The material handling industry is experiencing an influx of innovations that promise to revolutionize the modern warehouse. As warehouse professionals, it is up to us to determine whether technologies such as conveyors and robots can meet our business objectives.
The industry has experienced various technological developments over the decades, with some becoming popular and others fading away. In recent years, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have surged into the marketplace.
Mobile robots can address a broad range of applications and may overlap with more traditional technologies. This overlap may lead operators to the question “How do conventional technologies like conveyors still provide value within the modern warehouse?”
Let’s explore how existing conveyors compare with mobile robots.
Are conveyors still a viable part of warehouse automation?
Throughout history, humans have consistently devised ways to transport goods from one location to another. Modern conveyors have been used in some form for more than 230 years.
Things really started to pick up during the Industrial Revolution with Henry Ford famously using conveyors to boost productivity on his assembly lines.
Today, modern conveyors have evolved into the workhorse of the modern intralogistics supply chain, moving huge quantities of all kinds of items. These systems can move materials as small as a single grain of rice to massive amounts of earth and rock in the mining industry.
Advantages of conveyors
In intralogistics, conveyors can handle various package types including polybags, cartons, totes, trash, etc. Conveyors have evolved from simply transporting materials to providing sortation to support business processes.
One major advantage of conveyors is the variety of modules that have been developed for them. Over the past century or so, a staggering amount of research and development that has been devoted to them. Even today, conveyors are still reliable, fast, and well-established in the materials handling industry.
Hence, conveyor systems are widely used to reliably connect the different parts of factories, warehouses, and distribution and fulfillment centers. These systems can provide more throughput and route packages more reliably to other operations than any other technology.
Disadvantages of conveyors
Some of the biggest drawbacks to conveyor-based systems are space and flexibility. The conveyor and all support structures required to keep it in place can eat up space quickly.
In addition, conveyors must be bolted in place, making their layout fixed. New product flows or processes may require significant effort, which can be challenging in today’s dynamic material handling environments.
Mobile robots can expand the reach of transport and sortation
Let’s take a closer look at what mobile robots can do for industry. Specifically, AMRs are robots that can navigate their surroundings and handle tasks without the need for human intervention.
Advantages of AMRs
Unlike more traditional AGVs, AMRs do not require pre-defined tracks. Instead, they use a combination of real-time sensors, mapping technologies such as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), and artificial intelligence to move around a facility in a more dynamic and flexible way.
With these advanced technologies, AMRs expand the possible applications for automation and bring significant benefits to various industries.
One of the biggest advantages of an AMR fleet over a traditional conveyor solution is flexibility. Unlike conveyors and AGVs, AMRs do not require tracks or large amounts of fixed equipment.
An AMR can move freely through a large open space, allowing customers to move products throughout the building fewer restrictions. With obstacle detection and avoidance, such robots can also interact in spaces with people in them. There’s no need for safety fencing or fixed travel paths.
Another key benefit of AMRs is scalability. With such systems, you can start with a single robot and simply add more to increase productivity. This allows customers to get into a system with a lower entry cost, which makes it a suitable choice for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that want to automate their operations without breaking the bank.
Disadvantages of mobile robots
Like any technology, there are limitations to AMRs and how they can be implemented. One disadvantage is instant speed for high-volume, low-mix applications, where throughput can be less with fixed conveyors. While you can scale a system with multiple robots, there is a limit to how much volume can be taken away or delivered to a specific point.
Another concern is that some AMR features are still being proven. While mobile robots and related software have shown in recent years that they can be reliable, in many cases, we do not have enough examples of a specific application. Customers may feel they are truly getting into cutting-edge technology developments with the experience of iterative testing.
AMRs also have an ongoing cost beyond the initial purchase price. Lucas Systems estimates that the annual cost for maintenance for an AMR is 20% of the capital cost. Batteries will need to be replaced around the five-year mark, which can be a significant cost depending on the fleet’s size.
Warehouse operators must also consider other expenses, such as software updates, system reconfigurations, and training.
Find the right balance of traditional vs. modern warehouse technologies
In conclusion, when comparing traditional conveyor systems to AMRs, it’s important to consider the specific needs and objectives of your warehouse operations. While traditional conveyors provide reliability and efficiency for certain applications, AMRs offer flexibility and adaptability to dynamic warehouse environments.
Ultimately, a hybrid approach that combines the strengths of both technologies may offer the most comprehensive solution for optimizing productivity and efficiency in warehouse operations. By integrating these advancements, you can stay up to date and improve your warehouse operations while keeping your business running smoothly. Finding the right material handling solutions can significantly improve the efficiency of your warehouse operations.
Daifuku Intralogistics America offers a wide range of products and technologies that can be combined to create advanced systems tailored to your business needs. We are committed to helping you achieve next-generation warehouse solutions that can drive growth and success for your business.