Warehouse Automation Consultants | Warehouse Automation & Robotics Specialists

Warehouse Improvements & Engineering

Storage Systems

Systems & Processes

Warehouse Productivity

Automation and robotics are transforming operations, offering practical solutions to today’s business challenges. Once seen as complex and costly, advances in sensing technology, responsive safety systems, AI, and cloud-based solutions have made automation more accessible than ever.

Technologies like goods-to-person systems, robot picking, collaborative robots (cobots), and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are now within reach for businesses of all sizes. These innovations provide greater flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, empowering companies to optimise productivity and meet growing demands with confidence.

Now is the time to explore how modern automation can drive efficiency and unlock new opportunities for your business.

Strategy and Potential Options:

Given the ever widening range of automation and potential options, it is sensible to consider your strategy, whether a phased approach or partial or full automation is the optimum solution for your operation. The strategy should take account of growth and potential future developments.

Validation of Options:

There may be a variety of potential solutions for your operation containing either partial or full automation, each with differing capex requirements and opex. The costs and benefits should be calculated for each and for the conventional option to determine the optimum solution

Tendering and Contracts:

An organised approach that determines interest and capability from potential suppliers followed by a comprehensive tender or RFP/RFQ that clearly sets out your requirements and performance expectations generally work best. When you have identified your preferred partner, the contract needs to be agreed and the detail worked out and agreed. This should include the performance criteria and the testing schedule to demonstrate that it is delivered as well as the usual programme and payment terms. It is best to use an engineering contract rather than a construction form. Any requirement for maintenance and support should be identified and agreed at this stage.

FDS and FAT:

Successful automated projects depend on getting the functionality to support your operation. It is very important that the functional design specifications (FDS) for the automation cover the setup and configurations you require and that the acceptance tests (FAT) are thorough.

Implementation:

While the system is being delivered the planning for takeover, occupancy, training and go live and run up should be developed and any operational support identified. The project is not complete until you are in a steady state operation.

A Holistic Approach To Supply Chain Optimisation

These components need to be considered holistically and not as an individual entity. if you do not the result will almost guarantee a sub optimal supply chain entailing hidden costs with a lack of visibility and total understanding within the various components of the business.

The aim should be to reduce complexity and drive growth whilst being flexible enough to be able to adapt to change influenced by customers, economics or technology.

LPC draws on its detailed knowledge of the individual supply chain components to build up an accurate picture of cumulative costs and service level implications.