There were a lot of interesting ideas presented at this year’s MODEX material handling show in Atlanta, involving everything from getting behind the wheel of forklift operation simulators to collaborative robots (cobots) to smart glasses that can provide the wearer with visual and voice cues to help employees quickly master new job routines. And given the employee turnover issues in logistics – that last idea sounds like a winner. While the smart glasses may be a few years away from going viral, here are three ideas that run more to the mainstream.
AGVs Make the Move from Manufacturing to Warehouses
That subtitle might seem a little misleading. I am not suggesting that automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are zooming with unit loads from the production plant down the interstate to the distribution center. However, there are certainly applications where AGVs move unit loads between the two when production and distribution are located side by side.
But what is clear is that AGVs, which five years ago were more a trend in manufacturing plants, are starting to make inroads in various areas of warehousing for moving and stacking unit loads of merchandise. AGVs make the forklift operator redundant, thereby reducing warehouse labor, while improving safety and reducing product, equipment and facility damage.
Last summer I had my first up close interaction with AGVs when I visited a reusable plastic container and pallet wash plant in Sweden. As I was led onto the plant floor I was looking over my shoulder with some degree of concern as several AGVs maneuvered slowly in my vicinity with their blinking caution lights. My hosts assured me that the AGVs would not run over me. Sure enough, their sensors spotted us. They stopped, reversed and then changed course around us as they hauled unit loads of empty containers, and stacked them.
And in case you were wondering, none of the AGVs had scrapes or paint marks from having bumped into other equipment or guard rails. (I am not sure if I have ever been to a facility with forklifts without such damage.) Soon I developed a comfort level, and if the tour had lasted longer, I had a hunch the AGVs might have asked me to join them for a beer after work. It didn’t happen, but I’m pretty sure there was that possibility.
AGVs don’t move fast (think about 10 or 15 pallet moves per hour) but they are steady, reliable, and don’t take sick days. They mostly are limited to indoor use, and require debris-free floors, stable loads and consistent pallets. They are not as adept as a human operator in adapting to a non-conforming pallet. Given that most distribution centers already require pallet conformity for racking storage and other material handling requirements, it will just be one more reason to insist on pallet conformity.
Will AGVs ever make sense for pallet companies? As they are presently offered, they are used mainly indoors on debris-free floors, so perhaps they would work for new pallet production. But this is a long way off. Regardless, pallet companies need to know that AGVs are becoming a bigger concern for customers, which will drive focus on quality and uniformity of pallets.
Invest to Boost Productivity of Old and Out of Shape Employees
The American workforce is getting older, and one-third of it is obese, according to statistics presented by Jim Galante of Southworth Products. He spoke with Susie Elkins of Millwood in a presentation entitled “Out of Shape and Getting Older…Your Workforce Needs Help!” The session focused on ergonomics equipment that could provide relief to employees as well as to the productivity goals of employers.
The workforce is greying. The average age of a worker in the United States today is over 46 years old, versus 28 years old in 1972, Galante noted. According to the American Association of Retired People, the number of people 55 years and older in the labor force was about 18.2 million in 2000. It rose to 25.2 million this year, and it is projected to rise to 32 million by 2025.
And obesity is a fact of life for 34.9% of adult Americans. The annual medical cost of obesity was $147 billion; the individual medical costs are $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
Given the challenges, Elkins presented a range of solutions that hold the potential to make work easier. Many of the technologies are well known to the pallet industry such as lift assist technologies (cranes or vacuum assist lift) tilters and lifting technologies such as rising tables.
Other interesting recommendations included workstation height that can be adjusted to suit the worker, and bench surfaces that perhaps include rollers or conveyors that can facilitate the handling of heavier items. Another key is to design workstations that minimize travel time. Productivity is enhanced when as many materials and tools as possible are within easy reach of the worker.
A periodic review of ergonomics is not only mandatory, it is a good opportunity to identify needless bending, reaching and other awkward postures that could lead to injury or hurt productivity. The payback may be attractive for investing in equipment that can help keep those older employees on the job.
Bringing Warehouse Automation to Legacy Warehouses
Warehouse automation used to be associated with new warehouse construction, but increasingly, automation can be installed in older facilities, and without the need to install elaborate structural racking systems or miles and miles of conveyors.
Distribution centers are looking to increase their storage capacity and handle more and more SKUs thanks to e-commerce and other growth drivers. Also, there is a lack of available warehousing capacity for warehouses to move. Additionally, because many distribution centers are leased, it is difficult to expand the footprint of those facilities.
Of course, there is a list of other drivers for considering automation, such as improved productivity, better inventory visibility, addressing labor shortages, and health and safety considerations.
Such needs open the door for robotic warehouse automation solutions that can be retrofitted into existing facilities, including those offered by Hattleland (AutoStore) and Cimcorp. The Cimcorp solution (3D Shuttle) involves a robotic gantry crane for picking up and placing individual containers or layers of products. Utilizing robotic palletization, Cimcorp says that it is quite flexible in terms of pallet requirements.
That’s all for now. There were a lot of interesting things about MODEX 2016. I’m just looking forward to 2018. I’ll be curious to see how things are progressing with those smart glasses.
