Warehouse automation is the process of replacing repetitive tasks with automated systems, with the goal of eliminating labour-intensive and time-consuming duties. In the process, this frees up workers to focus on more strategic tasks. 

Tasks such as box assembly, inserting void fill, cushioning, or padding, reducing box height or sealing box lids are all things that a person might not want to spend time on, but warehouse automation can manage to do quickly, accurately and without risk of injury. 

Understanding the role of robotics in warehouse automation

Robotic warehouse automation refers to automation processes that are enabled by physical interactions with machines. Robots are ideally suited to handle dirty, dangerous, or dull work that is less desirable for humans to perform manually. Within the warehouse packaging environment, many repetitive tasks are perfectly suited for robots to take over or assist their human colleagues to dramatically improve the productivity and quality of their work.

Using warehouse automation to address labour shortages

Successful employers realise that their employees crave engaging work where they are empowered to make strategic choices. Replacing manual elements of the packaging process with workflows streamlined by automation provides opportunities to reallocate labour to higher-skill roles and to make more strategic decisions. Some of the positive impacts of automation on labour management within the warehouse include:

• Reducing turnover and allowing faster employee onboarding after turnover is experienced. Simple automation systems can minimise the time for training to a single 10-minute session.
• Increasing throughput by eliminating the most repetitive and manually intense elements of the job.
• Creating more ergonomically optimized working conditions with less stress on joints and fewer hazards within the warehouse.

What consumer trends are shaping the future of warehouse automation?

Automation systems within the warehouse and packaging environment are currently in a period of rapid technological advancement. Technology, as well as macro trends, are all important to consider when selecting the right automation solutions for a business.

• Consumer preferences for sustainable packaging.
• A focus on the aesthetics of the unboxing moment.
• Mailer packaging and the convenience of receiving smaller packages.
• Curbside recyclability of packaging materials.
• Impact on Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance metrics.

So, can warehouse automation be sustainable?

Automation systems typically accelerate already existing processes. This means that the environmental impact of automation solutions will have a lot to do with the products and materials they are interacting with, as well as the overall efficiency of the warehouse in which they operate. Concepts such as green warehousing look at the total function of the warehouse from the standpoint of environmental efficiency, where automation can play a large part.

For example, it is possible to automate a process that adds cushioning or void-fill material into a box to protect a product. In the event that the products are small, and the boxes are large and poorly fitted, automation is making a wasteful process faster. By contrast, introducing automation to measure a box against the products within it and seal it at the point of highest filling makes packaging fit better, saving space in shipment and improving sustainability.

Similarly, automation solutions that rely on materials that are not sustainable can have a detrimental impact on sustainability. An example would be a system that automates the use of plastic air pillows as void fill. The plastic from these solutions is not typically curbside recyclable and can contribute to the proliferation of microplastic pollution within the environment. By choosing automation solutions that use sustainable materials, it’s possible to improve the circularity of the packaging process instead of accelerating a polluting packaging lifecycle.