Checklist: What to Discover Before Your Automation Project
Six things consider as you begin your planning phase
Initiating an automation project can be daunting. You have to ask for a budget. You have to justify your ideas. Inertia and tradition are your enemies. If you find yourself staring at a blank page, intimidated by the idea of beginning to automate, you’re not alone.
As we have discussed before, there’s no reason you must automate all at once when incremental steps will serve. You can set yourself up for success and start a project with greater confidence with careful thought and planning. What does that process look like?
What not to leave out
With the need for deep planning in mind, here are six things you don’t want to neglect to consider as you start exploring an automation project.
1. Your process
By creating a process map of each operational area, you can:
- Analyze performance: how are things working now?
- Create a goal: determine where you’re trying to go and whether automation can help you.
- Look at everything through new eyes: shipping and receiving, picking, packing and putaway.
- Meet with the people who do the work every day so you can list the activities involved with each process, how much time they take and what materials they require.
Once you have everything documented, it’s time to evaluate. Where do you see bottlenecks or inefficiencies? Would automation help where you’re hurting the most?
Starting with a clear analysis of all processes identifies and clarifies your goals.
2. Your product: what are you transporting, picking, and shipping?
Your SKU profile will dictate lots of decisions about automated equipment, and you don’t want to overlook it before you get too far into the planning. There’s no sense in committing — mentally or otherwise — to a technology that doesn’t work for enough of your SKUs to make it profitable. Don’t neglect seemingly obvious questions like, does your product fit in a bin? Are you case picking or each picking? You’ll want to choose a system that’s compatible with what you’re moving and storing.
Many companies have variable loads and need to plan on systems flexible enough to make it all work together. E-commerce companies can ship everything from small envelopes to mattresses. What systems can accommodate that SKU mix? What future SKUs may enter the operation?
Read more: How to Analyze Conveyor System Loads
3. Your facility: what are its advantages? Its limitations?
The features of your physical building can determine what types of technology serve your operation best.
Do you have more space in the vertical cube than in the footprint? AS/RS systems provide high density, They make sense in facilities that have overhead space and lack horizontal space. What is your floor surface like — is it compatible with autonomous vehicles or AGVs? How much permanence does your building allow for? If you go with AGVs, would you need a flexible navigation system, or could you use inground wire? What would your navigation scheme be? How might that affect your facility?
If you’re picking, what are the limits that could make a pick-and-pass operation impractical? What goods-to-picker systems fit in your space? Do you have the floor space for a fixed conveyor system?
Finally: are you considering a facility renovation, or could you potentially relocate? These are all things to consider.
4. The operators: people are still the baseline
When you implement an automated technology, you will need trained labor for each shift.
As you plan, make sure you account for getting operators up to speed on the new equipment. Some types of automation make new-hire training easier. Pick-to-light systems, for example, feature a short learning curve for new users, which minimizes language barriers and even fits a temporary or seasonal employment model. Some other systems require training and technical skills.
Remember that when you implement automation, roles may shift. Your process map can help you see where you can move people to more creative or skilled positions. Understanding how the work will get done, by whom, will help you and your team work together toward the goal you’re trying to reach.
5. Your budget: what’s the realistic number?
How much do you want — or have — to spend on a new building or system? “Automation” is a big term that can describe a wide spectrum of technologies and costs. As you prepare a budgeting case, keep in mind that some aspects of a project will be considered CAPEX investments, but other ongoing costs, such as training or services, may be OPEX. That distinction is something your financial team will take a particular interest in.
Video: considering the total cost of ownership is key for automation ROI. Also, see our Panel Discussion on ROI for automation projects
6. The future: how might things change? Can your automated solution evolve, expand or change?
How much flexibility do you need? An AS/RS is beneficial in the right environment, but it’s not the most flexible option. Other options are more flexible, but may be slower and less space-efficient. Conveyors are very fast, but lock you into a layout that’s not easy to change. Every system has its advantages and disadvantages.
- If you anticipate expanding or drastically changing your product offering, you might be better served by automating a different process or using a more flexible technology.
- When you believe your business will expand, will the automated solution be capable of evolving alongside your business? What are its limits?
- As you consider the future use of the system, don’t forget the need for skilled maintenance. Regular upkeep is indispensable to keeping a system functional, and that usually requires a trained maintenance team, whether in-house or outsourced.
- You’ll also want to reflect on contingencies and draw up plans for them. Automated systems often yield gains in efficiency and accuracy — but everything can have downtime. How will you handle those times when the solution is out of commission?
Ultimately, automation should require you to think years in the future as you work on concepts and solutions. This will always pay off.
Clarify goals to guide the process of automating
Follow the old axiom: never automate a bad process
So it’s important to take the time to articulate what problem you’re trying to solve. A system integrator can provide feedback on all the factors listed here, as well as help you create a complete system in which everything works well together.
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Automated solutions meet the need to raise productivity while minimizing costs. Our systems and automation brochure outlines some of the equipment available and how it can take your operation where it needs to go.
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Jessica Haring