COVER STORY continued
system (WCS). the order packer’s TODD Account Manager, AdvanceDE VRIES Food and hands, and makBeverage ments and ing it a linear and Retrotech What is the impact of increased intuitive process. www.retrotech.com omnichannel and e-commerce popularity in This provides on the food and beverage ware- omnichannel order fulfillment house or DC? and e-commerce are putting presefficiency, as well as a positive Popularity for online purchases sure on warehouses and DCs to be consumer experience. of food and beverage products is even more precise with their ability For store fulfillment operations, significantly on the rise. Even if the to fulfill small, complex orders. As automation can have a major purchase is created online without consumers lean on e-commerce influence on not only the pick-andany delivery service (buy online, rather than brick-and-mortar pack process, but also inventory pick up in store), there still is an shopping, food and beverage DCs management capabilities that can order fulfillment process that needs similarly have to lean on automaximize the utilization of space, to take place. mation to coordinate everything minimize shrinkage and loss, reduce Software integration across varifrom order picking and packaging labor, and effectively regulate and ous islands of automation and sites to traceability. Different products manage inventory levels. Full case can be necessary to fulfill replenish- have different packaging and delivpicking too often is overlooked and ment demands for a store shelf or ery needs, and those all have to be there are significant gains to be to complete a shopping cart order. accounted for. had with the right technology for a Raw materials, as well as finished particular part of the store fulfillgoods, to support e-commerce What labor and workforce ment process. A good example is vending of food and beverages issues are you seeing among automated palletizing of mixed case can be stored and retrieved distributors in the food and goods for truck loading. Done right, very efficiently in automated beverage industry? the ROI can be very positive when storage-type environments, but Human intervention can be a looking at not only labor reduction, must be managed and optimized problem in any order fulfillment but also improved operations at the with a solid warehouse control operation, whether it be an order dock and daily throughput. for store fulfillment, or an online order for a household What are the barriers to investor person. When dealing ing in warehouse automation? with food and beverages Conversely, what’s the ROI? through e-commerce order Thin profit margins and expenfulfillment to the consumer, sive capital projects don’t go hand additional care must be takin hand very well. Up-front cost is en when picking and packing almost always the biggest barrier someone’s grocery or meal to investing in warehouse autoorder. mation. However, if funding can be It’s important to have a worked out, a strong ROI case can picking process and quality be made to improve profits while control process in place that maintaining competitiveness. As is arrayed across the prodconsumer buying practices evolve, uct flow path that ensure forcing a much different fulfillment the order is accurate, is put process, opportunities are exposed. into its shipping container Look for the positive market trends, with care, and gets a last then embrace automation that can look before it goes out the leapfrog the initiative. Often, a good door to make certain the integrator can develop automation customer doesn’t get their solutions through live retrofits that groceries with the milk don’t impact production. Addiplaced on the eggs. tionally, simulation and emulation In terms of how the prodprograms can prove a system, and ucts are faced in the wareaddress changes and tweaks in house and then ultimately advance of a go-live. By getting are picked, automation the bugs out in advance, risks can must be driven by intelligent be reduced, as well as potential 1-800-628-4065 order fulfillment software, hiccups during go-live that could www.loadtransfer.net taking the decision out of cost money.
•
Thin profit margins and expensive capital projects don’t go hand in hand very well.
Up-front cost is almost always the biggest barrier to
investing in warehouse automation.” Todd De Vries, Retrotech
Transfers loads from one pallet type to another
Category 3 safety compliant Enhance safety for warehouse personnel Supports FSMA, HACCP and GMP compliance Help prevent contaminates from entering production areas Safer, cleaner & faster than other load transfer devices
22
FOOD LOGISTICS | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
FLOG0117_16-33_CoverStory RG AW CM.indd 22
www.foodlogistics.com
2/7/17 9:57 AM