Market fluctuations are evident and as the backbone of any business, warehouses must keep up with the continuous shifts. However, manually managing warehousing facilities with ongoing demand variations can be a daunting task. Automated workflows are an intelligent decision for efficient order fulfilment and sustainable stability.
Rising pressure on companies to fill, ship, and deliver orders faster has led to faster automation adoption. It effectively reduces overhead costs while maintaining quality and increasing productivity. Automation is crucial to get more process fluidity, better product quality, improved safety and easily repeatable workflows to bring down unnecessary costs.
Bastian Solutions approach to clients
As an independent system integrator, Bastian Solutions (www.bastiansolutions.com) works with leading technology providers to combine the powers of scalable material handling systems, innovative software and custom automation engineering for complete, unique solutions. As part of Toyota Advanced Logistics, their goal is to provide best-in-class supply chain and warehousing automation technologies, with a single source for intra-logistics solutions and network support globally.
E-commerce, retail and automotive companies are moving towards omnichannel distribution to meet the growing same-day or next-day delivery demand and this adds throughput rate efficiency focus to the distribution centre’s quality management. To stay ahead of the competitors, they’ve helped clients integrate various technologies and software, within their budgets and project timelines, to reform and streamline their distribution centres for successful order fulfilment operations. Some of the systems that their 120+ customers in India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia are using include:
Goods to Person Solutions: Products are stored within the system and automatically transported directly to the operator as needed for picking, reducing travel time.
- Ideal for ergonomic picking
- 40-60% reduction of space
- Produces a smaller footprint and uses less space
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs): Designed to transport carts carrying a variety of payloads around manufacturing and distribution facilities.
- Easy and fast installation with little to no facility modifications
- Deployable between multiple tasks and locations, adaptable to demand change
- Improves safety, increases consistency, reduces labor, and lowers operation costs
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS): With ASRS including unit load, mini-load gets accurate, real-time data is kept on the inventory – eliminating the need for physical inventory inspections and always providing direct access to items.
- Real time inventory control with instant reports
- Special loads such as long or bulky materials, freezer and hazardous material applications
- High density storage rack systems while maintaining selectivity
Picking Technologies: These are order fulfilment and replenishment technologies that includes voice, pick to light, put wall, put to light or goods to person solutions to help increase efficiency, reduce picking errors and improve customer service.
- 99.5%+ accuracy levels
- Real time visibility with increased order efficiency and accuracy
- Ergonomic workstations at one or both ends of the system
Conveyor and Sortation Systems: To increase throughput and more efficient product handling, these systems will replace manual picking and transport processes creating a more consistent, ergonomic and organized operation.
- Intelligent product movement and careful handling keeps products safe, buffered, and reduce product loss
- Secure inventory routing and handling with inventory tracking through integrated warehouse execution system.
