Warehouse­ Automation

Bespoke Warehouse Automation Solutions for new and existing facilities from SSI SCHAEFER. We'll help you to discover what type of automation is most suitable for your company’s needs.

2104_cuby_boohoo.tif

Automated Warehousing: The Base for Efficient Material Flow

By automating the entire warehouse system or part of the warehouse, customers can lay the foundation for more efficient in-house material flows and enhance their productivity. Today, warehouse automation is an especially important competitive factor that plays a vital role in a company’s success. SSI SCHAEFER specialises in developing tailored automation solutions that will enable your company to achieve better results. No matter your warehouse or sites size, we help to find the best solution to suit your requirements.

Customised Solutions

At SSI SCHAEFER, we are absolutely dedicated to our customers and strive to develop tailored and innovative solutions to address the challenges that you face in your business every day. Our broad spectrum of manual, partially and fully automated warehouse and logistics solutions serves to modify your warehouse system to meet your unique requirements. Combined, these solutions create a modular and integrated system. This system can be enhanced with flexible shuttle solutions, auto-guided transport, highly dynamic bag sorting systems, robot applications and customised picking systems to ensure efficient human-machine interaction.

The Advantages of an Automated Warehouse

  • Reduce labour overhead while increasing throughput capabilities.

  • Streamlined product storage while improving inventory organisation.

  • Improved warehouse safety through optimised material flows and enhanced ergonomics.

  • The ability to implement warehouse software to optimise product storage, maximise labour efficiency throughput and picking strategies.

Contact one of our Automation Experts

Would you like to learn more? Book a meeting or site visit with one of our automation experts. We can also arrange reference visits to one of our UK automated warehouses.

Contact Us Here
Warehouse Safety Training

Warehouse Automation is an Investment into the Future

As a family-run company, our approach and all of our activities are focused on the long term. This enables us to offer our customers the greatest-possible added value in connection with their investment. Warehouse automation also requires a long-term perspective and, thus, professional and detailed planning. Not only in a financial respect but also given the fact that the company defines the specific container types and articles that are processed in the warehouse for a long period of time. As an intralogistics expert, SSI SCHAEFER has extensive experience in warehouse automation. We advise customers regarding the ideal automation concept for their individual needs and with a view toward the future. Successive partial automation of the warehouse offers mid-sized companies, in particular, the means of keeping up with the incredible pace of many competitors in a globalised world. In the process, they can stabilise, consolidate and safeguard their success over the long term.

What is an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS)?

How to make material handling processes more efficient via automation

Read more
Storage and Retrieval Machine Exyz

New to Automation? Download our Guide

Our guide will help you to determine what Automated Warehouse Solution is Best for Your Application.

Download Here
Getting Started BPG Hero

Boohoo - a highly automated fashion retrofit project

Boohoo embarked on an initiative to retrofit their distribution center in Sheffield with state-of-the-art automation for intake, order processing and shipping.

Read more

Useful Warehouse Automation FAQ's

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to upgrade your current operation, there are several factors to consider when implementing a new
automated warehouse.

These include:

  • Space

This refers to the physical constraints of your facility. Should you expand to a new space or find a more efficient use for your current space?

  • Accuracy 

The accuracy of your system affects the reputation of your business. Moving to automation brings higher levels of accuracy through elements such as software guidance, picking interfaces and multiple check points.

  • Labour

In our current market, good labour is becoming harder and harder to secure. Automating brings consistency in an ever-changing labour landscape by reducing the reliance on manual labour. Furthermore, automation makes it easier to train and provides ergonomic workstations for employees.

  • Throughput

Are you currently getting enough orders out the door? Is your current system going to keep up with your mid-long term growth ambitions? Keep in mind that throughput is amplified by the end results of space, accuracy, and labour. Also, think about peak season too. Make sure your throughput is working for seasonal variances.

Regardless of what kind of system you currently have, you should approach upgrading your system by establishing
key facts. The experts from SSI SCHAEFER have put together a list of questions you should ask in order to determine the best ASRS solution for your application.

Automating warehouse systems is an important step toward enabling companies to increase the efficiency of their internal material flows and adapt to the demands of the modern market situation. While automation is becoming increasingly popular - companies invest in it for different reasons.

Reduce energy consumption

Sustainability: Automated systems contribute to sustainability by optimising resource usage, reducing energy consumption, and minimising waste through enhanced efficiency and decreased human error.

Business Reasons:

The rising costs of space and personnel driven by high logistical demand create a need for cost reduction. Automated systems can lower labour expenses and reallocate resources to other business areas. Additionally, automation improves inventory management, cutting the costs of holding excess stock and reducing the risk of stockouts.

Increased Efficiency:

Automated systems can enhance process efficiency by shortening task completion times and boosting overall productivity. This results in quicker order fulfilment and improved customer satisfaction.

Increased complexity:

As companies grow they often take on more SKU’s and larger sites. With automated systems being less prone to errors than manual processes they enhance accuracy and reduce mistakes. This leads to fewer returns and therefore lowers costs.

Scalability:

Automated systems can process large volumes of orders swiftly and accurately with little to no manual input required. This capability allows warehouses to effortlessly scale their operations to meet rising demand.

Product Dimensions

What is the size of your product? Are the products large or small? What is the length and width of the product? What is the weight of the product? The dimensions of a product are important. If units will move through your facility as individual pieces without any packaging, that matters. Or if you store your product in a cardboard box within the facility, that also matters to storage planning.

Storage Temperatures 

Do your products have to stay within a certain temperature range? If your facility handles everything from over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and CPG products, there could be a range of temperatures to track.

Are your goods fragile or dangerous?

You might be dealing with substances or products derived from hazardous materials that pose a risk to health, safety, property, or the environment when transported. Keep these items separate from other products to ensure their safe handling and storage. Automation requires the same
measures for dangerous goods.

Material Flow

Look at how your products are moving through your current warehouse. If the system relies on full pallets for fulfilment, it may require less processing. If you’re picking “singles” or cases, this might prove to be more of a challenge because each picked order requires packing.

In today's ever changing business environments - numerous businesses need to evaluate the advantages of automating their warehouses. Decision makers should reflect on their objectives for automation and determine if it justifies the expense before making any commitments. The aim of warehouse automation is to lower costs, boost inventory turnover and maximise storage efficiency, while also shortening delivery times through the use of an IT-supported warehouse management system (WMS).

A-Frame

Automated Picking

Material Handling for bins, totes and containers

Automated Handling

Pallet Racking

Automated Storage

WAMAS_Man_Dashboard_CenterLeft@0,5x.jpg

WAMAS Software Solutions

Get and Pick

Semi-Automated Picking

Pallet Racking

Semi-Automated Storage

Storage and Retrieval Machine Exyz

Warehouse­Automation

Cold Chain

Cold Storage

e-commerce

E-Commerce

Omnichannel Fulfillment Solutions Banner

Omnichannel

SSI Carrier, Logistics software WAMAS, IT, RF Picking, Radio Frequency Picking,

Reverse Logistics

Images SME Brochure

Small & Medium Enterprises

MPE Plastics case study, MRS, AGVs, PE solution

Combined Solutions

Do you have questions or remarks?