The Path to Lights Out
Reaching full automation can be a long road; here’s how to tackle it.
The warehousing industry has long talked about the day of “lights out” facilities. If and when that moment will finally arrive depends on who you ask, but it also depends on what the true definition is of lights out. Does it mean fully automated with no humans involved in the process? Or does it equate to a fully automated operation that still requires some human intervention?
In all likelihood, the former may never come to pass, but the latter is a distinct possibility. Tasks like preventative maintenance, troubleshooting and the like may one day be possible in a totally remote capacity. But others will still need a human to manage their execution.
The starting point on the road to lights out warehousing is automating in subsystems. Put one system of operations on a highly automated trajectory, and then another, and then eventually tie it all together, and you can get fairly close to lights out operations. And from an economic and feasibility standpoint, this is the most logical way to go about it.
Whether or not your facility can make lights out a goal or not will depend on its size, budget and complexity. For small operations, the goal of lights out probably doesn’t make sense—its costs don’t justify the investments. But for larger operations, it may add up to begin the process of full automation.
When starting with a subsystem, focus on automating all the components you can within that area. As an example, you can begin at receiving, adding all the possible technology there to remove manual unloading. After that you might automate your picking operations with robotics and goods to person autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). As you move through the various sections of the warehouse, you focus on automating their subsystems. Then you can begin connecting some or all of them.
The easiest starting points with automation and within the subsystems are the traditional types—conveyors, sorting, ASRS, handheld devices and the like. Then you can move on to the more modern pieces and bigger investments, like robots. Where you begin is dependent on where you are in the journey.
The task of connecting all these subsystems comes down to a combination of technologies. Conveyors, for instance, often make up the physical piece of connection. But modern AMRs can play a role there, too. To facilitate the connected subsystems, there’s also a critical digital piece to the equation. You need software to help capture data and analyze it.
While the process of arriving at lights out can be lengthy and sometimes feel overwhelming, you can tap into experienced integrators and OEMs to help arrive at that point. You need help in choosing the automation, and validation of your decisions and shouldn’t try to go it alone. If your goal is lights out, it’s time to tap into expertise.
Source: Andres Pereda, Dematic
Learn more about The Robotics Group (TRG): mhi.org/trg
For further articles from the The Robotics Group (TRG):
Maximizing ROI and Mitigating Risks with Robotics
How Robots Positively Impact the Labor Shortage
How to Justify the Cost of Robotics–Part 1
