How are companies addressing the conflicting demands of increasing throughput, high product variability, and the push for greater sustainability? What impact are global trends having on the demand for intralogistics solutions, and what are the limitations of automation? This practical trend report aims to clarify these issues.
One thing is sure: the automation boom in intralogistics shows no signs of slowing down. To meet the rising throughput demands, there is now a greater reliance on high-performance conveyor and warehouse technology. Particularly in the EU, high-performance sorting solutions like the GEBHARDT SpeedSorter® are gaining significant popularity.
Storage Density as a Solution to Volatile Supply Chains
For the past two decades, lean inventories and just-in-time delivery were considered the gold standard in intralogistics. However, recent global market disruptions have shifted this perspective. “A 100 per cent optimised system leaves no room for error because there are no buffers,” emphasises Tobias Vetter, Team Leader of System Concepts at GEBHARDT. In response to the volatility of supply chains, companies are increasingly investing in warehouse capacity to ensure the availability of goods and components during shortages.
Nonetheless, there are spatial limitations to maintaining buffer stock, especially in urban areas of Europe. GEBHARDT is noticing a growing demand for tall, compact warehouses with high storage density across the continent. Most high-bay warehouses are now equipped with double-deep configurations, and multi-deep setups are becoming standard in container warehouses.
Managing Diversity in the Warehouse
Consumer behaviour significantly influences warehouse design. Today, consumers are more inclined to place spontaneous orders for various goods, yet they still expect same-day delivery, often preferring these items to be bundled in a single package. This demand is also beginning to extend into the B2B sector. “In some instances, industrial distributors accept rush orders just an hour before closing,” reports Tobias Vetter.
A diverse product range and diminishing batch sizes necessitate more storage types and equipment, including replenishment warehouses, highly dynamic shuttle warehouses, and sometimes manual storage areas or specialised solutions like pocket sorters. Additionally, as product life cycles continue to shorten, there is an increasing need for flexible conveyor systems, such as automated guided vehicles equipped with advanced orientation capabilities.
As warehouse systems grow more complex, the demand for consulting also increases. For example, companies must determine whether a single conveyor line suffices for a particular application or if multiple loops are necessary. “Typically, our customers focus on complete systems rather than isolated components, seeking tailored solutions for their unique challenges,” explains Tobias Vetter. “Our extensive portfolio and years of experience in sales and technology allow us to understand our customers' needs and devise the right mix of solutions.”
Data Quality as an Obstacle to Automation
One drawback of high product variability is that the more diverse the assortment, the more challenging it becomes to maintain accurate product master data. Most parameters are still recorded manually or scanned at stations. “For large retailers, well-maintained master data is a standard practice, but smaller and medium-sized industrial companies still need to improve in this regard,” explains Tobias Vetter. Recording items with complex geometries, such as gear wheels with shafts, remains difficult. The success of automation, whether in packaging or customs clearance, relies heavily on having a flawless database. Accurate and up-to-date product information is crucial for effectively operating automated systems like bin-picking robots.
In the long run, artificial intelligence could offer a solution, but its implementation must be balanced with concerns about cybersecurity, particularly in Europe. Some AI and automation specialists store product data on cloud servers, allowing robots worldwide to leverage this information for machine learning. This scenario raises important questions: Where are these servers located, and what implications does this have for data protection and sovereignty?
Taking a Holistic View of Sustainability
Sustainability encompasses a complex interplay of factors, including energy efficiency, material consumption, recyclability, and practicality. Implementing sustainability measures can sometimes have unintended consequences elsewhere in the system. For example, substituting polystyrene balls in packaging with corn flakes may lead to rodent infestations in warehouses.
Consider the debate between polybags and carton packaging. While the general public views cartons as a more sustainable alternative, the water consumption required for their production is significant. Many packaging manufacturers are working to reduce material usage by exploring alternative designs. However, reducing thickness to save material in cardboard packaging can compromise dimensional stability, particularly if the base is too thin or exposed to moisture. Such weakened packaging can create challenges for conveyor systems. Often, attempts to save material are merely cosmetic, such as adjusting standard cardboard boxes to fit their contents more closely by reducing volume.
With rising energy costs, optimising energy consumption is becoming increasingly important. In the realm of intralogistics, innovative drive solutions for lifts and hoists that incorporate energy recovery can offer substantial savings. GEBHARDT is currently developing solutions to quickly and safely transition systems into energy-saving deep sleep modes.
Man and Machine: Symbiosis Instead of Competition
‘When we talk about sustainability, the human factor cannot be neglected,’ emphasises Tobias Vetter. ‘For us, sustainability also means designing workplaces according to ergonomic standards and securing jobs in Germany.’
But how does the innovation drive in automation and artificial intelligence affect people's career prospects? For many companies, the shortage of skilled workers is the driving force behind automation. In structurally weak regions, automation can secure the competitiveness of companies – and thus jobs. Human specialists will remain indispensable in plant operation, maintenance and administration, to name just a few areas. What's more, it isn't easy to reproduce not only the cognitive and physical abilities of humans by a machine. ‘Science has not yet succeeded in precisely replicating the motor and sensory functions of the human hand,’ emphasises Tobias Vetter. Even in areas with a high degree of automation, such as palletising, this human skill is a great advantage, especially when dealing with complex geometries and heterogeneous product ranges.
Full automation offers potential in systems with a manageable range of heterogeneous items that are also easy for robots to pick. Such microfulfilment centres in urban areas would also address the last-mile problem. In short, the fully automated dark warehouse without human employees is not feasible across the board due to its complexity, and it is by no means sensible or desirable for every area.
Would you like to make your warehouse more resilient and sustainable?
We can show you how – individually, efficiently and with a view to the future. Contact us now and start working with us to achieve more powerful intralogistics.
