[NL] The warehouse of the future (part 2): all about automation

In this blog series, we explore the future of logistics with some top experts. In the first part of this series, we sought to answer the question of how logistics centres will evolve in the city of tomorrow. For this second part, we dive into the warehouse itself and consider internal digitalisation and automation.

The digitisation and automation of warehouses is unstoppable. A lot of technologies already make it possible to mechanise logistics tasks. Not surprisingly, these technologies will play a key role at the heart of our warehouses in the future. So what can we expect? Read on and find out with our experts how best to prepare your warehouse for a future brimming with new software, machines and automation.

Ready for robots in the warehouse?

The warehouse of the future counts a very special new employee: the robot. In large warehouses today, they already replace a lot of humans when processing, picking, packing and transporting orders. What is quickly perceived as boring for a human, a robot or automated system performs with pleasure – 24 hours a day. This allows your warehouse workers to focus on tasks where they have more added value to offer.

Robots offer unseen many useful applications. Especially picking robots and AMRs can take over a lot of difficult and unergonomic tasks from humans:

• Picking robots have a fixed insertion in a warehouse. For example, they can select products from a pallet or from a plastic container and then place them in another container. They are a useful link within an automated order picking.
• Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) are robots that independently analyse the environment to adapt to it or safely move around in it. These ‘shuttle robots’ can therefore navigate a warehouse independently to move heavy loads, for example. They are much more flexible and are likely to eventually replace conveyor belts as you can see in the image below.

What benefits does automation offer?

Integrating robots into your warehouse can be a solution to make smarter use of your limited workspace. Shuttle robots are able to use parts of a warehouse that were little or not used in the past. For example, think of very large heights that are inaccessible to average forklifts. As a result, you increase your logistics workspace without increasing floor space.

Of course, it is difficult to predict in detail what the year 2050 will look like. Especially given the rapid pace of technological development. However, we see clear trends emerging… One such trend is, for instance, the integration of robots and automation outside the warehouse, to bring logistics closer to the end user.

For example, what would you say about autonomous, driverless vans? Or a new shared locker network where customers can autonomously pick up and return all their goods? These are all technologies that not only increase productivity and improve customer experience, but also reduce the environmental impact of the entire logistics sector.

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New machines for more autonomy

Nowadays, many logistics tasks in a warehouse can already be performed by machines. Just think about picking orders, or packing products. In some warehouses, they even go so far as to have this entire process automated from A to Z. This ensures order picking where no person has to touch the goods. All you need is a driver driving his truck in and out of the warehouse.

In concrete terms, this means that machines are already capable of performing a number of tasks that an average warehouse worker still performs today. This often involves close interfacing with an internal Warehouse Management System (WMS). In the coming years, we will undoubtedly see this mechanisation increase further, all with the aim of making a warehouse even more productive. This gives warehouse workers the freedom to reduce repetitive or burdensome tasks and switch to new functions.

Towards smarter order picking and automation

Which machines and technologies will gain momentum in the coming years? Here are some big contenders in advance.

• Voicecontrol. Systems with voice control enable, among other things, completely hands-free order picking. Via a headset, the warehouse worker then receives instructions about picking locations, the number of products, the shortest route, and so on. It also allows easy collection of data about a warehouse: an important asset for those who want a reliable overview and forecasts of their supply chain.
• Pick-to-light. This technology should help order pickers select the right items from the shelves. Using an electronic display, they get information about an order (see image below). In the most advanced case, the package is automatically placed on a scale, which checks the weight of the various products to ensure that no picking errors were made.
• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). Barcodes have traditionally been used in almost every warehouse to confirm a physical action taken by a warehouse worker (such as picking a product). RFID will allow people to go even further in the future. Stored goods will now be able to directly carry all traceable information.

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Increase your productivity with the Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the set of devices that interact with other devices or systems via internet connections. A lot of households today already use it in their daily lives for their smart homes. Warehouses are also following this trend. Sensors connected to the IoT are crucial for automatically uploading data to various IT systems. This allows, for example, better anticipation of logistics problems or avoid unnecessary movements for warehouse workers.

Meanwhile, the IoT has many diverse applications. For example, are you already familiar with these examples?

• Machine Vision is a system where cameras detect the behaviour and movements of your staff. That information is then automatically collected and collated. For example, you can easily track a warehouse worker’s route. This is useful to determine optimal order picking, or to find out the location of any errors.
• A link between the IoT and a CSR strategy, for example to switch off lights or electrical appliances depending on usage or movement in a certain area. In this sense, the technology also responds to ecological objectives where one can use energy more sparingly.
• The data collected serve as instructions for warehousemen to perform a targeted action. A warehouse worker is then alerted at the right time to intervene: for example, to check the temperature in the warehouse or in a refrigerated truck. This minimises unnecessary actions. The warehouseman should only move when necessary.

The logistics software of the future

In the logistics world, processing data will remain the biggest challenge in the coming years. Data and numbers are undeniably the black gold of the ^21st century. With the right metrics, you can both better control costs and make more accurate forecasts. The goal is to optimise your processes, strengthen your competitive position and respond better to market needs. A real win-win!

The future of logistics software lies mainly in machine learning in the form of artificial intelligence (AI) and new algorithms. The data collected can then be exploited to their full potential. From the IoT to robots and automation, all these technologies will be able to provide useful data for logistics workers in the future. And the more data the software has at its disposal, the better it will be able to predict actions:

• Based on your marketing actions,
• Based on the size of your inventory,
• Based on your production and sales, e.g. related to the weather.

This is how to get more out of tomorrow’s data with automation

Spreading and expanding new technologies is one thing. In addition, getting all those technologies (and especially all that collected data) to communicate with each other and centralise it is certainly and equally important. WIIO’s IRIIS Software package, for example, is a step in that direction: it is a software solution that connects different systems, integrating them into the warehouse using a no-code system.

With no-code systems, software developers do not have to write code for the software, and therefore not for integration into a logistics environment. The direct result is that warehouses can move even faster in terms of innovation and flexibility.

¹ Deep learning is a part of machine learning that mimics the workings of our brains with digital neurons. Deep learning includes algorithms capable of detecting complete patterns in data such as in speech, images or videos.
² RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a remote identification method based on radio frequency tags and detectors.