? Why is there a need to discuss software beyond CAD in this context?
Simulation can pre-validate designs and solutions giving peace of mind for decision makers and investors. A good simulation will provide leaders and investors benefits such as:
- Validation under actual operational conditions,
- Verify processes before “go-live”,
- Review scenarios such as peak periods and product mix,
- Test algorithms for optimal performance and
- View future expansions and modifications.
Simply stated, simulation can provide investors, leaders and planners with the data to move forward with various levels of automation. According to a 2024 Gartner report, 75% of warehouses will use automated mobile robots by 2027. Let alone the labor efficiencies, understanding the implications for warehouse space efficiency alone can justify adoption of robotics.
The reason simulation software should be every operational leader’s first step, is that there are significant differences in warehouses optimized for traditional methods and equipment compared to a modern facility.
Utilizing Advanced Robot Technologies
Intelligent Robot Systems by G2P Robots play a pivotal role in optimizing space efficiency and enhancing overall warehouse operations. Once simulation demonstrates the performance benefits of robotics, the next critical questions arise: how do these technologies integrate into existing company frameworks? Successful companies already operate established systems, prompting the inquiry into the seamless integration of robots within existing infrastructures.
Technology: Goods-to-Person Robots
Goods-to-Person robots are a category of robotic systems designed specifically for optimizing warehouse and logistics operations. These robots autonomously navigate through the warehouse, retrieving items from storage locations and transporting them directly to human operators or designated packing stations. This innovative approach minimizes the need for human personnel to traverse the warehouse aisles, reduce aisle width, improve space efficiency, significantly improving operational efficiency, reducing picking times, and enhancing overall productivity in fulfillment and distribution centers.
Conventional and Modern Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems
Conventional Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) are easily recognized to optimize storage and retrieval processes. As fully automated systems, they maximize vertical and cubic space utilization; however, conventional ASRS are also significant capex projects. There is a way to achieve the benefits of ASRS with more modern technology. Modern robotic based systems are far easier to integrate, install and operate. Consider two modern approaches to the AS/RS: the Tote-to-Person and the MIX System from G2P.
G2P Totes To Person Shuttle
Consider the unique Tote to Person AMR systems offered by G2P. Its easily deployable shuttle robots and dense tote storage combine to offer a significantly more flexible and scalable solution than conventional ASRS systems. They are designed to combine the best in storage, speed, and versatility to optimize warehouse operation.
Totes to Person AMR Benefits:
- Maximizes Storage Density with vertical storage heights to 18’ high with only 39” aisle widths.
- High Throughput with up to 40 totes in and 40 totes out per Tote to Person AMR per hour.
- Flexibility with fast setup and go-live implementation. Operators are trained quickly and more AMRs can be added easily and affordably for peak periods.
- Storage Efficiency by storing totes and cartons single deep or double deep. Allows for different sizes of totes & cartons for picking.
- Safe Operation with obstacle detection, safety perimeter, audio safety alarm, emergency stop button, anti-collision, lifting fall protection, and UL & CE Certified.
G2P Goods to Person MIX Systems
Unique from G2P, the MIX System provides a mix of goods to operators by presenting a combination of automated totes to person, goods to person, and pallets to person to provide maximum versatility and flexibility.
One MIX workstation will reduce your labor content, increase throughput, improve storage density, and provide a fast ROI.
Goods To Person MIX System benefits include:
- Higher Throughput by increasing pick rates by over 400%.
- Increase Storage Density by over 400%.
- Continuous Operation for operators with multi-stage parallel processing.
- Automated Dynamic Slotting to optimize locations and weight.
- Highly Adaptable with mixed pods and mixed workstations.
- Multi-Level Safety provides a safe human-robot work environment.
- Provides Automated Tote Picking, combined with pallet picking, and traditional piece picking from portable shelves.
The Mix’s modular design is fast to implement and easily accommodates changes in your product mix. Relocating the pick station to accommodate changes to your operation is easy.
The Technology Stack: Software that Connects Machines
Highly capable robots need to be connected to operations with a powerful software stack. Luckily, current Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) can stay in place. Intelligent Robot Management System by G2P Robots play a pivotal role in optimizing space efficiency and enhancing warehouse operations as a separate level of software. IRMS by G2P simplifies the complexity of managing robots in warehouses and distribution centers. It schedules over 1000 robots, supports various robot types, and offers advanced congestion detection and dynamic path planning capabilities. IRMS integrates seamlessly with existing systems such as WMS, providing real-time data and KPI support for efficient warehouse management.
G2P’s Robot Execution Software called Robot Execution System, or IRES, provides reliable execution control for a variety of robots, ensuring quick implementation and outstanding performance. It supports multiple robot types and is highly adaptable to various scenarios, enhancing operational flexibility and security.
Best Practices for Space Optimization
Implementing modern robotics allows warehouse and operations leaders to optimize warehouse volume, cubic space utilization and reap greater rewards in existing facilities as well as new, greenfield facilities.
The Last Word
Amazon has clearly proven the strategic importance for modern business to seek results from the logistics side of their business. Whether a manufacturer, distributor or 3PL, optimizing warehouse volume and efficiency is crucial for reducing costs and improving ROI and service. Intelligent robot systems, including Goods to Person, Tote to Person and MIX Systems by G2P Robots play a vital role in achieving these goals. Assess your current space utilization and implement strategies to maximize your warehouse’s potential today.
Reach out to us to learn more about how our solutions can transform your warehouse operations.