Five reasons flexible automation is faster

When speed is of the essence, choose the faster option – flexible automation.

Flexible automation will make your warehouse faster in every possible way that matters.

The warehouse industry is more concerned with speed than ever before. The Amazon effect is reaching far beyond the B2C sector, with more businesses expecting more of their suppliers. Being faster at the delivery itself is just the tip of the iceberg. Your business needs to be faster in every way it can. To make that happen, you need to choose flexible automation – here are five reasons why.

Quicker installation

It doesn’t matter how efficient and exciting a new system might be. If it takes an age to get there, it won’t be worth it. If installation time is lengthy, and the optimisation window is large, your business will be waiting all too long to feel the benefits of your investment.

Flexible automation respects your time. While other alternatives require elaborate infrastructure installations and complicated calibration cycles, flexible automation avoids such delays. The robots all come pre-prepared and pre-programmed, ready to work. The only infrastructure is some carefully installed data matrix (DM) panels in the floor.

When your business needs speed, flexible automation is there. Quick to install, and fast to get going.

Accelerated adaptation

Business never sleeps and markets never stop. Even a product sphere that seems stable can suddenly experience dramatic shifts from any number of unexpected events.

What was once a B2B firm could suddenly find itself needing to service a B2C market, or vice versa. Flexible automation with its modular and fully adaptable freestanding storage units, make this something you can deal with easily and quickly.

Your warehouse could not only need to change what it stores but how it stores it. Some items will be in such high demand that they need to be as close to shipping areas as physically possible at all times. Thanks to the self-optimisation features offered by flexible automation, combined with their integration into your WMS or ERP software, your business can adapt to any changing circumstances more quickly than you ever thought possible.

Rapid ROI

With very limited downtime for your installation process and accelerated adaptation that can mitigate many market fluctuations, ROI will be something you and your business will see rolling in very quickly.

The average estimate turnaround on flexible automation ROI is between 12-24 months. With other alternatives, it could take that long just to get an automation system online, never mind earning it’s initial outlay back.

Swifter safety

The fastest warehouses have no time for unnecessary risk or unexpected danger. Faster delivery should not mean compromising safety. Thanks to flexible automation it doesn’t have to.

Flexible automation allows robots to contain and use a vast suite of the most sophisticated safety systems ever developed. LIDAR, infra-red beams, and ultrasonic sensors allow the robot full awareness of all its surroundings. It can come to a quick stop and the other robots will re-work their paths accordingly. The RCS will calculate the most efficient paths, and operations will continue. Safety achieved, without any compromise to efficiency.

Expedited expansion

When success strikes and demand grows, you need the agility and flexibility to make the most of it. The ability to expand and grow your warehouse is essential. Being boxed in by pre-built automation systems will leave you prematurely plateaued and put a permanent pause on your growth.

Flexible automation allows your business to expand at the earliest possible opportunity. If you have the space, the robots can do the work. Thanks to their minimal infrastructure requirements, and the simplicity of readjusting the software, your firm can expand into whatever shape and size of warehouse you need, whenever you might happen to need it.

Flexible automation lets you do everything faster. Time is money and speed is of the essence. Discover how the robotic revolution can turbocharge your operations, today.