| | MAY 20248CIOReviewIN MY OPINIONREVAMPING WAREHOUSE OPERATIONS WITH AGVS AND AMRSBy Brian Gaunt, Vice President of Digitalization, DHL Supply ChainLong before the pandemic, the supply chain industry had begun its move towards digitalization. The transformation, however, was accelerated by the effects of the pandemic, such as rapid growth in e-commerce, changes in consumer behavior, and the ongoing labor challenges. Digitalization is helping to reshape processes throughout the supply chain and create opportunities to reduce costs, improve service levels, and adapt resources.One of the focuses in digitalization within the logistics and supply chain industry has been robotics. Many types of robots have been developed for warehouses; however, the automated guided vehicle (AGV) and automated mobile robot (AMR) are becoming among the most widely used robots. Computer-controlled and wheel-based, AGVs are load carriers that travel along the floor of a facility without an operator or a driver. Their movement is directed by a combination of software and sensor-based guidance systems. Meanwhile, AMRs are vehicles that use on-board sensors and processors to autonomously move materials without needing physical guides or markers.One of the most common applications for AGVs is the movement of pallets. AGVs can unload and load pallets from a trailer and put them away in dedicated locations. There are also AGVs such as autonomous forklifts designed to put away, retrieve, and move pallets of varying weights and sizes around the warehouse. Autonomous forklifts operate with a high degree of speed and precision, especially at pallet storage racking levels three and above.On the other hand, AMRs handle tasks such as picking and sorting. Assisted picking robots enable warehouse associates to continually pick without leaving their working zone. They go to the exact location of the item to be picked and, through a simple user interface, show the associate details of the item, such as SKU and quantity. Once the pick is completed, the robot moves to the next pick, and the associate moves to the next robot within their zone. Automated sorting solutions work similarly. An associate scans the parcel and then gives it to the robot; based on the barcode information, the robot can determine where the item should be placed within the warehouse. With such a variety in applications, the benefits of deploying AGVs and AMRs across warehouse operations are quite compelling.· Increase productivity - At DHL Supply Chain, we've deployed multiple AGVs and AMRs solutions and have begun to reap real benefits. In one warehouse, utilizing assisted picking robots, we've seen a three-times increase of units picked per hour. This increase in productivity also reflects in cost savings. Robots have the potential to operate in 24-hour shifts increasing the efficiency of existing warehouse infrastructure.· Safety - The robots are programmed to avoid accidents. An AGV can stop its task if it detects an error or potential issue, and an AMR can navigate around obstacles to avoid a collision. Some AGVs, such as autonomous
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