Automated Material Handling Systems

Automation has boomed in recent years, affecting how businesses operate. Warehouses are no different, with many using automated material handling systems (AMHS) to improve their operations. These systems can vary in their functionality and effectiveness, which is why it's important to choose the right systems and providers for your warehouse.

Burns Industrial Equipment is an experienced and trusted provider of premium AMHS.

What Are Automated Material Handling Systems?

Automated material handling systems are computer-controlled systems and equipment that sort, organize or transport material within warehouses, distribution centers and other industrial facilities. These systems can come in many forms, with some of the most common types being:

• Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS): ASRS use cranes or shuttles to transport materials between a drop-off point and their storage area. ASRS can work across both vertical and ground-level storage areas.
• Automatic pallet stackers: These systems store and retrieve goods packed onto a pallet.
• Automatic guided vehicles (AGV): AGV transport goods to and from various areas in the warehouse.
• Robotic storage and picking systems: Robotic arms place and retrieve smaller items accurately and quickly, often using computer vision, AI and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.
• Manufacturing execution systems (MES): These systems monitor, document and control manufacturing processes in warehouses and factories.

Why Invest in Automated Material Handling Systems?

There are many reasons that you should consider investing in automated warehouse systems, such as:

Improved Efficiency

One of the primary benefits of AMHS is that they can operate around the clock, unlike employees who need breaks. This ability to operate continuously means your business can boost its productivity without incurring higher ongoing costs.

Your business can also operate more flexibly to meet changing demands seamlessly. A warehouse that relies solely on its workers must anticipate peak periods in advance to ensure there are enough staff to meet the demand. Accurately predicting when busier periods will hit is challenging. As a result, there are often more workers than are needed, resulting in wasted resources, or too few to meet the demands.

Always available and highly efficient, AMHS can solve this problem by adapting to your busy and quiet periods. By meeting varying demands with minimal delays or wasted resources, your business can efficiently satisfy your customers' expectations.

Enhanced Safety

Common warehouse tasks, such as moving heavy goods and operating machinery, pose risks to the warehouse operators who carry them out. These risks are why safety should be a top priority in any warehouse.

AMHS can reduce the risk posed to warehouse operators by eliminating the need for human intervention in many warehouse operations. By using automated warehouse storage systems to transport, stack and retrieve heavy goods, you reduce the risk of your team experiencing injuries while completing these activities.

Thanks to their ability to operate with precision, AMHS are also less prone to error than humans, who can become tired or distracted.

Stricter Quality Control

Some AMHS can check products for damage, contaminants or any other irregularities in the product that could affect the quality. While a person can perform quality control checks, they have to carry them out as an isolated task. AMHS, on the other hand, can automatically analyze a product's quality as it retrieves the item, improving overall operational efficiency.

Additionally, the AMHS checks can be delivered and analyzed in real time, allowing warehouses to respond quickly to any quality control concerns.

Reduced Long-Term Costs

While AMHS require an initial investment and ongoing maintenance, they present cost-cutting opportunities over the long term by tackling:

• Labor shortages: Many warehouses struggle to hire their desired number of skilled employees, leading to reduced productivity. AMHS can pick up the slack, so your warehouse productivity doesn't drop.
• Inaccuracies and human error: Mistakes cost money, whether it's shipping the wrong order or damaging goods as your operators retrieve them. AMHS reduce this cost by minimizing the frequency of errors.
• Workplace injuries: Reducing workplace injuries doesn't just protect your employees, but also your business. Workplace injury compensation can be expensive, so by reducing the number of injuries and compensation claims, automated material handling can save your business money.
• Scalability challenges: As your business scales up, your costs can increase to meet the greater operational demands. AMHS can seamlessly scale up or down as needed without drastically increasing your costs.

Trust Burns Industrial Equipment for Your AMHS

An AMHS can transform your warehouse operations, but working with a reliable supplier is key to getting the most out of your warehouse automation solutions. Burns Industrial Equipment is your trusted provider, thanks to our five decades of experience and premium automated material handling systems.

To find out more about our AMHS and how they can benefit your warehouse, contact us today.