Industrial Automation Magazine India

Bots will play a key role, co-existing with manpower to handle peak volumes

Published on : Wednesday 25-09-2019

Material handling, together with logistics and warehousing, provides the framework for an effective supply chain that forms a critical component of manufacturing activity. In plant material handling has been undergoing automation for years now and has presently become highly autonomous, and integrated with the supply chain.

Evolution is at a stage when Automation, Digitisation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Processing Capacities, Data Speeds, etc., are converging to create possibilities of the future in the present. Darwin’s theory of evolution, will apply here also and while a plethora of applications, solutions and products will emerge only the fittest and those which are able to adopt to solving the needs on the shop floor will survive and will go through mutations to become the most relevant and suitable for the job in hand. And may it be noted that the needs of a manufacturing plant and warehousing although similar looking to a novice are quite apart. These responses are focussed on warehouses/Distribution Centres/Fulfilment Centres.

- Prasad S R Akshintala

Smart forklifts, AGVs, autonomous mobile robots – what are the news trends in material handling?

The change in macroeconomic environment with the seamless adoption of GST has resulted in more and more companies relooking at network optimisation and consolidating into fewer and larger warehouses. The pressure on space cost has also triggered adoption of larger warehouses where utilisation of the cube becomes mission critical for the ability to manage payback thereby resulting in adoption of vertical storage. The spiralling cost of skilled manpower and challenges of training and availability has triggered the usage of smarter MHEs like smart forklifts, AGV’s , Autonomous Mobile Robots, Cobots, etc., where the late entrants and the newer openings could catapult themselves to the next level of efficiencies. Intelligent adoptions in existing shop floors are being given a fair trial for possibilities of usage.

What should be the ideal mix for efficient in-plant material handling?

Conveyors with better capabilities of diversion, speeds with lesser maintenance and noise levels along with complete visibility will continue to be a preferred choice in operations having adequate volumes. On the contrary, Bots will play a key role in co-existing with manpower to handle peak volumes. They will also play a key role in quick start of smaller operations demanding efficiencies coupled with service levels

The traditional warehouse is being transformed dramatically – what are the implications and lessons here?

As warehouses handle the ability to receive, validate, store, retrieve, process and dispatch large volumes with speed and efficiency, one will start adopting more and more automation. Future Supply Chain’s mother distribution centre built for Future Group at MIHAN Nagpur is a case in point. The DC is designed to handle over 300 million ‘eaches’ a year and has in phases adopted inbound automation wherein stocks from vendors are unloaded directly on telescopic boom conveyors. Based on the scan data, system intelligently diverts stocks to appropriate locations at multiple levels and zones across the warehouse while getting weighed and dimensioned at a case level dynamically. Every SKU is diverted for QC ensuring a complete audit trail, coupled with Put-To-Light Sortation System and one of the most advanced cross belt sorter which helps sort stocks to numerous stores. These cartons are sorted to routes using a case sorter and further loaded using integrated outbound automation having telescopic boom conveyors with scanners that ensure efficient and error free operations. A strong IT backbone which integrates multiple WCS’s with WMS helps manage the entire operation.

How is the Supply Chain Process impacted by digital transformation?

Digitisation is making its inroads into various supply chain processes. Program Management Software helps keep an end to end track of various projects and initiatives of the organisation. FSC manages all its projects using a PMS that gives complete visibility leading to constructive collaboration and efficient execution which has added agility to its customers. Checklist Management for various DC processes is another area of digitisation that FSC has embarked upon which will add further efficiency to the operations.

Is this the right time for enterprises to outsource supply chain management to professional organisations?

Choosing a right supply chain partner who can add value to your supply chain and is not just an execution vendor can add considerable muscle to an organisation's success. Professional supply chains could be transactional and also strategic. A transactional partner executes and allows the organisation to outsource and focus on its core. A strategic partner like FSC adds value to the supply chain and help their customers embark on building a supply chain which becomes a business enabler thus allowing them to achieve their goals faster.

Warehousing in India is still in the early stages of automation barring some e-tailers. What are the barriers here?

Moving supply chain of an organisation from a cost centric focus to a business enabler function is the one barrier which organisations in the etailing and retailing segments have realised early in their life cycles and thereby adoption of automation and digitisation in their supply chains are increasing. As organisations want to achieve scale at a faster pace having a customer centric, agile partner who could infuse the right dose of automation would play an important role to the success of the organisation.

Prasad S R Akshintala is a Business Leader and Supply Chain Professional who has been associated with Supply Chain thought Leader – Future Supply Chain Solutions Ltd in multiple leadership roles before his current stint as VP & Head – Centre of Excellence wherein he leads the Solution Design, Process and Automation Design, Project Implementation and Start Up, Program Management, Process Compliance, Productivity and Innovation Initiatives for FSCSL