Optimize DC Automation Investments With Intelligent Solution Design

Optimize DC Automation Investments With Intelligent Solution Design

Distribution and fulfillment (D&F) operators are facing the challenges of record growth. And while e-commerce fulfillment demand is booming, order cycle times and the available labor pool are shrinking. Every distribution center (DC) must run like a well-oiled machine to meet expected service level agreements (SLAs). In an industry where delays and mistakes can lose customers permanently, there is little — if any — margin for error.

Automation systems promise to help ease that strain. But to truly optimize your investment, you may not always need the “latest and greatest.” You may only need a system that meets your unique business requirements and long-term objectives and overcomes your operational challenges.

With price tags in the millions of dollars, automation systems shouldn’t make you wait a decade or more to see a return on investment (ROI). The right solutions marry functionality with financial benefits. Identifying those solutions begins with something you already have: data.

Follow the data

Honeywell Intelligrated Solutions Development (SD) experts recommend that every automation solution begin with careful, comprehensive data analysis. A deep analysis of your historical data can provide a snapshot of your operations, helping you to identify functional gaps as well as strengths and opportunities.

Our SD teams analyze, validate, summarize and visualize historical data, along with future projections, to pinpoint opportunities to:

• Optimize labor
• Increase order accuracy
• Reduce energy costs
• Implement industry best practices
• Enable future scalability

Map your investment

The result of analysis should be a robust set of design criteria that can inform your automation investment and guide proper installation and operation of the selected system.

Need help completing your design? Consider visualizing what’s possible — literally. For example, our SD teams can develop labor models that connect with customers’ ROI goals. We also use AutoCAD® and SketchUp to help customers see multiple options and facility layouts. Such graphical ideations, along with custom concept simulations, can help our customers to reach their ideal designs.

Intelligent, data-driven solution designs can help you to optimize everything from building sizing to order accuracy.

• Quickly determine opportunities for labor optimization and the potential annual cost savings that might result. This capability can help to lessen the impact of attrition as well as reduce direct costs.
• Calculate the optimal sizes, quantities and profiles of storage and picking technologies, including racking, shelving, totes and automated storage.
• Evaluate opportunities to integrate internal and external subsystems into one unified, centrally controlled system.

Integrate your efforts

Speaking of integration: A well-designed warehouse execution system (WES) enables the orchestration of disparate automation systems to help you optimize operations in real time, increasing productivity. Integration with other key automation systems — such as your warehouse management system (WMS), warehouse control system (WCS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) system or labor management software (LMS) — makes the job seamless. To see the benefits of this level of integration, take a look at Honeywell Intelligrated’s Momentum software suite, which streamlines nearly every aspect of automated warehouse execution and management.

Partner with experts

Creating an optimized solution that meets your unique operational objectives should be your ultimate goal. Partnering with Honeywell Intelligrated can help you to achieve a best-fit automation strategy that accelerates your ROI, simplifies the implementation process, and gives you access to the industry’s leading experts, technologies and business intelligence (BI). To learn more about Honeywell Intelligrated’s SD options and offerings, download our brochure.

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