What if you could lower your warehouse human resource expenses by nearly half, add 24 hour shifts that significantly boost your production capacity and have access to troves of live metrics on every aspect of your facility? Warehouse robotics systems can help you redefine your business, lowering costs, boosting productivity and amplifying performance.

Types of Warehouse Robots

Although a few of warehouse robotics systems have been around for decades, others are bleeding edge engineering marvels that may disrupt the warehousing and distribution industry as we know it. The main categories of robotics system are:

Articulated Robotic Arms: Robotic arms with multiple joints can lift and move items in a warehouse. They're often used for receiving tasks, like relocating goods from pallets to shelving, or in production settings, for picking, packing and shipping.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Unmanned aerial vehicles, conventionally referred to as drones, can provide live inventory data in a facility by using RFID technology.

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) : AS/RS can retrieve inventory from racks and put items in their appropriate storage slots. Examples of AS/RS solutions are pallet shuttle systems, unit load cranes and horizontal or vertical carousel systems.

Goods-to-Person technology (G2P): In place of using humans to pick items from storage locations, G2P systems use robots to dispense items to picking stations, where employees are positioned to complete orders as products are delivered.

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) : AGVs, like self-driving pallet jacks, forklift or carts, move inventory from one location to another inside a warehouse. Cart based AGVs are sometimes called AGCs, or Automatic Guided Carts.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) : Similar to AGVs and AGCs, Autonomous Mobile Robots can transport goods throughout a facility autonomously. In contrast to AGCs and AGVs, which move along stationary paths often guided by magnetic strips or wire tracks, AMRs make use of cameras, maps and sensors to negotiate non-static routes by evaluating their surroundings.

Applications For Warehouse Robots

For many years, robotic applications in distribution centers and warehouses, warehouses and distribution centers were restricted to a handful of functions. As technology has advanced, robotic capabilities have broadened and they can now be used for nearly any requirement in a warehouse:

Loading and unloading: While full automation of unloading and loading trailers is not yet a reality, automated systems like conveyors and AGVs can be added to augment your loading dock operations.

Palletizing and de-palletizing: Robotic systems are ideal for tedious, repetitive functions like palletizing. Palletizing robots normally make use of a special End-of-Arm Tool to collect units and position them on a pallet. They're commonly used in combination with conveyors that supply items to the palletizing area.

Sorting: Robotic sortation systems must have the ability to select items, recognize them and place them in an appropriate bin or storage slot. As goods move along a conveyor, these robots use cameras to track individual items and select them.

Picking: A considerable portion of the labor expenses in a warehouse come from picking activities, and robotic picking technologies have been around for decades to help tackle this concern. However, contemporary robotic picking technologies offer increased speed, improved accuracy, enhanced efficiency and superior value versus systems of even a few years ago.

Packaging: Robotic solutions are well suited for recurrent and monotonous tasks like packaging. They can also be put to use for more advanced jobs like weighing, dimensioning and cartonizing.

Transportation: Robotic transportation systems are widely used in warehouses, from simple AGVs / AGCs to AMRs and conveyor systems that are integrated with AS/RS.

Storage: AS/RS systems include several categories of warehouse robots, including cranes, pallet shuttles and mini-load systems. AS/RS is also sometimes used in combination with mobile racking systems to make the most of space utilization.

Delivery: Large e-com businesses are testing self-driving trucks, autonomous delivery drones and other technologies that will fundamentally change last mile delivery options in the next decade.

Replenishment: Using RFID to monitor inventory, warehouse drones can scan barcode labels up to 50% faster than manual scanning and communicate inventory information back to the WMS in real time.

Industrial Robotics Companies Near Me

To find out more about industrial robotic solutions for your operation, get in touch with an automation expert at Handling Systems Inc today!

Raymond's Reno / Sparks service operation includes all of Western Nevada, including Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Minden, Gardnerville, Incline Village, Virginia City, Indian Hills, Johnson Lane, Fernley, Fallon, Dayton, Silver Springs, Spanish Springs, Yerington, Genoa and Zephyr Cove.

Raymond West | Reno / Sparks Material Handling Equipment Supplier

975 Terminal Way
Reno, NV 89502
(775) 356-8383