Warehouse Automation ROI – Pallet Sorting and Replenishment 

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Prime Robotics MobilePallet Robots

Automation within the manufacturing industry has gained traction over the last few years, and it makes sense why. Automating warehouses, materials handling, and order fulfillment operations have eliminated errors, minimized fatigue and injury, and accelerated productivity.  

When implemented accurately, warehouse automation can produce positive ramifications and aid in earning a worthwhile return on investment (ROI). Warehouse automation refers to the method and strategy of automating inventory movement in, out, and within a warehouse to different customers with reduced human input.  

Why Opt for Warehouse Automation? 
Businesses have been shifting from traditional warehouses to automated or semi-automated warehouses for reasons like cost savings, increased efficiency, and safety concerns. Before we discuss the benefits of an automated warehouse, we need to understand the shortcomings or restrictions of a traditional warehouse: 

Difficult to Source and Hire Employees 
The industry is facing a downturn, and even with incentives and competitive wages, it’s getting harder and harder to source and hire good employees. The cumbersome nature of working warehouse jobs has turned most people away from cushy jobs and remote working opportunities.  

High Training Cost & High Turnover 
Warehouse managers are consistently finding ways to reduce costs while improving service levels. However, the cost of labor and training of new employees is considerably high. The time it takes for an employee to learn the ropes is the time when your productivity is low. Moreover, when you lose an employee, you increase your turnover cost. The turnover costs include lost warehouse productivity, delayed order delivery, damaged reputation, and unhappy customers.  

High Risk & Chance of Accidents 
Warehouse safety and productivity go hand in hand. One safety hazard can cause lost workforce hours, damaged inventory, and costly machine repairs that eat away at the bottom line. 

Payload For Pallets Is Very Large 
The payload for pallets is vast, and overloaded pallets can be very dangerous. If one pallet breaks, it can spill thousands of dollars of product onto anything that comes in its way nearby. This can cause not only the loss of thousands of dollars and possibly more damage to your reputation but can also become a safety hazard in no time.  Moreover, an overloaded pallet can cause trucks to exceed weight limits, resulting in heavy penalties and product damages during transportation, storage, and handling. 

What is MobilePallet? 
MobilePallet is an automated storage option that can move various products from bulky, heavy loads to lighter loads from point A to point B without human assistance.  Unlike static racking, MobilePallet robots operate via remote control or computer interface and provide easy access to products by forklift or manual picking.   

ROI opportunities using MobilePallet – Reduced Labor Costs & Turnover 
Reducing your labor and turnover costs will automatically help increase your ROI. Using MobilePallet, you can replace picking labor and free up workers to focus on more productive functions. You can also remove the need to expand and train your workforce and remove ongoing labor costs such as healthcare, salary increases, bonuses, payroll taxes, training, etc., by opting for this one-time investment of purchasing a Mobile Pallet.  

Reduce Safety Concerns 
We cannot get rid of human errors. Distraction, lack of motivation, fatigue, emotional distress, hunger, psychological stress, or something else can cause human mistakes. When these mistakes are made while operating heaving machinery, the consequences can be tragic. However, automated robots are immune to these types of work variables.  

When you use MobilePallet, you remove some of these unpredictable human errors by replacing the workers with machines that don’t get distracted or tired. By increasing safety, you can reduce accidents and damages to products, equipment, and structures and thus save yourself thousands of dollars.  

Increased Accuracy, Efficiency, & Productivity 
You can increase the efficiency of operations by eliminating human error from the equation by using mobile pallets. For instance, one pallet delivered to the wrong department can cause confusion, order delay, and even a shutdown of entire order processing until the mistake is fixed. This can cause damages worth hundreds and thousands of dollars. Using mobile pallets, you can remove these inefficiencies, increase your overall accuracy and thus contribute to accelerated productivity and profitability.  

Accelerates Order Fulfillment Process 
Mobile Pallet can help create a clutter-free, organized, and efficient workspace, thereby increasing storage space and giving fast access to storage bays. It is no secret that streamlined workflows can significantly increase productivity, resulting in accelerated order fulfillment. This can help you create a competitive advantage, leading to an increase in customer retention and a boost in sales.  

Boost Customer Loyalty 
Nothing makes a customer happier than receiving their orders sooner than expected. Streamline your operation using mobile pallets, and you can deliver your orders quicker than expected, leading to a satisfied and loyal customer base.  

Improved Working Conditions 
Automating the sorting and replenishment process can relieve your employees from performing repetitive and tedious tasks, allowing them to concentrate on other added value operations. Removing tedious tasks can create a more satisfactory work environment, reducing employee turnover and recruitment costs and allowing you to capitalize on experience and training. 

Handle Fluctuations in Demand 
During holiday seasons and busy periods, you can easily handle fluctuating demands by employing mobile pallets, avoiding the need to hire temporary workers. On the other hand, when demand is low, the automated system is slowed down, thus eliminating the need to lay off employees.  Maximizing profit margins is the primary goal of any warehouse business, and earning a worthwhile ROI can seem like a daily struggle.  

However, choosing the right partner can help you turn this struggle into a strength. Automating the warehouse by implementing mobile pallets for sorting and replenishments can make your business more profitable and seamless. Prime Robotics is your ideal partner to start your automation journey. Here, you can find state-of-the-art robotic automation solutions that best suit your requirements and bring the best out of your business. 

Contact us today to start your automation journey, whether your business is manufacturing, shipping, or E-Commerce focused! 

Space and Efficiency – The Currency of Warehouse Fulfillment

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In the ever-dominating space of E-commerce, the challenges faced by fulfillment companies are ever-growing. What seems like a simple buying experience online is followed by an intricate set of logistical operations behind the curtains. For consumers, buying a product is as simple as putting the product in the cart and clicking the ‘place order’ button. However, it is only after that, that the actual operation of fulfillment begins.

E-commerce warehouses and fulfillment centers have a lot at stake. They are responsible for not only storing SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) but keeping an efficient supply chain to maximize customer satisfaction and profit growth. These two variables, space (storing and stocking SKUs) and efficiency (proficient supply chain management), are perhaps the most significant variables a warehouse company must manage.

Time is of the essence in our digitally-driven consuming world. E-commerce warehouse and fulfillment companies need to develop strategies to meet the demanding storage and supply chain management requirements to meet consumers’ needs. In this article, we will discuss how E-commerce warehouses and fulfillment centers should tackle the behemoth of storage problems and increase their streamlined processes.

Utilizing Shelf & Racking Space
E-commerce warehouse and fulfillment companies must maximize the warehouse space for smooth and optimal organization. Even though warehouses typically cover thousands of square feet, getting the most out of the area becomes challenging. As a warehousing company, your main goal is to use the maximum space for stock-keeping while avoiding processes that may hinder streamlined picking. To hit that fine line is the real challenge. Here’s how you can utilize shelf and racking space while allowing enough room for seamless operation.

Vertical Spaces
Look around your warehouse and see if you can find any unused vertical spaces. It’s important to utilize any room available for your stock-keeping. But, at the same time, you need to be careful about the fire code of your warehouse’s layout. These un-utilized spaces will help you with shelf product space, optimizing and streamlining your process.

Revisit Your Aisle
Sometimes, we find too much aisle space for operating processes to be unnecessary. You can try to reduce your aisle width to the minimum possible. However, it’s also crucial not to compromise operating efficiency.

Value of a Good Pathing Plan
It is also necessary for warehouse and fulfillment centers to have a clear pathing plan for their operations. Your operations must follow a one-flow model where your procedures follow a clear linear path from point A to B. The one-flow design and layout enable warehouse and fulfillment centers to maximize efficiency and meet customer demand and order fulfillment.

However, even with that, warehouse and fulfillment companies find it challenging to meet the customer demands of dominating e-commerce sellers. In such times, it is vital for e-commerce warehouse and fulfillment companies to make smart, sustainable decisions without succumbing to dire challenges.  So, how can you tackle the never-ending immediate customer demands? To combat digital, you must become digital.

The Need for Warehousing Automation 
As a warehouse and fulfillment center, your main goal is to maximize proficiency without delay and error. What if we tell you there is a way to do that through automation? The concept of automation is to optimize operational processes through technologies without the help of manual labor and operations.

Automation reduces human error and inconsistencies, saving capital and time. When you automate your warehouse, you can meet customer demands and excel in your warehouse operations. When you employ manual labor, there is always the chance for error. However, with machines and robots, you eliminate the possibility.

Automation Opens Robust Packaging Opportunities for Products 
Due to increased e-commerce demands, warehouses and fulfillment centers often struggle with product packaging. By employing automated packaging solutions, warehouse and fulfillment companies can easily tackle the increased demand without scaling up their manual workforce in peak seasons. Though an initial investment is warranted, in the long run, the investment pays off significantly.

Artificial Intelligence in Warehousing Automation 
Artificial intelligence is a transformative technology that has taken the world by storm. AI is a technology that saves data, learns from them, and acts accordingly. Like humans, these machines can process data and adapt to changing situations. Now, imagine AI incorporated into a device? It is the most sophisticated piece of machinery you can find.  So why should I consider AI in my warehouse? Let’s discuss some of the possibilities AI offers to your business.

Why AI Is The Future 
There is a reason why artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the market. It is not a technology confined to tech giants, but it is here to help every business in every industry. Discuss some benefits AI can offer your warehouse and fulfillment operations.

Enhanced Inventory Management 
Artificial intelligence can help your warehouse and fulfillment center to analyze market trends and have the best control over your product inventory. The best part – these processes will be done in real-time, making you one step ahead with each and every movement.

Enhanced Productivity 
Humans make mistakes. It is as Shakespeare said, “to err is human, to forgive divine.” You might forgive your employees, but it is better if the mistakes are avoided in the first place. Artificial intelligence, especially in automation robots, can be more effective with faster and more accurate results than humans.

Finer Data 
Artificial intelligence is not here to help you with your physical operations; it can also contribute to providing data. AI’s algorithmic analysis will help your warehouse and fulfillment center better understand your workflow, identify patterns, and suggest strategic plans to counter problems.

To compete in the digital world of e-commerce, you must equip yourself with digital tools. AI and automation are transforming businesses worldwide, and for good reasons. It is now time you apply the same for your warehouse and fulfillment company!

Author: Nate Aswege, VP, Sales & Marketing – Prime Robotics 

Warehouse Fulfillment – Labor Challenges & Solutions 

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Among all the processes inside a warehouse, fulfillment has become one of the most crucial, challenging, and costly workflows. The fulfillment process begins as soon as the customer places an order, and for a company that receives thousands of orders within a day, fulfilling all of them properly can be quite a challenge. The goal of every warehouse or e-commerce business is to enhance the customer’s online and overall purchase experience, which directly translates to repeat sales and good referrals through word of mouth and online reviews. This article will discuss all you need to know about warehouse fulfillment, including the labor challenges and solutions that commonly arise in this process. While most companies spend less time focusing on the fulfillment process, it is the single process that impacts customer satisfaction the most. Here are some common labor problems that arise in the process and their solutions. 

Difficulty in Sourcing and Hiring Employees 

One of the biggest hurdles warehouses face is the sourcing and hiring of workers, especially those who understand the various operations and requirements involved in the fulfillment process. There is already a labor shortage as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but other factors also contribute to the issue including greater competition, increased wages, overtime burnout, and a higher reliance on part-time and temporary workers. These problems hamper the fulfillment process, making it difficult for warehouse management to ensure the proper fulfillment of all orders. Moreover, it leads to problems like incorrect or late deliveries and pick errors, further affecting customer satisfaction. Add to that the huge number of job vacancies and you have a big problem on your hands. 

One way to navigate this problem effectively is to offer higher wages than the market average and provide your workers with incentives and facilities that motivate them to work harder and fulfill orders with more accuracy. However, that manual labor solution comes at a large cost, when compared to looking at automating fulfillment tasks with robotics.  

Costly Training and High Turnover 

Another problem that plagues the warehouse fulfillment process is the time and cost required to train new workers regarding the processes and operations of your warehouse. Regardless of how many years the worker has spent in the warehousing industry, you will still have to bring them up to speed regarding how you run your business, your specific software and management solutions etc. Every business has a different set of rules and processes, and learning these processes takes time and money.  

Sadly, it’s estimated that less than a quarter of warehouses can fully train a new employee in less than a month, which means it takes a new employee anywhere between one to three months to get up to the same level of productivity as existing employees. Therefore, companies must spend a lot of time and resources on training new workers, reducing profitability and stability. Plus, you might offer them more incentives and higher pay to make them stay, which causes a higher turnover. Still, there is no guarantee that they won’t leave your warehouse to get a better offer once training is complete.  

The best way to shorten the training time and prevent new employees from jumping ship is to introduce a comprehensive and engaging training program to learn everything quicker. Moreover, you should employ worker engagement methods to ensure that they feel welcome and included. This type of training can be structured and well processed with the help of automation tools, WMS systems and related software platforms that are productivity focused and designed for the user experience.  

Human Errors During Picking 

Picking refers to selecting SKU’s based on lines and quantities that are ordered by the customer, which succeeds the packing process. However, it is also one of the biggest issues in the warehouse fulfillment infrastructure. Undoubtedly, warehouse employees are overworked and exhausted, making them prone to mistakes (pick errors) while picking out products for an order. When employee morale is low, or employees are forced to work excessive overtime, it becomes even more likely for them to pick out the wrong products or leave out a product entirely. 

Suppose an order includes red-colored headphones, a black selfie stick, a blue cellphone holder, and four smartphone covers in different colors. A tired or disgruntled worker can easily mix up the requirements, picking out black headphones and a blue selfie stick and completely missing out on the cellphone holder. Plus, warehouses diversify their product portfolio, making the picking process more complex. This error means the order will have to be re-picked, creating costly delays, productivity and delivery issues downstream in the supply chain delivery process. 

The only way to work around this issue is to implement an optimized storage algorithm or automation system that sorts and organizes products properly and makes it easier for workers to choose the correct ones. 

Accidents and Workers Comp 

Warehouses are certainly a place that can be labeled as “prone to injury” for some employees. A forklift accident as an example, can cause an entire shipment to topple over and fall on a worker, causing serious injury. Therefore, warehouses and fulfillment companies have to carry significant risk and costly insurance because of the labor shortage and rise in accidents. They also have to fulfill the Workers’ Compensation requirements when an employee gets injured, resulting in higher costs. 

Most warehouse accidents are caused when your workers are exhausted and work long hours without any break. Firstly, you should incorporate several short breaks into their schedule so that they can be refreshed and focus on their job. Secondly, looking at how you might be able to automate certain processes within the supply chain to help alleviate labor needs is a great long-term solution.  

Long Working Hours 

One of the biggest problems in most warehouses is the long hours that workers are subjected to. If an employee has to lift heavy goods and manage hundreds of orders every day for 10-12 hours, you can expect them to make many mistakes in the fulfillment process. Overworked employees are more prone to make mistakes, resulting in incorrect and delayed orders, which would also lower customer satisfaction. 

Instead of overburdening your employees, it might be more strategic and prudent to look at warehousing automation for different workflows, which would allow you to carry out the fulfillment process at any time. Your overworked employees will also thank you for this! 

To conclude, if you’re looking to solve your labor problems in the short and long-term, consider automation solutions from a company like Prime Robotics. Automating the dirt, dangerous and dull workflows and tasks within your warehouse can help your bottom line, your labor stress, and your employee simultaneously!  

Author: Nate Aswege, Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Prime Robotics. 

Warehouse Automation ROI – Picking, Packing & Replenishment

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Automation is one of the largest and most innovative by-products of the technological revolution. It has greatly optimized and enhanced operations for businesses across numerous industries: Logistics, E-Commerce, manufacturing, agriculture, food, and many others. The use and processing of data are crucial to the automation process, and it results in higher efficiency and productivity for the business and its workforce. Automation technology has also made its way into the warehousing sector. Hundreds of warehouses in the North American sector have implemented the latest tools to increase their efficiency and save time and money. It is time for e-commerce companies, logistics facilities, manufacturers, and other warehousing stakeholders to adopt warehouse automation technology or fall behind in the competition. 

If you own or manage a warehouse, you might be wondering how warehouse automation will benefit their business and pay them back. We will discuss the benefits and return on investment for warehouse automation in this article and highlight how it can transform operations when it comes to picking, packing, and replenishment. 

Picking and Packing 

Warehouse picking refers to selecting particular products from the warehouse to complete a customer’s order. Picking is crucial to the order fulfillment process, and it is also one of the costlier and more labor-intensive operations inside a warehouse. Most reports suggest that warehouse picking takes up more than half of the operational budget. Picking is an important process, as it ultimately is key driver for on-time deliveries and customer satisfaction. Moreover, it also affects the reputation and profitability of your business indirectly. In a manual setting, this process involves the workforce receiving order details and searching for the right products all over the warehouse. There are several issues in the process. 

Firstly, you need a huge workforce that can easily manage all the picking operations and fetch products quickly, which might require them to walk miles and miles every day. This can further lead to fatigue and work injuries, leading to errors in order fulfillment, labor shortage, and other long-term issues that can dampen your warehouse efficiency.  The next step in the order fulfillment process is packing, which is closely integrated with picking and involves employees packing up the products they have picked from the inventory. It requires packing hundreds or thousands of boxes in a day, which can be incredibly strenuous and cause intense stress on the workforce. 

You can avoid these issues, and your labor can be utilized in a much better way by including autonomous robots, which are equipped with artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies. These robots will greatly shorten the time it takes to complete and pack orders, reducing the overall order fulfillment time. As a result, you will be able to fulfill more orders in a single day, thus boosting your profitability. 

Pallet Movement 

Pallets are an essential component of any logistics operation. Thanks to pallets, warehouse employees can easily move heavier goods around the warehouse and ensure that they reach their destination without any damage. However, manually operating such heavy loads with pallets also leads to workplace injuries and forklift crashes, which result in heavy losses on a variety of levels. Most of the time, the employees overload the pallets, which is a recipe for disaster. Whether they use a forklift or manual equipment to move the goods, they will damage them and get injured in the process. There is a much easier way to navigate these issues, and the solution lies in autonomous warehouse robots, such as Prime Robotics’ MobilePallet. This handy robot can move up to 2000 kg of weight through pallets, much higher than any other robot or manual process. 

Through warehouse automation, you can move pallets round the clock and prevent any crashes, injuries, or damage to your goods. As a result, your workforce will also be unburdened, and you can also cut down on the delivery time. 

Replenishment 

Replenishment refers to restocking warehouse shelves when you receive new products or materials from your suppliers or distributors. Since warehouses have hundreds of vertical shelves, workers have to place goods securely on pallets and use forklifts to place them where they need to go. This process can take time, especially if you have a huge warehouse with thousands of products. Similar to the processes mentioned above, this work is quite strenuous. It can lead to increased fatigue and injuries, resulting in labor shortage and an extra cost to the business. 

The best way to navigate this problem is to use warehouse automation technologies to optimize the replenishment process. This would result in improved real-time inventory control and management and help maintain an optimal supply of goods that can curb any seasonal fluctuations or shortages. Moreover, you will experience savings in reduced storage costs since warehouse automation will optimize your inventory management.  

How Does Warehouse Automation Boost ROI? 

When it comes to automating your warehouse, there are many automation technologies at your disposal. You might think of it as a major expense, but it also has a promising return when utilizing a partner like Prime Robotics.  

For starters, you will be able to accelerate the picking and packing process; experience 300 – 500 picks every hour compared to the 50-100 picks that the workforce averages manually. Moreover, the time savings will transfer through to the next process, where orders can be created and filled faster and with tighter deadlines. 

And when it comes to designing and implementing efficient warehouse solutions, Prime always comes first. We provide you with a range of advanced robotics solutions that completely transform the way you handle your warehouse logistics. Get in touch with Prime Robotics and find out more about warehouse automation solutions.

Prime Robotics Warehouse Automation

Warehouse Automation—The Opportunity At Hand

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Warehouse automation technologies have been rapidly adopted in North America in recent years. In fact, the North American warehouse robotics market is projected to have a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% between 2020-2025. Moreover, North America is expected to have the highest market share in warehouse automation by 2028 due to technological advancements and rising labor costs. 

For E-commerce companies, fulfillment and logistics centers, and manufacturing companies, the message is clear: it’s time to implement warehouse automation technology or risk becoming obsolete by the competition. 

In this article, we take a closer look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted fulfillment operations, the increasingly high shipping expectations from customers, and how warehouse owners and managers can solve these issues with automation partnerships. 

COVID-19 Created a Boom in Automated Fulfillment 

Catalyzed by COVID-19, companies are rapidly growing their online business segments. In fact, it’s estimated that the pandemic added $219 billion to U.S. E-commerce sales in 2020-2021. By any measure, COVID-19 has driven more and more sales online, which has resulted in fulfillment demand growing exponentially. 

This boom in fulfillment demand has left many manufacturers and distribution centers scrambling to figure out how to best meet the expectations of their customers. 

The solution that many fulfillment centers are turning too is warehouse automation. Warehouse automation enables the movement of products into, within, and out of distribution centers with minimal human involvement. These cutting-edge automation solutions allow companies to reduce labor-intensive functions involving repetitive human labor such as lifting, sorting, and data entry. 

For example, an autonomous mobile robot in an automated fulfillment center can easily move inventory from a specific location within the warehouse to a specified shipping zone. Simultaneously, automated software keeps track of the exact location of the inventory all along the way so that, if at any point, a person needs to retrieve a specific product, they will have real-time access to source and manage that order. The end result is that autonomous mobile robots dramatically improve the speed, safety, and accuracy of a fulfillment center’s operations, while ultimately affecting bottom line revenue and labor cost savings. 

24-Hour Shipping is a Reality Thanks to Warehouse Automation 

Customer expectations continue to increase when it comes to the delivery of their goods and services. For E-Commerce Customers, 24-hour shipping is becoming the new normal for many products bought online.  

The key question becomes, how do warehouses meet 24-hour shipping expectations in light of the current labor shortage? 

The answer for many warehouses and distribution centers is the introduction of warehouse automation. Previously, the thought of making financial investments in warehouse automation solutions was one of the major obstacles to adoption. However, increasing client demands brought about by labor challenges is starting to turn the tide of cost-consciousness.  

In fact, post-adoption, many manufacturers and warehouses have discovered that these automation solutions have produced greater returns on investment than human workers. The reason for this is scalability and efficiency. By harnessing warehouse automation, you can better scale your operations to meet your customers’ 24-hour shipping expectations. 

Scaling through warehouse automation is not without its challenges, but robust support is available from your trusted warehouse automation solution partner who is an expert at maintaining and optimizing these technologies. With the right automation solutions partner powering your warehouse towards 24-hour fulfillment, the end results are more satisfied customers and new levels of growth for your business.  

Prime Robotics Provides the Best Fit for Your Fulfillment Goals 

At Prime Robotics, our robotic automation solutions enable warehouse, E-Commerce, and fulfillment centers to gain powerful efficiencies and realize substantial cost savings at each point in their fulfillment process.  

We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to warehouse automation.  

Rather, our team is dedicated to creating an automation solution that is the right fit you’re your business goals. For some clients, these solutions are implemented at one or more key points in their process. For other clients, we design an end-to-end robotic automation solution to fit their unique needs.  

To better understand how robotic automation can help you meet the fulfillment goals for your business, contact us today! 

 Author – Nate Aswege, VP Sales & Marketing at Prime Robotics 

Prime Robotics Awarded High-Tech Certificate From Chinese Government

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High-Tech enterprise certificate_PrimeRobotics

Denver, Colorado – March 8th, 2022 – Prime Robotics (www.primerobotics.com) is honored to have been awarded an Enterprise High-tech Certificate (GR202144205753) by the Chinese Government. The High-Tech Certificate recognizes the development of new fields of technological development, innovation, and industry-changing hardware and software solutions which Prime Robotics is known for both in China and North America. 

The concept of high-tech enterprises can be defined as “Administrative measures for the Recognition of High-tech Enterprises” which was revised by the Chinese government in 2016. This award is divided into 8 categories including Electrical Information, Biology & New Medical, Aerospace, New Materials, High-Tech Service, New Energies, Resource, and Environmental technology. 

“Prime Robotics is extremely honored to have received this award, it’s a testament to the technical innovation and pioneering growth we’re creating for the warehouse, logistics and manufacturing industries,” said Nate Aswege, Prime Robotics Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Nate Aswege. Prime Robotics is quickly rising as a logistics automation leader, and will soon be able to deliver complete end-to-end automation solutions for clients across North America.  High-tech enterprises refers to the continuous research and development and the transformation of technological achievements in the “High-tech fields supported by China.” Learn more about this prestigious award HERE. 

 About Prime Robotics
Founded in 2015, Prime Robotics is an automation company that provides hardware, software, service and support solutions for the Distribution, Warehouse and E-Commerce industries. Our automation tools empower companies to accelerate and optimize their entire value chain, saving time and money at every stage of the process. Prime Robotics is based in Denver, Colorado with additional offices in Shenzhen, China. For more information, visit www.primerobotics.com 

Media Inquiries
Nate Aswege
Nate.aswege@primerobotics.com
303.359.0568

Pallet Moving Robots Are Game Changers – And Easy to Implement Fast

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Pallet moving robots are a powerful addition to a warehouse operation. When using robots, the efficiency gains are indisputable. Even if you don’t have immediate plans to add robotic automation to your order picking process, you can still leverage the benefits with pallet moving robots. These robots improve the workflow at the transport dock – dramatically improving the speed to unload and load trucks.

Pallet moving robots are a game-changer for e-commerce warehouses, as well as grocery and convenience store distribution centers.  Any business that requires a complex orchestration of pallets in and out of the center multiple times a day can benefit from the use of robots. Robots can easily move pallets up to 2,200 pounds without supervision.

Robot Pallet Movers Dramatically Reduce the Need for Forklifts

The time and cost savings from robotic pallet movers come from the speed at which palleted goods are moved from the docking area to inventory aisles. Most notably, the time savings comes from reducing the need for forklift drivers who take pallets from the dock and navigate the warehouse aisles to drop off the pallet in its storage location. Using a robot pallet mover, forklift drivers need only to unload a pallet from a truck to the staging area for another robot to take away.

For example, with our Prime Robotics pallet moving system, a forklift operator loads a pallet onto a platform carried by a MobilePallet robot. Now the pallet has become highly mobile – with the robot taking instruction from the Robot Control System (RCS). Then, the pallet can move autonomously (without supervision or instruction from a worker) through the warehouse. 

An Example of the Benefits of the MobilePallet in Action

MobilePallet can move its load to a storage location or any other desired location in the warehouse. The RCS communicates with the WMS (warehouse management system), always knowing the exact location of the pallet.

Sophisticated location and safety technology enable the MobilePallet to detect obstacles or pause for a person to cross its path. Once a MobilePallet robot has arrived at its destination, the robot sets down the platform. Next, it holds the pallet load at its storage location. When ready for it’s next mission, it departs. Now part of the inventory, when the pallet is needed next, a MobilePallet robot knows where it is stored because the RCS communicates directly with the WMS. The robot retrieves the pallet and brings it to a pick station, staging area, or other destination. Finally, MobilePallet robots automatically go to a recharge station when their battery is low and can operate 24-hour shifts.

Quickly moving heavy, cumbersome pallets unsupervised throughout the warehouse increases efficiency and reduces the labor required. As a result, fewer forklifts are needed and workflows become streamlined. 

Pallet Moving Robots Assist in Many Warehouse Tasks

  • Cross-docking
  • Full-pallet putaway
  • Dock-to-aisle
  • Staging loads for shipping
  • Delivery and replenishment of empty pallets
  • Order fulfillment
  • Case picking
  • Completed case pick to pallet wrap
  • Movement of packed pallets to shipping

Create a Seamlessly Automated Warehouse That Combines Pallet Moving and Picking Robots

MobilePallet and MobileShelf, our warehouse robot that makes inventory shelves mobile, work in concert to create an automated warehouse environment that is more efficient and less physically taxing on workers. They are controlled by our RCS which integrates with virtually any WMS to improve productivity at every stage — from inventory inbounding to order picking.

Make 2021 the Year to Automate

Automating is now within reach of virtually every warehouse. Our $9K per month lease package makes this possible. Included in this package is 10 robots and all the accessories and customer support you need. As a result, this saves up to $80K every month the system is in place! To learn more about the benefits, you can read about our $9K Robot Lease Use Case and see the math detailing how warehouse labor costs are cut nearly in half.

To see all of our fully functional robots in action, I invite you to plan a visit to our Denver headquarters demo warehouse where our robots are operating today. This will enable you to see how our robots create top picking speed and higher productivity among all AMR’s on the market. We build all of our robots right here in the U.S. at our headquarters. Come take a peek at our entire robot-building process.

Please get in touch if you’d like to talk to us about your unique operation. We’re happy to recommend ways to best leverage the power of robots in 2021,

 

-Eric

Eric Rongley

CEO and Founder of Prime Robotics

eric.rongley@primerobotics.com

automated warehouse robots

Implement robots in your warehouse now. Even if you need to update your WMS?  Yes!

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What is WMS Paralysis? 

Believing you can’t even consider implementing automated warehouse robots until you’ve updated your outdated Warehouse Management System (WMS).

Waiting to initiate automated warehouse robots is a mistake. Many warehouse operators lament that although they know they need to get started down the path to automating their warehouse. However, they first need to complete the tedious and often lengthy process of updating their WMS. This process may include evaluating multiple WMS vendors. Often this can take six months to a year (or more).

It may seem logical to think that a robotics implementation will be most effective when integrated with the latest and greatest WMS, but the fact is your success in adding robots in your warehouse isn’t dependent on your WMS. Prime Robotics integrates easily with virtually any WMS (however, if yours hasn’t been updated since the eighties, it may prove more challenging).

The sooner you can implement robots, the better for your bottom line. Robots will save tens of thousands of dollars every month by drastically reducing operational costs. So, it follows that delaying adding robots comes at a high cost.

The costs incurred by waiting are real

Consider that our $9K per month lease package that includes 10 robots and all the accessories and customer support you need can save a warehouse $80K every month the system is in place. You can read more about our $9K Robot Lease Use Case and see the math detailing how warehouse labor costs are nearly cut in half.

It can take an organization a year or more to select a new WMS. Then, perhaps another year to roll it out, if there are multiple sites. Considering this, for even a small to a midsize operator, the opportunity cost of delaying a robotics implementation can exceed $1M if they end up waiting a year or more. The opportunity costs climb even higher when you add in the inherent costs of recruiting and retaining a warehouse workforce.

Often operators are surprised when I tell them it’s pretty straightforward to add robots no matter their WMS. If your WMS can set up separate storage locations, then you can handle the basic logic needed to set up some of your inventory in manual racks and some in the robot shelving.

You can also take a phased approach to adding robots. For example, if your warehouse is A-B-C stratified, you can start with your highest-turnover inventory first by assigning those SKUs to the storage area that will be serviced by the robots. Then you can continue rolling robots out across the different areas of your warehouse. You can learn more about our MobileShelf robot implementation here.

Automated warehouse robot implementation for single warehouses

Operators currently using a simple online WMS, like Tradegecko or Quickbooks to manage their inventory, can use Prime Robotics’ own built-in WMS as their only WMS. For a single warehouse that only keeps track of inventory coming in and orders going out, our included WMS can handle your needs. Furthermore, our packing station software integrates with carrier software like ShipStation. Our Robot Control System can receive orders directly from your Magento instance.

Implementation in a new greenfield warehouse site

If you’re setting up a new greenfield site, it’s typically preferable to implement warehouse robots at the same time. This clean implementation approach allows you to apply best business practices at the new site from Day One.

 

Add Automated Warehouse Robots Now to Boost Your Profitability Fast

It’s clear that robots impact your bottom line more than adding a new WMS. While a new WMS may streamline your operations and deliver the new functionality you want, it’s unlikely to create the immediate cost savings and massive organizational benefits that robots can provide.

I’m often telling warehouse operators that an automated warehouse robotics system can quickly start generating a cost savings that can fund your new WMS purchase. From start to finish, this process can be implemented in about three months,  My advice is to add warehouse robots now to increase your profits. Out compete those in the market that haven’t yet leveraged the power of automation!

 

-Eric

 

Eric Rongley

CEO and Founder of Prime Robotics

eric.rongley@primerobotics.com

Robotic automation Lease Starter Package

BLOG – Robot Leasing Starter Package priced under $9K/mo.

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I have to say we’re pretty excited about our new robotic automation Lease Starter Package! Since the start at Prime Robotics, we’ve been focused on putting robotic automation within reach of warehouses, no matter their size. Warehouse robotic automation became Amazon’s paradigm-shifting advantage when its Kiva AMR robots changed everything about how they filled orders at their warehouses. We believe that every warehouse can add robotics to their operation today– from a 10,000 square foot warehouse on up.

We’ve created a complete end-to-end robotic solution for small to midsize warehouses that leverages the same robotics technology that powers Amazon’s warehouses. The “Make 2021 Your Year to Automate” Package is an all-inclusive robotic automation solution that can ship 6,000 orders a day.

Here’s the best part — our robot package is priced at under $9K per month! There’s really never been anything like this available in our industry: Now an operator can add robotic automation to their facility with a simple, low-cost lease instead of making a big capital investment and encountering a lot of hidden costs. This package is ideal for automating up to 20,000 square foot warehouses, and it can be easily customized for larger footprints.

What’s in our “Make 2021 Your Year to Automate” Package for $9K/mo

Our Robotic automation Lease Starter Package includes 10 of our best-in-class AMR robots and absolutely everything you need to hit the ground running.

This complete lease package includes everything you need to automate your operation to fulfill up to 6,000 orders a day.

Robots

  • 8 Mobile Shelf robots
  • 2 MobilePallet robots

Accessories

  • 1 Piece Picking Station
  • 1 Pack Station
  • 2 Recharge Stations
  • 1 PalletLift
  • 125 Shelves
  • 20 Pallet Platforms
  • 1 Hybrid Piece-Pallet Station

Integrations

  • API integration with your WMS
  • API Integration with your OMS

Expertise & Support

  • Team Training
  • 24/7 Customer Support
  • 3 Year Onsite Parts and Labor Warranty
  • 2 Year Extended Onsite Parts and Labor Warranty

Implementation (2 Weeks onsite)

  • Software integrations
  • 1 Server to install operational equipment
  • 2 training classes for your workers and administrators
  • All freight costs


It’s amazing what’s possible with this system

When you automate key workflows in your warehouse using just what’s included in this package, the results are staggering. For example, our MobileShelf touts the fastest picking in the industry — 300+ picks per hour. With this system, you can process up to 6,000 orders a day (this assumes 1.5 lines per order and 24-hour operation) and dramatically reduce the labor required. Consider this: if you run at full speed 24 hours a day, this system can save $200K a month compared to a manual operation delivering the same output. When you think about the efficiency you gain, you will change how you think about your business. Now you’ve lowered operational costs and freed up capacity.

About the lease and other details

This 5-year fair market value lease puts an automated warehouse within your reach. You don’t have to become experts in robotics. We provide white-glove 24/7 customer support, active monitoring of your robots — so we can correct errors before they become an issue — and all support and maintenance. Everything is taken care of — and we’re with you for the long haul.

The time from the first meeting to implementation is typically 90-120 days. Before arriving, our team has tailored the system to fit the unique needs of your operation. Due to our phased implementation approach, your operations aren’t interrupted.

Once implemented, your system is easy to scale to grow with you — and you might add specialized robots for handling pallets or cages. For example our new robot, AutoJack can enter a truck unmanned and unload it unsupervised.

If I’ve piqued your interest, you probably have a lot of questions. You can get in touch to start a conversation. Then we can show you a demo of the package system in action in a warehouse environment. We’d like to learn more about what you want to achieve in your warehouse.

 

We look forward to hearing from you,

-Eric