Improving your AMR Efficiencies
Autonomous mobile robots have much to offer, but the systems that surround them must work well, too.
For a host of reasons—improved sensing technology, enhanced capabilities, machine learning and improved integration—the mobile robotics market is surging. The global market for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in 2023 hit more than $20 billion. By 2028, some forecasts suggest that it will reach $40 billion. AMRs are here, and they are becoming ubiquitous in large distribution centers.
AMRs first became attractive in the early stages of the pandemic, when finding labor was extremely difficult. There’s still a labor shortage, but it’s not as acute as it was five years ago. Now, however, the goal should be not only assisting with a smaller staff, but making money from your robotics investment, too. Otherwise, the billions of dollars spent each year on AMRs goes to waste.
One of the most common applications of AMRs in the warehouse is person-to-goods picking. As the name implies, the associate needs to pick items from a fixed position and the collaborative AMR assists in the movement of the goods. This eliminates the inefficiencies of the associate moving about the facility. Companies can configure this in many different manners, and every facility will be different, but the idea behind it is reducing the need for labor, while increasing the efficiency of the human associates.
In the best-case scenarios, that’s how person to goods operations work. But in most cases today, the systems still face some bottlenecks that customers should recognize. Essentially, right now, you have associates and robots on the floor, and one or the other is going to have to wait on the other. Often, the result is a lineup of AMRs waiting their turn to have work loaded or goods unloaded.
While these systems manage to deliver an ROI—often as soon as a year—they often aren’t leading to true cost savings yet, which is a missed opportunity. Right now, in most AMR-enabled fulfillment operations, the robots spend too much time dwelling. This leaves a good deal of money on the table.
Part of the focus should be on innovation—if you’re considering AMR technology, work closely with your vendors to ensure there are no inefficient bottlenecks in your person-to-goods operations. You want to avoid lines of robots waiting to have work loaded; the same holds true with lines of robots waiting to have an associate unload picked items. The goal should be seamless operations with no minimal time spent waiting by robots or associates.
As with any technology—throwing more of it at a problem won’t solve the issue. So, adding more robots to your floor without a strategy to break up the bottlenecks, won’t accomplish your goals. Instead, look to innovate and eliminate the dwell and accumulation time. A faster, smoother running operation using AMRs is out there, but it can’t happen without a concerted effort to develop it. Working with your OEM partner, there’s a great opportunity to maximize the payout of your AMR investment.
For further articles from the The Robotics Group (TRG):
Humans and Robots Work Well Together
How to Justify the Cost of Robotics–Part 1
Podcast: Robotics and Humans: A Synergistic Workforce
Order Orchestration Optimization Through Robots
Robotics in Logistics, Part 2 – You’ve Decided to Add Robots—Now What?
