The internet of things has changed the manner in which many industries operate. E-commerce warehouses are way different from the traditional warehouses whose floors were populated by large pallets, several machines such as carts, pick and place assistance machines and a few employees. Orders used to be taken care of later during the packing out hours.
Modern warehouses are striving to bring solutions to the problems arising from traditional warehouses such as delayed completion of orders and over-reliability on single-purpose pick and place device. An E-commerce warehouse has plenty of small orders that must be fulfilled within very limited timelines. Therefore, warehouse investors who want to change the old order have no choice but to embrace helpful technologies that will enable them to process the many orders in the shortest time possible.
How Collaborative Robots Are Used In E-commerce
#Automated Picking
There has been an upsurge in e-commerce. The clients have very high expectations that their orders will be fulfilled in the shortest time possible. Many times, this is not possible with human laborers alone. This could be because there aren’t enough people willing to take up the repetitive warehouse tasks (fulfilling small orders) or that the available manpower is not able to deliver the expected results.
As such, and given the need to meet the clients increased expectations, many warehouses find a lasting solution in a robot.
#Automated Sorting
Sorting is another task that characterizes eCommerce warehouses. Sorting robotic arms provide a scalable solution that replaces the old sorting methods or equipment. Automated sorting is being improved further and it is possible to get sorting robots that can pick items of specific descriptions from a variety. These modern robots can narrow down to specifications such as size and weight.
#Optimization of the Time Spent On the Warehouse Processes
Many traditional warehouses use autonomous robots in their operations. Autonomous means that the bots are designed to operate independently. They are bulky and dangerous for humans, they have to operate in their own space. Things are taking a shift in E-commerce warehouses. These warehouses are adopting collaborative robots. These robots can work side by side with humans. As such, bots that are working alongside human employees characterize the floors of modern-day e-commerce warehouses. This ensures that time as a resource is optimized as the warehouse processes are quick and more improved.
As the bot is completing task ‘A’, human employees are busy on task ‘B’ and so on.
#Efficient Distribution 24/7
More is expected from e-commerce warehouses as they continue to receive a higher number of clients; all seeking efficiency and fulfilment of services. Collaborative robots can help these warehouses meet their distribution goals all through the year and especially during peak seasons. The robots also help the warehouses bridge any employees gap that might arise at any given time.
There are great benefits of investing in cobots if the increasing demand for collaborative robots is anything to go by.
#Human Worker Safety
Unlike autonomous robots, cobots are not complicated or dangerous to work around. They have special sensors that allow them to detect how close they are to a human being and to automatically adjust themselves ensuring the work environment is safe for everyone. This feature makes human employees feel comfortable while working around them.
Conclusion
Cobots are easy to work with and because of their small size, they can be accommodated in nearly all warehouses. They are more efficient in completing repetitive tasks and unlike autonomous robots, they are less costly. There are predictions that future advancements in the technology will see the development of models that can work from outside the warehouses. It if happens, then this will bring more benefits to e-commerce and warehouse distributions.
The dive into technology and innovations can only get deeper. As far as robotics technologies are concerned, human laborers can only reap more benefits from each innovation. If embraced properly, these technologies can help investors tap more from different opportunities.
The benefits of collaborative robots are real in e-commerce warehouses. What are you using for picking, placing and other repetitive applications? Try automation today, it has so many benefits.