W
arehouse operations are
as complex today as they
have ever been. In today’s
fast-paced business climate, cus-
tomers increasingly demand and
expect more from their warehouse
and distribution centers. Their
orders are more frequent, contain
a larger proliferation of SKUs and
require more custom-tailored solu-
tions. There is simply no tolerance
for delivery of a less-than-per-
fect-quality product or order
fulfillment errors—and that’s before
considering the logistics of distribu-
tion and transportation.
By integrating a high-density auto-
mated storage and retrieval system
(AS/RS) with a warehouse execu-
tion system (WES), manufacturers
can better manage their invento-
ry to obtain accurate, real-time
information on products moving
throughout the warehouse to in-
crease efficiency and decrease the
time to market for its brands.
The WES includes a tightly integrat-
ed warehouse management system
(WMS) and warehouse control
system (WCS) to help manufactur-
ers and distributors direct, control
and optimize material flow and
order fulfillment. This two-in-one
solution performs the tasks of both
systems through a single solution.
Its modular design enables com-
panies to use only the functions
needed to handle their immediate
warehousing needs—ranging from
full traceability of inventory to fully
automating the warehouse with an
AS/RS.
Streamlining Order
Fulfillment
Due to the complexity of orders and
ever-decreasing order turnaround
times, order fulfillment has become
a complicated task with no room
for errors. Automated warehouse
systems, however, allow manufac-
turers to integrate efficient order
fulfillment processes and workflows
to enhance warehouse performance
and minimize labor. The measure-
ment of success for an order fulfill-
ment process is heavily dependent
upon the design of the warehouse
and the efficiency of the picking
process.
The integration of warehouse
material handling systems with a
high-density AS/RS, greatly simpli-
fies the picking processes used to
improve order fulfillment. For ex-
ample, rather than having a person
take time to travel between various
locations to pick requested products
for an order, an AS/RS could pro-
vide a “Goods to Person” approach
to order picking.
An efficient automated process
might couple a high-density AS/RS
with other technology to system-
atically pick full pallets, layers and
cases from the inventory to fulfill a
customer order. The system ensures
that the necessary products are
available to the picker as needed,
often traveling over vast distances,
moving both horizontally and verti-
cally, in a short amount of time.
Expediting Inventory
Flow
Having to manage higher inventory
levels and greater SKU proliferation,
many warehouses are choosing to
adopt more just-in-time (JIT) order
fulfillment strategies, where or-
ders are assembled when the truck
arrives. Automation technology
provides a great mechanism to help
organizations to employ JIT strate-
www.WestfaliaUSA.com
gies. Technology allows companies
to release orders via the WES closer
to when the truck arrives for pick-
up, which directs the automation
to pick and deliver the order to the
appropriate area for loading onto
the truck.
In addition, a WES combined with
an AS/RS can help companies man-
age inventory by employing inven-
tory management practices, such as
First Expired, First Out (FEFO) or
First In, First Out (FIFO) by provid-
ing complete control over inventory
and the movement of products in
the warehouse. This helps to prevent
warehouses from storing, and more
importantly shipping, products
beyond expiration, thus reducing
product waste and safety concerns
of expired product reaching the
customer.
Maximizing Storage
Capacity
A huge obstacle to optimizing ware-
house efficiency and reducing the
costs associated with demand-based
replenishment is storage space.
Finding alternatives to house
thousands of SKUs within the least
amount of real estate is a challenge
facing many companies today. Man-
ufacturers have the opportunity to
expand their storage capacity 30-50
percent by utilizing a high-density
AS/RS as compared to the foot-
print needed within a conventional
warehouse.
Today’s supply chain is moving fast-
er than ever before. By implement-
ing warehouse automation solu-
tions, manufacturers can improve
the efficiency of their warehouse
operations—decreasing time to
market and increasing profits.
The Satellite Review
17