50 个专家仓库自动化技巧和最佳实践

使用机器人/机器人的提示和最佳实践

23.使用机器人解决方案自动化操作。 “自动化已经集成到配送中心有一段时间了，但通常仍保留在工作流领域。虽然这有很大的好处，但许多公司的最终目标是实现仓库的完全自动化。
随着越来越多的仓库机器人被推向市场，仓库机器人将进一步改变仓库的工作文化。机器人解决方案将为配送中心提供自动化操作的能力，而无需进行任何重大的结构改变。” – Mariana Cid De Leon Ovalle， 2017 年 11 月的 5 个供应链趋势 ，BOSS 杂志；推特： @BOSSNewsNetwork
24.开始利用机器人技术最大限度地利用仓库空间。 “最后但并非最不重要的一点是，我们将空间最大化。这是人们并不总是等同于仓库自动化的好处。然而，实际上，它是最大的之一。空间是一种有限的资源，尤其是在装满各种商品的仓储和配送设施中。他们创造了一个持续的俄罗斯方块游戏，随着您的成长变得越来越困难。
幸运的是，对于仓库来说，自动化有助于最大限度地利用他们拥有的空间。它是如何做到的？一方面，大多数仓库自动化系统都配备机器人或其他处理产品检索和存储的机器。这意味着您无需将人员送入过道，这反过来又消除了对可容纳笨重托盘和具有宽转弯半径的托盘搬运车的宽过道的需求。取而代之的是，自动化仓库具有特殊的可移动货架，机器人可以像托盘上的货物一样四处移动。但是，它们占用的空间比托盘少，而且机器人在移动它们时需要更少的空间来操作它们。所有这一切意味着您可以将产品货架安装在更小的通道上，从而为存储创造更多空间。” –  仓库自动化：您应该使用的好处和技术 ， 选择中心；推特： @SelectHub

25.使用自主移动机器人 (AMR) 减少员工出差时间并提高拣货准确性。 “关于员工被迫每班步行 10 到 15 英里的报道可能被夸大了，但不难想象，通过允许机器人‘步行’可以节省员工旅行的效率（以及提高满意度）。虽然具有先进拣选和包装能力的机器人尚未生产出万无一失的自动拣选和包装操作，这项技术已经不远了。亚马逊在收购 Kiva 后率先在其美国设施中使用移动机器人，每年都会赞助一场全球竞赛，以识别和推广机器人技术以执行先进的拣选流程。” – 唐·怀特， 仓库机器人：什么是新兴的，它的发展方向是什么？ , 供应与需求链主管；推特： @SDCExec
26.使用机器人技术改善入站和出站物流。 “自动化的另一个趋势涉及机器人技术。根据定义，机器人技术是自动化的标志。它们应系统或人的要求执行功能，但当今更多的机器人系统是根据订单履行系统的要求执行任务。
订单流程会自动通知仓库中的机器人并触发流程，如开场的例子。” ——亚当·罗宾逊 Cerasis 的客座撰稿人，自动化的新兴趋势：对供应链的意义 , Fronetics;推特： @Fronetics

27.使用机器人提高劳动力生产力。 “随着公司继续实现仓库自动化，机器人技术提供了一个新的机会，可以在现有自动化工作的基础上提高生产力和吞吐量。
'机器人技术在硬件和软件方面的改进提高了仓库的性能用于仓库的机器人技术，”Santagate 说。他说，这有助于吸引企业将机器人技术视为增加劳动力的一种选择。” – Bob Violino， 自动化仓库：机器人可以提高现有劳动力的生产力 ，ZDNet；推特： @ZDNet
28. Use warehouse robotics in the supply chain.  “Automation is already well-established in many distribution centres around the world, but for most, it is limited to workflow automation managed by increasingly advanced warehouse management systems.
While system-guided manual processes can make a considerable difference to warehouse efficiencies though, the value of full automation—perhaps the holy grail of distribution centre operation—is typically the preserve of corporate giants able to build purpose-designed automated warehouses, or to adapt older real estate for “lights-out” operation.
The situation is changing however, as more and more MHE manufacturers bring warehouse robotics to market. Robotic solutions offer the ability to introduce automation into DC operations without the need for major structural alterations.” – Rob O’Byrne,  6 Key Supply Chain and Logistics Trends to Watch in 2017 , Logistics Bureau; Twitter:  @LogisticsBureau

Tips for Leveraging Tools and Technology

29. Adopt advanced systems to cut costs and increase productivity.  “Left with few options to cut costs and increase productivity, warehouse and distribution managers have embraced robotic automation in far greater numbers than other industries, with the exception of heavy manufacturing. In addition, the very broad range of warehouse automation tasks demands that managers adopt systems that are far more advanced, with respect to learning new tasks, identifying targets, and combining subroutines, than the typical manufacturing system.” –  Full Warehouse Automation Is the Goal and the Opportunity for both Providers and Investors , Robotics Business Review; Twitter:  @RoboticBusiness
30. Automate everything possible. “Utilize automation wherever possible. Use barcodes, RFID tags, NFC or whatever technology works best for your inventory mix so you always have accurate on-hand counts and locations. Barcode equipment is not an expensive choice — you can even use a mobile phone.” –  Top 11 Warehouse Operations Best Practices , Westfalia Technologies, Inc.; Twitter:  @WestfaliaUSA

31. Choose a warehouse execution solution to synchronize existing auomation assets.  “While lack of coordination has always been a risk, favorable economic conditions tend to be more tolerant of inefficiency. Today’s volatile, accelerating business conditions, however, are putting new strain on margins and the agility to synch operations to fluctuating demand is critical to profitability—even survival. This requires more attention to the integrated execution of all system and human activity, which is what warehouse execution systems provide. Warehouse execution systems (WESs) have the connectivity necessary to reach into disparate automation systems, extract operational data and get it to the people who need it. They can help maximize return on investment in both material handling equipment and human resources.” – Chris Capshaw  and Randy Marble,  Warehouse Execution Systems Can Unlock the Potential of Automation Assets , Material Handling &Logistics ; Twitter:  @MHLeditor
32. Choose an inventory management software solution that automatically calculates based on customer buying trends. “Start using inventory management software. Stop using Excel to manage your inventory! Spreadsheets are time consuming and don’t always reflect accurate inventory levels. You should purchase software that will help you figure out how much inventory is on hand, and when to reorder. Good programs will automatically calculate this for you based on the buying trends of your customers. Inventory software helps you accomplish all of this in a fraction of the amount of time it would take to do it all by hand.” –  Inventory Management Best Practices,  Fishbowl Inventory; Twitter:  @鱼缸

33. Consider automated guided vehicles (AGV). “Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are another trend we are seeing more of inside automated warehouses. AGVs move items around warehouse facilities using magnets, lasers or vision for navigation. They also can follow wires or markers in the floor to move products efficiently around the warehouse. In 2012, Amazon acquired a robotics company called Kiva—and it currently uses 45,000 of these robots to automate picking and packaging processes inside larger warehouses.” – Cary Frame,  4 Top Trends in Warehouse Automation , Hynes Industries; Twitter:  @HynesIndustries
34. Give employees access to real-time information.  “What employees really gain through the use of mobile computers, smartphones and wearables—which can include everything from digital eyewear to ring scanners—is access to real-time information. Data is increasingly valuable in the warehouse and DC, especially as customer expectations escalate to include very short shipping turnaround times due to increasing competition form large e-tailers like Amazon. In warehouse and DC environments, conditions are ever-changing, so being able to consult with a WMS, on a moment’s notice, to determine if an order got out the door on time is beneficial.” – Carrie Mantey,  Hardware that Helps Facilitate Hard Work , Supply &Demand Chain Executive; Twitter:  @SDCExec

35. Integrate AS/RS with warehouse execution software. “One of the primary benefits of AS/RS is its ability to store product in a way that makes the most efficient use of available space, especially over the long term. By implementing AS/RS, an operation can automate their long-term storage of raw material or product and retrieve what they need when they need it.
By integrating the AS/RS with their Warehouse Execution Software (WES) they can intelligently auto-rotate stock as new product/materials are delivered so that older product is always used first, reducing waste and spoilage (especially when it comes to handling food or pharmaceuticals).” – Maxwell Ziegler,  4 Common Applications for AS/RS in Warehouses and DCs , Conveyco Technologies; Twitter:  @Conveyco
36. Integrate data capture technology with your WMS and ERP. “Accurate data capture on the warehouse floor is the key to proper tracking and efficiency. Without accurate data, how can you identify problems and improve processing? Manual data capture tends to be is time consuming, inefficient, and inaccurate, and the manual input of this data into your ERP system leaves further room for inefficiency and error.
So what should you be doing to simplify and streamline your data capture?
Using technology like a warehouse management system can help you to quickly move products and process data, can help you save time and increase productivity, as well as reduce the margin for error.” –  How to Simplify Data Capture on the Warehouse Floor , TransLution Software

37. Link inventory levels and accuracy. “Your inventory management system will deliver a large amount of data in regards to the way products are moving within the warehouse. If you have a complex system, you will find all this information to be more than overwhelming at times.
However, a simpler system is to analyze some specifics and find the results that you want rather than sift through endless data. With this idea, you can save a lot of money as it will eliminate additional shift orders and inventory. Although, it can be difficult to integrate if your company doesn’t have inventory tracking, but it can deliver great results in the end.” –  7 Best Practices for Inventory Management for Warehouses , Newcastle Systems; Twitter:  @NewcastleSys
38. Use batch tracking. “Batch tracking  is sometimes referred to as lot tracking, and it’s a process for efficiently tracing goods along the distribution chain using batch numbers.
A ‘batch’ refers to a particular set of goods that were produced together and which used the same materials.
Use an automatic batch tracking system in order to enter information about all the products within your batch – keeping that information at your fingertips if you need to access it quickly, as in the case of a product recall.” – 1 0 Inventory Management Best Practices for Improving Your Business ,  Dear Systems; Twitter:  @DearInventory

39. Use the latest software to automate warehouse functions. “The single biggest task for warehouse executives is determining fleet deployment, to match fleet deployment with cargo based on loading capacities, fuel consumption, and more. Another critical task is monitoring fleet movement.
Automating these functions, by using the latest software to intelligently route different data sets and data streams, improves accuracy and leaves the managers free to focus on other things where their core competencies and interventions would be more productive. Such warehouse automation solutions improve the efficiency, accuracy, and velocity of warehouse operations multi-fold.” – Nashiya Salim,  5 Emerging Trends that Logistics Managers Cannot Afford to Ignore,  Fingent; Twitter:  @Fingent

Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Tips and Best Practices

40。 Choose a WMS with a user-friendly interface. “A WMS without a user-friendly interface will not allow your staff to maximize its capabilities. If the interface is confusing and difficult to understand, then this will surely slow warehouse processes – which is the opposite of what a WMS should be doing.
A good WMS interface should allow you to quickly access accurate warehouse quantity levels, locations of your inventory, picking and shipping data, and sales reports all within a few clicks. If the interface does not allow you to easily navigate through this kind of vital information, then that particular WMS is probably not worth your time.” – Aaron Mikel,  How to Choose the Right Warehouse Management System , SkuVault; Twitter:  @skuvault

41. Closely integrate automation with a warehouse management system (WMS). “The successful deployment of automation in the warehouse or distribution center environment relies on close integration with a warehouse management system (WMS) to help direct, simplify, and track all of the transactions going on in the facilities. Even without the addition of automation, a WMS enables trained warehouse staff to achieve fast and highly accurate shipments by choreographing the most efficient pick paths and prompting specific actions each step of the way during picking and/or prior to shipment.” – David Allais,  Automation in the Warehouse:Asset or Obstacle? , IndustryWeek; Twitter:  @IndustryWeek
42. Conduct WMS training.  “By its very nature, a warehouse management system (WMS) is designed to improve business processes. So to be effective, your WMS training effort must address not just the hardware and software, but the many ways WMS users handle goods in the warehouse.
The time and effort needed for WMS training increases as you move up the scale from bare-bones inventory management and WMS modules to dedicated, high-end WMS software.” – David Essex,  Getting Started with Warehouse Management System (WMS) Training , SearchERP; Twitter:  @search_ERP

43. Consider a cloud and SaaS warehouse management system. “The benefits of cloud based WMS and a SaaS system is that they allow for fast deployment, no maintenance costs, and lower IT costs. A true SaaS or software as a service eliminates the upfront capital costs of buying hardware and finding data center space to house it and drastically reduce the need for system administration. A cloud-based WMS can be customized to meet your unique business needs and offers additional features such as higher data security protocols for businesses that handle higher value inventory. Both systems are tailored to fit various types and sizes of businesses. While the SaaS solution is better suited for smaller businesses with low complexities, a Cloud WMS is more ideal for medium to large size businesses as well as those with more complexities. Irrespective of the size of your business, you can benefit greatly from a WMS that increases business efficiency and productivity.” – Rachael Afolabi,  WMS for the SMB:Factors to Consider When Implementing a Warehouse Management System , Net@Work; Twitter:  @NetatWork_corp
44. Consider a warehouse control system instead of a warehouse management system. “The walls between warehouse control systems (WCS) and WMS are coming down, and the former is playing a larger role in the overall management of a warehouse’s inventory. This is particularly true for companies that are putting more automation into their warehouses and DCs, says [managing director at supply chain consultancy St. Once Co., Norm] Saenz.
Historically, WCS provided the interface for material handling systems (i.e., carousels, sorters, conveyors, etc.), while WMS managed processes, people, and activities like shipments and orders. ‘We’ve worked with numerous companies that were putting in new automation along with new WCS and looking at how to leverage their WCS investments for warehouse management functionality,’ says Saenz, who expects this trend to continue as the lines between WCS and WMS continue to blur.” – Bridget McCrea,  Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) / Inventory Management Technology:6 Trends for the Modern Age , Logistics Management; Twitter:  @LogisticsMgmt

45. Evaulate the ease of installation and use when choosing a WMS. “The first thing that you need to look into when researching a WMS is its general ease of use. This also goes along with how fast it is to get up and running, how many resources will installation and initial launch require, and how lengthy will employee training be. SMEs want something that is going to installed and ready to go as fast as possible, with minimal training. The longer it takes to completely install a system, the longer it will take to catch up with the competition, and the longer precious resources will be focusing on the system rather than on business. A great system will require little to no training, even for those employees who are not necessarily tech-savvy, and will be extremely user-friendly. Easy menus and a clear dashboard, a tool that not only allows a company to rapidly optimize employee efficiency and time, but that also upgrades seamlessly across the company, and at an international level if needed.” – Isabelle Badoc,  SMEs:The 4 Essential Tips for Choosing the Right WMS , Generix Group; Twitter:  @GenerixGroupFR
46. Identify your key supply chain and warehouse metrics before selecting a WMS.  “When you are selecting SCM and WMS ensure that the end goals of your business are identified and then measured by the system you choose. So often the best system for data entry is selected, which is admirable, but if you can’t get data/performance measures out the other end you’ve spent a lot of money for a black box you’ll struggle constantly to try and see the insides of. Be able to answer the question, “What 5 metrics will we run our supply chain or warehouse on?” with distinct items and plans to improve and sustain them over time.” – Ted Clark , as quoted in 45 WMS Selection Tips to Help You Find the Perfect Software ,  Explore WMS; Twitter:  @ExploreWMS

47. Integrate your AS/RS and WMS solutions.  “Integrate your AS/RS and WMS solutions. These two technologies work together, each increasing the usefulness of the other. With the right equipment in place, managing a warehouse becomes much simpler and it will be easier to meet your metrics for perfect orders, accuracy, efficiency, and productivity.
The easiest way to ensure seamless integration is to select an AS/RS and WMS that are designed to work together, so you eliminate the cost and hassle of integrating them yourself.” –  11 Warehouse Operations Best Practices , SupplyChain24/7; Twitter:  @SupplyChain247
48. Start simply by implementing a warehouse management system (WMS). “Start out small. Implement a Warehouse Management System (WMS) that can help facilitate the major processes within the four walls of your warehouse. From the time the truck arrives, the WMS should be able to receive product in, intelligently put it away to stocking locations, and allow you to see what and where your inventory is in the building.
My friend, you now are in control!” – Mohammad Shaban,  Your Path to an Automated Warehouse:3 Things to Know , Bastian Solutions; Twitter:  @BastianSolution

49. Understand all costs associated with a WMS.  “Implementing a WMS incurs costs in a variety of ways. Software and hardware costs will be easy to predict and manage but you should also make sure you are clear about the consultancy costs. How much after sales support will your supplier provide, what will they be doing for you as part of that support and how much will additional consultancy cost?” –  Top Tips for Choosing a Warehouse Management System , TouchPath; Twitter:  @TouchPath
50. Understand the support costs, infrastructure, training, and implementation the WMS provider offers. “Do you own the system after buying it, or will it be software as a service? This is your decision, and every business has different drivers that you will need to consider carefully. With SAAS, you spread the cost over the full life of the product; with up-front, you will own the software and will only pay ongoing [optional] support costs.” – James Wilmer,  Top Tips for Choosing a WMS , Logistex; Twitter:  @logistexonline
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