JOURNEY TO
AUTOMATION
QwestfaliA:
Your journey to automation
A
quest is defined as an act or instance of seeking; or a
chivalrous enterprise in medieval romance, usually
involving an adventurous journey. The basic plots of a
quest include: the call, the journey, the arrival, the final ordeal
and the goal. Each of these plots can be directly related back to
ones “quest” for automation. With this idea in mind, below are
some common questions to ask on your journey to automation,
as well as the answers to help guide you along the way. common method of calculating ROI. This is the time required
for the amount invested in an asset to be repaid, or balanced
out, by the net cash flow generated by the system—investments
with shorter payback periods are typically considered better
investments. By calculating the ROI of an automated system
using cash flow projections and capital budgeting forecasts,
you will be able to see the abundant benefits to your warehouse
production.
Q: What needs to be considered before imple-
menting an AS/RS and a layer picking system? Q: What are the features and benefits of
implementing warehouse execution
system software?
A: It’s simple to decide whether an AS/RS is the right in-
vestment by taking the following three-fold approach. First,
perform an analysis of the warehousing system’s existing design
and framework. Then, examine some basic, yet key, criteria to
determine if the operation is suited for automation technology.
And, finally, justify the basic cost for such a system by demon-
strating its overall benefits.
Q: How do you predict the ROI for an AS/RS
project?
A: While there are several financial tools commonly used to
justify capital expenditures, the payback method is the most
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The Satellite Review
A: A warehouse execution system (WES) is one of the
chief technologies making waves in efforts to reduce,
if not prevent, recalls, through sophisticated track-
and-trace capabilities. Further, integrating a WES into a
manufacturer’s supply chain management is the key to
tracking and tracing products end to end, from production
to point of sale. This allows manufacturers to respond
to problems within the production process more quickly,
ensure that they are meeting regulation
standards, and adjust
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