Best Ways On How To Deal With Automation Downtime

As the years go by, warehouses continue to rely more on technology. In fact, the global warehouse automation market is expected to double its growth by 2025. That means the automation revolution in manufacturing, retail, logistics, and e-commerce isn’t slowing down anytime soon and it will drive the competition in those industries moving forward. Simultaneously, the chances of downtime occurring will become frequent.

With new technology always comes new unexpected issues you need to resolve. If not implemented and maintained properly, there’s always a chance for downtime to happen. In some cases, downtime is actually inevitable.

Anticipating the possibility of downtime, there are steps that you can take to have the right response to automation issues. Here are the best ways on how to deal with automation downtime.

Create a map

For an optimal warehouse site, it is necessary to map a well-constructed layout. Be sure that your warehouse location map is up-to-date when putting in automated solutions that will depend on it for guidance like automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Regardless of whether your facility is a warehouse for lease that you rented or your own, a location map is vital not only for your workforce’s utilization but also for automated labor.

Organize your data digitally

One of the major causes of downtime is lost or inaccurate data. Most automation processes and machinery depend on digital data. Hence, any piece of manual data processing should be converted digitally before expecting your automated process to run smoothly. The easier it is to view, collect, and update data being sent to your automated warehouse solutions, the less downtime you can expect.

Clean and organize your facility

Neat is the form that your warehouse should be in before integrating automation in the operation process. Cleaning your warehouse on a weekly basis can lead to improved efficiency of your automated process.

Optimize your process

Optimize your process to remove redundancies and inefficiencies from your warehouse operations process. Consider flagging anything that seems redundant, out of place, or unnecessary from your operation process before incorporating automation.

Implement at the right time

Timing is everything. Even people who do not work in warehouses know that there are busy peak seasons, especially with e-commerce. Ensure that the right team members are available and in-house to assist in executing a smooth automation launch. The last thing you want is for your staff to struggle with too many things happening around the warehouse.

Invest in efficient energy

It’s a certainty that you would want to ensure that you are getting the most out of your automated investments. Squeezing out every ounce of productivity juice you can get is important, especially in times where the competition is about being quick and efficient on a consistent basis.

Regularly adjust and audit your process and system

Prioritizing regular audits to ensure that everything is still optimized to meet your needs will help you identify small issues before they grow that they would require some downtime before you can go back on track. In addition, if you do make adjustments, keep in mind to orient or re-train your employees to have them up to speed with the changes.

Dealing with downtime is a part of the warehousing automation process. How you do with reducing and managing will move you towards the upward direction of productivity. Understand your processes and system to breeze through downtime problems.

Author’s Bio:

Angelo Castelda works as a contributor for a news magazine in Asia. On his free days, he likes to read books about the logistics industry and warehouse management. He also gets frequently invited to schools and universities to hold talks about the supply chain system and warehouse operations.