Traditional storage media such as fixed racking and shelving aren't adaptable to the changing needs of warehouse operations. Traditional warehouses struggle to adapt to changes in product mix and velocity.

Warehouse managers analyze historical sales data or future open orders on spreadsheets to identify fast-moving and slow-moving items. As much as 53% of employee time is spent searching for items and traveling within the warehouse to pick products, leading to increased labor costs and potential fulfillment errors.

Traditional warehousing operations involve case picking, but in recent years, with the explosion in e-commerce, less than full-case picking represents an increased proportion of warehouse picking activities.

Retail and e-commerce orders differ in quantity, frequency, and customer expectations. The business-to-consumer (B2C) model usually involves single unit and much more frequent picking, and operates on much more aggressive timelines when compared to business-to-business (B2B) orders. Manual processes can’t optimize both channels simultaneously, leading warehouses to operate with different fulfillment processes for each channel, which duplicates work and compromises efficiency. Manual warehouses are finding it increasingly difficult to attract skilled and engaged workers, who are reluctant to work in environments that use obsolete technology and employ inefficient processes.

Advanced technologies such as automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) allow warehousing operations to eliminate employee dead time, blend B2B and B2C fulfillment workflows, retain employees, reduce inefficiencies, increase throughput, and maximize space utilization.

How? Read on to find out.

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