One of the keys to running a successful e-commerce business is the ability to capitalize on the latest trends or seasonal swings and get orders into the hands of customers quickly. For many online retailers, that can present a problem: attracting and retaining qualified workers is difficult in this economy, and seasonal employees often face a steep learning curve that can create a backlog in fulfillment operations.
So while most people are packing for a summer getaway or planning a Fourth of July cookout, warehouse managers are already preoccupied with staffing up for November and December. Fortunately, there is a solution.
Investing in Robotics and Automation
Adding a robotics system to your warehouse can help make your e-commerce order fulfillment operations run faster and more efficiently while keeping your valuable employees from getting burned out by repetitive tasks. And it’s quicker and easier than you might think.
Automated warehouse robots work with your existing staff, traveling the warehouse floor along flexible routes that are continually optimized, which reduces pick time and increases picking accuracy to a rate of 99.9%. And it’s not just picking: an AI-driven robotics system from inVia can handle cycle counting, replenishment, sorting and returns — all within your existing warehouse layout.
Need extra help ahead of peak season? With the Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, you pay for the services the robots provide, not the robots themselves. So, you can easily have additional order picking robots added to your warehouse. They can be up and running over a weekend, giving you the flexibility to increase throughput as needed during the busiest time of the year.
Another important advantage of automated picking systems is the ability to operate essentially “lights out.” That means you can run them during off hours, such as overnight or on weekends, picking totes with all the items necessary to fulfill orders when the next workday begins. And when all those orders are boxed up and on their way, the robots return the totes to the proper locations in the warehouse so they’re ready and waiting for the next round of orders.
Why Does it Matter?
Instead of getting up before dawn or coming in on weekends to make sure everything is running smoothly, wouldn’t it be nice to reclaim that time and do something else — even if that something else is getting a good night’s sleep?
At the end of the day, automation provides more than just speed and efficiency. It provides peace of mind.