eCommerce warehouses have seen an explosion in demand recently, with consumer behavior pivoting greatly to online shopping. The ease of finding the exact item needed, and convenient purchasing options have made eCommerce outlets a popular platform for customers. Comparing Q3 2019 to Q3 2021 shows a whopping 45.6% increase in online sales (source), exacerbated by pandemic consumer buying behaviors. Every business wants a piece of the eCommerce pie, and many are pivoting to offer online shopping avenues, with no end to eCommerce growth in sight.

With that exponential increase in online sales, more and more warehouses are looking into eCommerce automation solutions that’ll meet expectations, reduce errors, and above all – fulfill orders rapidly. Some of the solutions used in eCommerce warehouses and DCs include:

• High output conveyance
• Quick scanning and sortation
• Automatic label print-and-apply
• Robotic picking
• Large SKU inventory solutions

Finding yourself in the same boat? With over 40 years of automation solution integration knowledge, and extensive experience designing systems for eCommerce clients, Century is acutely aware of which systems work best in an eCommerce distribution environment.

1. High output conveyance

Delivery expectations have greatly increased in recent years, primarily due to the prevalence of same or one-day shipping offerings online. Those expectations have extended to wholesaler clients, whose operations must match a competitive wholesale e-commerce landscape. Much like adjacent markets (third-party logistics, for example), automating order fulfillment is key to satisfying customers, while also offering an edge over the competition who don’t have quick shipping incentives.

A tried-and-true conveyor system is best suited for online order fulfillment. Depending on the size of the warehouse it’s installed in, and the product being transported, a conveyor system can include a variety of automation that’s designed specifically for your distribution center.

Simple and durable, a high output conveyor can achieve speeds over 50 cartons per minute and can last around 20 years (on average). Century has decades of experience with conveyor systems, and some of our largest integrations have been highly complex conveyor solutions. Here is one of our systems in action.

2. Quick scanning and sortation

The ability to rapidly and effectively sort your online orders is of paramount importance when operating an eCommerce distribution center. Even just one incorrectly sorted package can cause headaches, and with the ease of returns for consumers, it’s best to ensure the package is sent to the correct destination the first time around. Before sorting operations begin, correct scanning must take place. A scan tower is sensitive enough to capture the UPC code as it quickly passes by on the conveyor section. From there, a form of sortation diverts packages to the correct outfeeding line for loading.

• Tilt-tray

Tilt-tray sortation uses order consolidation chutes to sort items in a batch-pick environment. Cartons are scanned before being inducted onto a tilt-tray carousel, where it will sit on a moving platform until it reaches their destination chute.  The tray will tilt either left or right depending on where it’s being sorted and slide down a chute onto a conveyor to be loaded.

Tilt-tray applications are effective for high-speed sortation.

• Cross-belt

Functioning similar to the tilt-tray, cross-belt sortation differs by using bi-directional belts to divert items into destination chutes. Packages are inducted onto the cross-belt conveyor carousel and sorted accordingly. Each belt section can hold one package, but multiple belt sections can be combined and used in tandem to divert larger items.

• Narrow-belt

A series of narrow belts, each with its own take-up, span the length of the conveyor. High friction divert wheels rise between the belts, diverting product to its destination.

Narrow belts are typically used for larger, heavier packages that need heavy-duty forms of sortation. Smaller packages would not be ideal for this application, as they would fall in-between the belting segments.

• Shoe Sorter

High-speed sorter utilizing aluminum slats that have plastic shoes that slide across them to divert cartons either left or right (bi-directional) to required sort destinations.

The advantage this provides over the similar functions of the tilt-tray is that the shoe is incorporated as part of the central induction conveyor. This eliminates the need for a separate sortation application, like the aforementioned tilt-tray carousel.

• Split-tray Sorter

Sometimes also referred to as a bomb-bay sorter, dual split tray sorters have the ability to sort two smaller items within the same tray, at higher throughput speeds.

Split-tray sections have a bottom platform that opens to drop items gently into chutes, totes, or cartons below. This method is space-saving, as the item discharge area drops below vs being conveyed.

• Swivel Wheel Sorter

Swivel wheel sorters utilize a platform of omni-directional rollers to divert items quickly. When a product reaches the divert, the wheels orientate to direct the item to its destination. This sortation method works best for systems that have a conveyor junction, rather than a gradual merge or curve.

• Push-tray Sorter

A high-speed sorter with tray segments utilizing a positive divert to gently push items or polybags off the tray and slide them into a sortation chute.

Depending on the dimensions of the parcel processed, each conveyor sortation method varies slightly, and one solution may work better than another one. It’s a function of careful engineering and planning to discover which one would work best. Regardless, any conveyor sorter will far exceed manual labor.

3. Automatic label print-and-apply

Affixing identifiable tags on packages is crucial to ensuring their deliverability. Scanners and sensors across the line depend on a readable tag for it to make it to its destination. Print and apply systems do exactly that. However, there are multiple systems depending on the identification process use and where the box must be marked. Applications can roll-on, wipe over, corner wrap, air blow, and stamp labels.

The direction the box must be scanned also plays a role in a solution selection, but it will outpace manual operations regardless. Automatically printing and applying labels maintains a consistent throughput rate across your system and provides an accurate and stable method of ensuring the correct package is labeled, decreasing the number of errors, returns, and items on a recirc line.

4. Robotic picking

Automating portions of picking operations with robotics is becoming a more commonplace implementation within eCommerce DCs. As technology advances, warehouse robots grow more accessible and inexpensive, making them a viable integration for any warehouse.

The most common warehouse robots are categorized into two applications. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) and Autonomous Mobile Vehicles (AMR).

AGVs and AMRs both provide a multitude of functions, typically moving items from one area of the facility to another, absent of human interaction. The difference between the two is in the way it senses the environment. AGV’s move by using a sensor that follows a set path (typically a form of sticker or tape on the ground). AMRs move by sensing objects around them, and learning an optimal path. In this sense, both have applications that one or the other is better suited to.

The prevailing advantage of AGVs and AMRs within eCommerce is minimizing, or even eliminating completely, employee movements. Instead of picking SKUs or cartons and transporting it themselves to induction operations, a nearby fulfillment robot can make that trip itself, saving precious time for the employee. Larger AGV and AMR systems can even retrieve, store, and transport pallets, minimizing manually operated forklift units.

For an eCommerce warehouse, robots prove effective when deployed strategically and in tandem with your warehouse staff. Century can source and implement AGV and AMR systems, engineered precisely for your eCommerce fulfillment and distribution. Got a few questions? Have a chat with one of our automation experts and we’d be happy to help out.

5. Large SKU inventory solutions

With the sheer amount of items available for customers to purchase online, it’s imperative to offer every variant of an item to a customer, because if it’s not exactly to their liking or specifications, they’ll purchase from somewhere else that has it in stock. This is especially important for fashion and apparel companies, because essentially every item needs to be in multiple sizes, colors, and styles. Besides having enough warehouse space and racking to store all these items, one automated solution has gained popularity recently for streamlining the picking of massive SKU catalogs.

Shuttle Systems

A shuttle system utilizes pick robots within a racking structure. When an order is being fulfilled, the robot navigates to the compartment where the item is held, retrieves it, and brings it to the worker’s pack station or an item dispenser receptacle. If your eCommerce warehouse operates a large catalog of items (for example, a shoe company that has multiple sizes, colors, brands, etc) a shuttle system will make quick work retrieving the indicated item for order fulfillment operations. One of the most well-known systems on the market today is Autostore.

Shuttle systems are modular, meaning that the structure can be designed according to your warehouse’s specification, the project budget, and the number of items you have in your inventory. Manual picking operations can be time-consuming the more products you carry, and with customer shipping expectations, expediting that process with a shuttle system will significantly decrease order fill times.

Lean Six Sigma is a powerful methodology practice designed to optimize operations and remove waste. It was created as a response to popular kaizen practices in the 1980s and has since been a staple in the industry. Its a tried-and-true guide to leaner manufacturing and processing has been adopted and applied countless times, to the point that executives are certified with Green, Yellow, and Black belts, signifying their experience with Lean Six Sigma. If you’re an operations professional in any capacity, you’re probably very familiar with these practices. If you need a bit of a refresher, here’s a great video from Simplilearn to get up to speed.

For this article, we’ll be applying Lean Six Sigma to post-production facilities, namely warehouses and distribution centers, with automation. Out of all the process improvements you can make to your warehouse, automation provides the greatest ROI, output rate, and stability. When working through Lean Six Sigma optimizations, automation is an excellent answer to avoiding waste and following lean techniques.

For the uninitiated, Lean Six Sigma uses the acronym DOWNTIME as a guide to each optimization point.

• Defects
• Over-Production
• Waiting
• Non-Used Talent
• Transportation
• Inventory
• Motion
• Extra-Processing

Defects

A product that has received damage or does not function. Defects can manifest at multiple points in a warehouse, for example, an old conveyor section that is known to jam and cause products to knock into each other, damaging them.

Modern automation uses a variety of photo eyes, sensors, and tracking to ensure products do not get damaged during warehouse movement. With the prevalence of product returns, keeping items safe and intact should be of utmost importance.

If the systems that your warehouse uses are not the issue, it may be a case of re-thinking your packaging strategy to include more void fill, or a sturdier carton structure (if you provide order packing). Integrating case erectors, sealers, or formers can provide fast, yet stable carton handling.

Unfortunately, defects can still occur when employees handle the products. Automating and eliminating manual operations will naturally reduce the risk associated with employee product touchpoints.

Over-Production

Eliminating waste is what applying lean six sigma methods are all about, and a major source of waste occurs when excess products are created, but simply take up space as they’re not being sold. While it’s always optimal to have a safety stock available in the event that demand for that item increases, it should be a carefully measured quantity based on product reports.

Avoiding costly over-production boils down to a visibility issue. Products continue to be manufactured at a nominal rate, but sales will always fluctuate.

Implementing a WMS, or warehouse management system, will give you incredibly invaluable clarity into inventory quantities, processing rates, and demand. Using this information, you can scale production accordingly, and interfacing the WMS data you acquire from the warehouse with ERP systems can assist your planning teams to make precise forecasts and informed product decisions, reducing waste caused by unsold inventory.

Waiting

Simply put, waiting in this light refers to any amount of time that waiting occurs due to an inefficient operation. This can span from something as simple as an employee waiting for an order to be picked, to as disastrous as a complete system failure that causes all employees to stop work and wait for the error to be corrected.

Product movement in a warehouse should be a continuous and streamlined operation. Actions should be staggered in a way that employees always have something to do and are not waiting on an action to be completed further upstream.

Automation can absolutely assist in this method, as one of the main goals of utilizing automation is to eliminate idle time. Let’s take, for example, a pallet that was received and is being inducted on a conveyor line. In a manual operation, employees must locate, transport, and depalletize the items. Downstream operators are waiting for this to be completed, sitting idle. If an automatic depalletizer arm was used in conjunction with either a pallet conveyor or an ASRS (automatic storage and retrieval system), the product flow would continue, and employees will always have products to process.

Sometimes, simply eliminating manual operations isn’t enough, in which case, empowering your warehouse workers can minimize times of stagnation.

Non-Used Talent

Much like the last method, spending time, money, and resources to have an employee complete a very simple task (like folding a box or stretch wrapping all day). Of course, automation can eliminate the need for such low-skill tasks, but human interaction will always be a part of warehouse operations. Properly training and equipping employees to co-exist with automation can cultivate talented and valuable workers in an upward trajectory.

Many automation solutions (primarily pick modules) can interface with wearable employee devices for efficient warehouse operations. Employees are more engaged, stay on task, and intimately learn to work side-by-side with automation.

Wearable devices can be wrist-mounted tablets synced with a WMS or WCS, voice-to-pick headsets, scanners, and even smart glasses. But practicing this method extends past providing tech to employees. Fostering an environment where learning is encouraged, combined with ergonomic automation solutions that rely on human interaction for the most optimal operation creates hard-working employees who feel valued and fulfilled.

Transportation

This method states that unnecessary or inefficient movements of people, products, and resources adds no value, and is a detriment to overall operational excellence. Think of a worker stacking pallets in the corner of the warehouse, only to have to spend precious time retrieving it when it must be processed.

Practically every usage of automation rectifies this method. A system will take the fastest and most efficient route in a warehouse, as it’s precisely engineered and planned to do so. Even equipment like racking helps expedite drawn-out transportation processes, keeping products organized, and maximizing space.

Typically, inefficient transportation is due to a lack of available warehouse space. This causes operators to use band-aid methods to accommodate. It may be time to consider expanding, or implementing space-saving solutions, like short-aisle rack structures, shuttle systems, extendable EOL conveyors, – or an ASRS.

Inventory

Inventory explains that over-compensating for demand and storing excess products is not conducive to a lean operating process. As mentioned before in the Over-Production method, using precious storage space for products that are not selling can be a source of gradual loss.

While mostly an item planning issue, implementing automation and storage solutions can help alleviate the constant ebb and flow of product demand. Maximize warehouse space using equipment like the aforementioned narrow-aisle rack, ASRS, or shuttle systems.

Regaining control of inventory so that items are always moving is a combination of having capable solutions, accurate quantity reports, and a product department that cross-tabulates with WMS reports. It cannot be understated how insightful a WMS platform is for informing forecast decisions, as the wealth of data it provides directly tells what is moving, and what is sitting stagnant and taking up space.

Motion

Much like Transportation, Motion instead focuses on the smaller movements that employees take with their tasks. Excessive motion due to an inefficient operation opens the door for lost time, errors, and safety risks. For example, imagine an employee at their pack station having to unjam an older taper machine multiple times throughout their shift.

Again, excessive motion by employees is typically due to faulty equipment or operations that must be compensated for. Retrofitting older equipment with newer solutions can help negate this but opening the lens wider to the entire layout of your warehouse can prove massively insightful in rectifying this Lean Six Sigma staple. Evaluate and re-engineer where key processing points are and decide if where newer systems can be placed or integrated to lower the amount of motion an employee makes.

Extra-Processing

This method focuses on doing excess work or using excess resources to fulfill a task. Essentially, not completing a function as lean as possible.

An example of this can be using packing products in cartons that are much too big, unused storage space, and even over-automation. For that last point, over-automation is very much possible and occurs when careful planning doesn’t take place. It’s when an automated system’s output is far greater than what the downstream warehouse operations can handle, resulting in excess product (in the case of a case erector, sealer, or former) or blockages.

Avoiding extra-processing with automation comes down to engineering a warehouse layout that is efficient and provides an increased rate of output but doesn’t produce more than operations can handle. It’s key to create practical processing rate goals and select an automation solution that works for the application. Consider the products that are being handled. A shuttle system works wonders for companies that store a large quantity of the same type of SKUs but would be overkill for a warehouse that doesn’t.

To practice this lean method, task a team of engineers, or work with an automation integrator to select an automation method that’ll fulfill all your process improvement needs, but doesn’t create an over-excess of products, resources, or work.

Lean Six Sigma is a valuable warehouse tool when automation is applied, even more so when solutions are carefully researched, engineered, and integrated. For decades, Century Systems has been innovating in the material handling industry by assembling all the pieces together in a solution that’s consistent with Lean Six Sigma methods, and your output goals.

Starting on an automation project can be difficult, and we understand this. Send us a message or give us a call and get in touch with an automation expert.

A warehouse management system, or WMS for short, is a powerful control tool that gathers various amounts of information to process tasks and prepare reports. WMS hubs offer a vast array of warehouse functions, all aggregated into an interlinked operating system. The main goal of a WMS is to monitor and manage warehouse operations involved in the movement of products and packages.

A few examples of popular WMS solutions include:

SAP

Softeon

Korber HighJump

Oracle NetSuite WMS

3PL Central

Each solution varies slightly based on the provider, but generally, all offer some form of the solutions outlined in this article.

Century Systems has experience in integrating WMS solutions, and we’re acutely aware of the exponential benefits a WMS can provide. Here’s 15 functions a warehouse management system can use to efficiently transform your warehouse operation.

1. Error Reporting

A critical component of any operation is the ability to quickly identify and correct errors that occur, whether it be a simple box jam, or a system failure that requires a diagnosis. Errors will typically be displayed as emergency notifications on your user interface and navigated to the message will detail the error code and the location of the offending system.

2. System Integration

Maintaining visibility and control of your integrated automation systems is important to manage a successful WMS. WCS or warehouse control systems are software applications created by automation solution manufacturers to offer expanded functionality. WCS’ are designed to integrate seamlessly into your WMS, in turn, both sharing information, and configuration.

3. Inventory Visibility

Knowing the explicit details of every SKU, pallet, carton, or order and exactly where they are located is a powerful tool to implement. A WMS will log scan touchpoints, tracking every movement and the associated operator the product interacts with. Having this information ensures no products get lost, and that processing timelines are accurate and detailed.

4. System Statistics

Monitoring the status of each of your systems is vital to keeping a warehouse operation running smoothly. Typically a feature with a WCS solution, this view displays system output rates (CPM, LPH), faults, logged actions, and much more.

A system may display statistics such as:

• Number of cartons inducted
• Number of cartons scanned
• Number of cartons recirculated
• Number of cartons where the bar code could not be read
• The TCP/IP address of the machine
• A timestamp showing when the application was last started
• The number of carton records (bar codes) in memory

5. Settings Configuration

Along with receiving solution stats, many automation systems offer settings that can be fine-tuned for a variety of handling applications. Whether it be adjusting the output rate or turning off functions, every solution has a variety of manufacturer-specific settings to toggle.

Keep in mind, care should be practiced when changing these settings. Typically, the manufacturer or an engineer should be consulted, as adjustments can impact downstream operations greatly.

6. Product/Carton Tracking

Ever lose a product within the warehouse? A WMS makes sure that every single item, carton, or pallet is accounted for, and if something is misplaced, that it can be corrected by following the scan touchpoint history.

While an unfortunately common issue, losing items within a warehouse can be a recurring disaster that can take hours to resolve without a well-tracked WMS.

7. Benchmarking and Key Performance Indicators

For continuous improvement, warehouse performance goals can be created and data aggregated for analytic purposes. Observing this data on a daily basis helps scrutinize where corrections can be made, and a variety of statistics can be recorded and viewed.

8. Productivity Reporting

Productivity reports give you a way to gauge how productive your systems have been during a certain timeframe. You can enter a begin date and time, end date and time, and a system. The reports will display information, such as:

• Number of items inducted on
• Number of items diverted off
• Number of bar codes that could not be read
• Number of times items had to be recirculated
• Average number of products per day
• Maximum number of products per day

9. SKU Management

A WMS can store all relevant SKU information in a library, for thousands of products. An inventory analyst, purchasing, or demand planner can use this information for real-time product visibility. The ability to monitor the daily movement of products speaks volumes about the usefulness of such a function and is essential for a company the handles a large portfolio of SKUs, like a wholesaler or a distributor.

10. Order Manifest

A WMS can retrieve specific order information as soon as a confirmation is made, providing all pertinent processing data to packing operators. Each scan point within the warehouse will be logged into the tracking for the package, and additional WCS systems (like a print-and-apply) can tap into order information to expand functionality and increase automation.

Orders will be recorded in a history view, and can be accessed at any point when needed. This provides valuable reverse-logistics data when a return happens, or for automatic re-ordering of items on a continuous subscription routine.

11. Stock Level and Replenishment

Accurate replenishment reporting is vital in keeping product stock flow consistent and scalable. WMS’ can be configured to send alerts at certain stock level intervals, automatically re-order items, and develop a replenishment routine timeline according to current demand.

12. Picking

Empowering warehouse associates with powerful WMS tools extends to item picking. A WMS will give them exact coordinates to item locations, quantity, packing and shipping information, and more, either at a terminal or with a handheld device running the WMS operating system.     

If interfacing with WCS picking modules, employees can instruct automated systems to retrieve an item, carton, or pallet- all from their WMS-enabled device. This enables faster, more efficient picking operations.

13. Invoicing

Financial reports, invoicing, and general accounting information can be implemented with an ERP (enterprise resource planning). Having this information avoids EOL headaches with fees, and increases visibility into budget allocated towards product transportation.

14. Scheduling

The reporting and demand information acquired from a WMS can be used to direct scheduling for incoming product cycles or operation developments. Integrating the WMS information with an ERP can cultivate accurate forecasting, making inbound and outbound scheduling more potent.

15. Transportation

Interfacing with a transport management system (also known as TMS) provides insight into external operations once the product leaves the warehouse. A TMS provides freight management tools, transportation details, reports, and route information. While not required to implement a WMS, a TMS provides expanded visibility into shipping and delivery, creating opportunities for continuous improvement. Many 3PLs and carriers offer a TMS system that can easily integrate into a WMS.

A WMS is a valuable tool, and any warehouse expecting growth should consider implementing such a capable and dynamic platform. Its Swiss-army-knife set of options, simple usage, and adaptable nature make it a must-have for any fast-moving warehouse.