A ccording to a study produced by FMI , perimeter items in grocery stores are growing in popularity among shoppers . Growth in the perimeter is 2.1 times greater than other areas of the store , largely due to an increase in consumers who embrace health and wellness .
This consumer demand places even more pressure on fresh food supply chains to transparently deliver food fast , and with the highest quality . For this reason , grocery warehouses are increasing their investments in automation to assist with food quality control , compliance and specialized needs .
However , these warehouses often face challenges when multiple types of automation ( sortation equipment , AS / RS , conveyors , layer pickers and robotics ) are used together , causing potential conflict with one other if not properly integrated .
Customer Preferences for Automation
Many fresh food companies currently rely on some sort of software application to help manage their inventories , whether it be a warehouse management system ( WMS ), enterprise resource planning ( ERP ) solution or something homegrown . Yet , these applications are often inflexible , and moreover , do not easily interface with equipment control systems , material handling components and labor force . In a time when order accuracy , traceability , speed and cost savings are of utmost importance , the fresh food industry is realizing the need for a more robust solution , like a warehouse execution system ( WES ).
Fairly new , but quickly catching on across industries , a WES is a software application that combines the functionality of a WMS with that of a warehouse control system ( WCS ) into a single , solution . Essentially , a WES provides the inventory management , storage optimization and traceability features of a WMS , and the automation control components of a WCS into a single , integrated application .
A WES is able to receive and track product , as it marries inventory to customer orders . When orders are received , the WES breaks them into logical units of work and then directs material handling equipment and / or manual labor to execute the work . This “ two-in-one ” solution drastically reduces the complexity of utilizing several different “ function-specific ” applications and simplifies the entire warehousing operation .
For fresh food , a key benefit of a WES is its flexibility . The solution can easily integrate with other systems and warehousing equipment , regardless of the amount of automation . In fact , automated systems are not required to use a WES . You can start by utilizing the WMS functionality , and then activate the WCS functionality when needed . This allows operators to familiarize themselves with one user interface , thereby reducing training time and expediting system start-up , if new equipment or automation is introduced as the business grows .
A WES ’ flexibility also allows fresh food chains to better allocate resources , equipment and labor . This is vital , since many do not have the warehouse size to match their production and must operate within the confines of a smaller space . With real-time visibility into their equipment , inventory levels , order profiles and SKUs , operators can quickly shift priorities if equipment goes down or if there is a bottleneck in a certain area . They can also be proactive in anticipating bottlenecks and production shortages , rather than reacting to these situations .
For example , if workers find that they are short a particular SKU during load out , they can easily look into the system and see how quickly they can get that SKU . Then , they can reallocate resources to the appropriate area . They can also often send the product directly from production to load out for that particular order .
Automation technology is not needed to take advantage of a WES . Even if you are still using manual labor , the systems streamline worker productivity by presenting the tasks to the operator in a very succinct , meaningful manner . As a result , order fulfillment is more accurate — the right products go out the door to the right customer at the right time . Plus , the systems ’ traceability functions ensure FEFO ( first expired , first out ) is followed .
Outlook for Future Developments
Today ’ s supply chain is moving faster than ever before . As the fresh food supply chain continues to grow and become more complex , automation can relieve some of the growing pains . In addition to reducing the overall footprint and cube , which can lead to building cost reductions , AS / RS technologies offer many long-term benefits including increased productivity , enhanced inventory accuracy and control , and reduced energy costs .
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