Tag: automation|warehouse|warehouse automation

Warehouse workers in the US value technology so much that they are willing to take a pay cut and switch jobs to use tech to help them do their jobs better, according to market study insights by Lucas Systems.

The study polled 500 US on-floor warehouse workers during May 2022 and is the first of its kind to examine workers’ relationships with technology as well as their fears, expectations, and perceptions about their daily jobs. Developed as the ‘Voice of the Warehouse Worker’, the study was conducted by Wakefield Research for Lucas Systems, a pioneer in providing software for warehouse workers and supervisors over the last 24 years.

In the study, nearly 3 out of 4 (74%) on-floor workers said they would consider a pay cut at another company for an opportunity to use technology if it helps them in their job. Workers also said they are physically spent, spending over a third of their day walking and would welcome tech’s help in the form of robots or other tech tools.

“Having pioneered software used by tens of thousands of on-floor warehouse workers, we’re always seeking input. We’re interested in how to make on-floor worker jobs easier and better and what keeps them at their employers or encourages them to look elsewhere,” says Lucas Systems Chief Marketing Officer Ken Ramoutar.

Other market study insights:

• Workers want to stay with their employer but feel improvements are necessary to make their jobs easier. Workers generally anticipate staying at their current employer for at least three years (74%) with 35% anticipating a tenure longer than five years.
• 75% of workers say physical strain in their jobs takes a larger toll on them than the mental strain. The leading cause of physical strain is carrying and/or lifting followed by walking and/or traveling.
• Top causes of mental strain include meeting performance or incentive goals and objectives (25%) and safely manoeuvring around the warehouse (20%).
• Workers see robots as productive allies but fear increased quotas. More than 2 in 5 believe robots will reduce physical stress (46%) or help them achieve better speed in item picking (44%) or better accuracy (40%).

In the study, workers perceived their company’s technology as an investment in them. Lucas Systems says this is meaningful  in an industry already facing a labour shortage.

“If workers equate tech investments with the company’s willingness to help them, it shows us that tech for on-floor warehouse workers plays a vital role in attracting and retaining employees in addition to its role in improving warehouse operations and performance,” says Ramoutar.

CLICK HERE to see more market study insights.

 

Part of Germany’s largest supermarket chain, the regional company Edeka Minden-Hannover is automating its fresh produce logistics in the fruit and vegetable sector with an intralogistics solution from Cimcorp, which has specialised in this automation for over 40 years.

Together with other Edeka regions and the Netto Marken-Discount chain, the regional company Edeka Minden-Hannover is one of the first German grocery retailers to use this solution.

Cimcorp has already provided similar automation for the fruit and vegetable sector in other European countries. Jarno Honkanen, Director of Solution Development at Cimcorp, says: “We’ve provided reliable solutions for rapid order fulfilment for many years, thereby optimising the shelf life of perishable products. The advantage for customers is that they receive their fresh products faster and that they stay fresh longer in the household. We look forward to working with Edeka on this further project.”

“The Edeka slogan is ‘We love food’,” explains Arnd Wilde, Logistics manager at Edeka Minden-Hannover, “which is why our regional company offers a comprehensive range of products in its Edeka stores, secured by professional quality management: from inexpensive basic items to branded items and selected specialties. Supported by our cooperative guiding principle, we rely on our independent Edeka merchants and store managers to have a high level of commitment in the joint business venture.

“Our daily challenge is to bring fresh fruit and vegetables from the producer to our markets promptly. This is often a race against time, because it usually takes only a few hours between delivery to our warehouse and delivery to our stores. In Cimcorp, we have found a partner who can provide us with a solution for fully automated order picking of ergonomically packed fruit and vegetable pallets that meet the requirements of our markets – quickly, reliably and cost-effectively. This automation does not mean that jobs are lost; we need our full team to continue to provide the desired logistics service for our salespeople in the future.”

Quality and freshness are critical for customers when buying groceries in-store. This means that speed and accuracy in picking are crucial for product quality. Edeka Minden-Hannover is constantly working to optimise its logistics processes and is thus continuing its sustainability strategy with a view to reducing CO2 emissions, among other things. In order to meet these challenges, Edeka Minden-Hannover, as the largest grocery retailer in its sales area, continuously invests in the modernisation of its logistics.

Around 1,200 fruit and vegetable items for the 1,488 supermarkets in the region are freshly picked and delivered daily to the four logistics centres located in Lauenau, Freienbrink, Wiefelstede and Landsberg. The aim is to modernise two of the existing logistics centres – Lauenau and Freienbrink – with minimal disruption to daily operations and without risking food safety. These two logistics centres will supply fresh fruit and vegetables to more than 1,000 stores every day.

In Lauenau, the automation will be installed in the existing logistics centre, which has been fully operational since 2014. The volume is higher in Freienbrink, so a total of three fresh food modules will be installed there. The modular structure speeds up the installation: once the first fresh food solution is in operation, the next two will be installed.

Jarno Honkanen, Director of Solution Development at Cimcorp, says: “When fully operational, the modularity guarantees the maximum functionality of the system through redundancy. The individual module can be emptied – for example, during cleaning – without interrupting the entire flow of materials in the logistics centre. Overhead gantry robots handle food crates that are stacked on the floor – there is no need for an expensive shelving system.

“This is also essential for food safety. During cleaning, crates can be moved to another module or stacked under the gantry robot to clear the floor. An empty floor is easy to clean, which ensures a high standard of hygiene.”

Dahl, a leading wholesale and trading companies in plumbing, pipes, ground work, cooling, property and tools, has selected SSI Schaefer as a supplier for its new central warehouse to cover the Swedish market.

The new distribution centre will connect approx. 2,000 suppliers and 36,000 craftsmen with HVAC equipment both through direct delivery to construction sites as well as through Dahl’s 70 stores from Kiruna in the north to Ystad in the south of Sweden.

“The technology at our new site is really pushing the boundaries, we will build an advanced warehouse and we look forward to a highly automated operation that will be located not too far from our current warehouse. This gives us the possibility to retain internal competence,” says Jonathan Mankowitz, Logistics Director at Dahl.

The solution from SSI Schaefer consists of a pallet handling area with a pallet conveying system to transport goods to and from workstations and a High-bay warehouse for storing pallets. Small goods are handled in a 24m-high SSI Flexi shuttle system that will store both totes to supply the piece picking area as well as cartons for palletising. Picking will take place at goods-to-person stations combined with palletising robots to complete orders prior to shipping. The new distribution centre will be located in Bålsta and will replace the current warehouse in Kalhäll as well as some satellite warehouses.

“The greatest challenge was to find the right solution for Dahl due to the wide and special product range and the high demands on ergonomics when handling these products. We have worked together with Dahl as one team from day one and the result is a one-of-a-kind warehouse with a high level of automation and some new and innovative solutions,” says Hans Ekström, Solution Design Manager at SSI Schaefer who is responsible for the project.

The SSI Schaefer system is planned to go live during 2023.

LUZI fragrance compounds, a Swiss family company that has been making high-quality fragrance components since 1926, is expanding and investing in a new, central office in Dietlikon, near Zürich. Jungheinrich was chosen for the realisation of the automated warehouse and material flow system. The two-aisle in-house rack with 800 rack storage locations offers double-depth storage for two industry pallets per rack space and a maximum pallet weight of 1,400 kilograms.

The completion of the new building, including the 63m-long x 15.8m-wide x 6.7m-high rack facility, is planned for next year (2022). The entire warehouse is designed for a variety of classes of hazardous substances. The areas are separated by fireproof walls and additional sprinklers prevent the spreading of any fire to neighbouring areas of the warehouse. The new facility is special not only because of its high degree of automation, but also its building design. The warehouse is in the basement of the production building. The two aisle-bound stacker cranes, which Jungheinrich supplies in the two-master design, travel in pits to gain storage height.

Jungheinrich is also delivering the conveyor and control technology, including pallet lift, to the Swiss company, which develops fragrances for products in fine fragrance, body care, air care and home care. The automatic pallet lift connects all three floors of the full solution: the automated warehouse in the basement, ingoing and outgoing goods on the ground floor and production on the first floor. The warehouse will run around 220 days of the year and will significantly increase the efficiency of the production supplies.

Steve Richmond, Director of Logistics Systems, commented: “We are thrilled to be implementing an automated warehouse system within LUZI’s new central office in Zurich. The integration of automated warehouse and material flow system will enhance the company’s workflow throughout the entire facility and the deployment of Jungheinrich’s two aisle-bound stacker cranes will support LUZI in gaining additional storage height within the warehouse, further improving efficiency and reducing downtime.”

The material flow for the efficient supply of LUZI’s production with the raw materials from the warehouse is organised by the Jungheinrich Warehouse Control System (WCS). The software optimises the processing of transport orders for the automatic facility, which were transmitted from the customer’s system, to the specified targets.

“LUZI stands for first-class products, high safety and quality standards as well as competent consulting service,” says Jürg Koller, Global CEO. “This is exactly why we chose Jungheinrich as a partner for our new automation solution. Through its expertise in this area, the intralogistics expert has proven over and over that Jungheinrich stands for the same values.”