Now more than ever, e-commerce businesses need to get their products to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible, and introducing robotics into their operation is value-added.
Relying on a fulfillment and logistics partner with significant industry experience and investing heavily in advanced technology can change the game significantly.
According to Material Handling and Logistics magazine, $1.5 trillion of value is at stake for logistics players and a $2.4 trillion worth of societal benefits due to widespread digital transformation in the transportation industry.
Companies involved in the warehousing, packing and shipping goods are usually referred to as third-party logistics (3PL) providers. They help companies large and small with any operations related to the movement of products to retail and wholesale customers. E-commerce businesses can outsource some or all of their operations to a 3PL.
The industry has benefited significantly from the introduction of robotics to streamline operations. In large warehouses, items picked from the shelves by (human) workers are then loaded into bins and then loaded onto robots. The robots then ferry the order bins around the facility, collecting items selected by the workers and bringing them to the packing and shipping area.
Such robots look like motorized scooters with tablets affixed near the top handles. In a typical warehouse, a fleet of robots can handle 50 to 90 units per hour, and with increased efficiency, the same fleet can take 150 to 300 units per hour, depending on the product mix.
The robots allow a logistics provider to shorten lead time, improve the quality of service and scale.
“These are three critical attributes in our business,” explains Tom McCormick, Chief Information Officer for Taylored Services, a 3PL provider that has successfully introduced robots into its operations.
In addition to efficiencies tracked by management, warehouse floor associates feel that the robots make their jobs go more smoothly. A concern that the robots “will take over” is unfounded, as the robots do the more time-consuming parts of a job: walking (or running) items from the shelf to the packing and shipping area.
These seemingly minor improvements in productivity at scale deliver a competitive advantage. By reducing labor needs and total cost of ownership, robotics and automation converge to help 3PLs better service their clients—who in turn can better serve their customers. Robotics can be an essential part of the value chain.
To reach more customers faster, e-commerce businesses should consider working with a fulfillment and logistics provider that has adopted robotics and complementary advanced technologies.
Why Taylored Services
Taylored Services is a fully integrated 3PL provider specializing in wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer unit fulfillment. The company operates 4.4 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space near the Gateway Ports of Los Angeles / Long Beach, Newark, NJ, and Miami, FL.
E-commerce businesses need a partner with significant investments in systems and technology and established, long-term relationships with other interim suppliers along a box’s “shipping journey.” Using Taylored, clients can track their merchandise at every step through and from the warehouse to multiple destination points.
Services include:
- Warehousing and distribution
- E-Commerce
- Supply Chain Management
- Value-Added Services and Merchandise Rework
- Transportation Management Services
Working with a full-service, integrated logistics provider like Taylored Services helps e-commerce businesses of all sizes service customers more efficiently and allows such companies to scale when needed without significant investment.
Jake Wengroff writes about technology and financial services. A former technology reporter for CBS Radio, Jake covers security, mobility, e-commerce, and IoT.