Simply deploying automating in the DC as a tool for productivity is not enough. This tool must be properly integrated. Operators must be instructed on its proper use. They must be taught to have faith in its ability - not to fear or suspect it. It must be properly managed and continuously maintained.
Improving the efficiency and capacity of a specific process may be only marginally beneficial. This is especially true if upstream and/or downstream processes are not capable of supporting higher performance levels.
Also, it is highly recommended that companies who are considering deploying newly developed technology, have a well thought out backup plan, or temporary work around that will keep operations running while faults are being corrected. This is especially true if an experimental or prototype piece of automation is deployed in the mainline system.
Simulation & Emulation Software Helps Lower Automation Complexity and Risk
It would be great to have a crystal ball that could show how a proposed system solution would operate under various conditions. If you don’t have one – consider working with a contractor that offers computer simulation modeling.
Today’s computer simulation graphics are impressive as many of the visual and functional modeling properties in the last few years have come from leveraging advances in computer gaming technology. As a result there has been dramatic improvement in the realistic behavior of material handling elements within the model. According to Matt Hobson-Rohrer, a Demo3D representative (www.demo3d.com), a simulation model can be quickly developed from AutoCAD layouts for most DC systems making it integral and affordable to the planning and system design process.
It is important to understand that the more complex a systems is the more operationally disruptive it will be to reconfigure once installed. Simulation and emulation tools make it easier for system planners to test and experiment before committing to the final design.
If your business is in anyway fashion orientated, then you know that year-to-year changes in products, customer order profiles, and value added services are normal and to be expected. In addition, many DCs have at least one or two huge peak seasons per year when they may require a large pool of temporary labor. Emulation tools allow the user to see what affect these changes will have on system performance and what management and/or operational adjustments are most beneficial.
Advanced modeling technology, provides:
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