Andrew Jackson, North America business development manager with AutoStore, details the right and the wrong way to automate a modern-day warehouse.

COVID-19 caused many warehouses to scramble to adopt automated systems in response to an abrupt drop-off in human labor. Jackson calls that approach a “reactionary” mistake, focusing solely on the issue of manpower.

Today, warehouses can learn from that experience and take a more measured approach to automation, he says. It’s a question of choosing systems that make operations more resilient, by minimizing downtime caused by any number of disruptions. 

Organizations are rightly worried about not having enough labor to do the job, Jackson says, but that shouldn’t be the only driver behind automation. “Reliability is actually not a second chair,” he says. “It should be in the driver’s seat along with that.”

A properly conducted automation initiative begins with a clear and detailed problem statement, Jackson says. Organizations need to define the challenge they’re facing. And multiple individuals should be involved in the decision, from managers on the warehouse floor to those in the executive suite — “everyone in the ground game.” 

A chief concern should be the need for relocating and reskilling workers whose jobs are targeted for automation. Jackson challenges the assumption that “robots are coming to take our jobs. It’s just simply not the case.” Robots are complementary to humans, even if the latter are performing different tasks than before — perhaps carrying out safety protocols, or learning how to maintain and repair the equipment.

Cost is always a concern, but automation should be considered a long-term source of cost-cutting, notwithstanding the necessary upfront investment. And the cost equation needs to extend beyond labor to include such elements as real estate, energy, packaging, and even the price of cardboard. “Let us look at the problem holistically,” Jackson advises.