Cut Labor Costs and Increase Efficiency With Robotic Tote Handling

Totes are used for e-commerce fulfillment, kitting, order consolidation, packing and other processes that leverage traditional material handling equipment, but quite often tote stacking and de-stacking are left to manual operations. The rigid structure of totes enables AS/RS, conveyor, sortation and other automated equipment to easily route them securely through material handling processes, and their design and size provide the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of products and primary packaging types.

From manual to automation: A fast track to efficiency

Recirculating totes back through automated systems or building pallet loads typically requires manual intervention, with employees bending, lifting and twisting to stack them. This type of arduous, repetitive task carries the risk of injury, and a lack of labor availability combined with high turnover rates means operations cannot rely on manual tote handling to deliver consistent efficient results.

An automated tote handling solution offers a much higher level of overall efficiency. Robotic tote handling delivers increased reliability, higher throughput, reduced long-term costs and ergonomic improvements that enhance workplace safety. From an operational standpoint, the increased speed of an automated solution enables operations to carry reduced tote inventory and use a smaller footprint for tote stacking and palletizing.

Advanced robotic tooling makes it possible

With the number of tote types and configurations, flexible, customizable end-of-arm tooling enables robotic solutions tailored to handle unique tote requirements. These can accommodate fluctuations in size, shape and weight to seamlessly handle totes in a variety of applications, from end-of-line palletizing to stacking in preparation for new fulfillment cycles. 

Flexible end of arm tooling can also handle other types of packaging and execute other tasks. Taking advantage of this modularity enables operations to maximize the utility from robotic systems and increase ROI. 

To learn more about robotic tooling best-suited to handle the products and packaging types in your operation, read the Intelligrated white paper, Picking the Best Robotic Tooling for Palletizing.

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