Facing the biggest challengesAutomation Integration

The automated future is

now. Today’s consumer

expects their perfect,

personalised order to

be picked, packed and

delivered when and where

they want, and fast.

The increasing demands of

an ever-changing and rapidly

developing e-commerce

landscape puts pressure on

retailers, manufacturers and

distributors to supply all

kinds of packages – direct

to consumers or buyers - in

smaller quantities and at a

much quicker pace. And it’s

not just retail. Automation

and accelerating use of

robotics technology is trending

upwards in many industry

sectors from automotive to

food processing.

Automation IntegrationFacing the biggest challenges

© 2018 • info@logisticsimprovementgroup.com • www.logisticsimprovementgroup.com

For businesses facing the challenge

of keeping up to speed, this means

looking at automating existing

onerous manual and people-

intensive processes. For others, it’s

about increasing the breadth or

scale of automation that’s already

in place, creating extra capacity

for growth and satisfying customer

demand for speedy or same day

service.

With warehouse space at a

premium, automation can mean

using more of the available

space more efficiently, often by significantly increasing storage density. This enables higher

volume throughput, tighter

inventory control and an ability to

handle a growing number of SKUs,

24/7.

Automated systems can also work

well in certain environments

where conditions are more difficult for staff to work in, such as chilled

or refrigerated warehouses for

fresh and frozen products.

As an experienced Supply Chain

Director, Finance Director or

Warehouse Manager, you’ll

be well aware that tackling

automation certainly isn’t for the

faint-hearted. It’s highly complex

and any transition must, critically,

allow the organisation to

maintain and seamlessly deliver

a ‘business as usual’ operation.

You simply cannot afford to

compromise customer service.

AutomationThe benefits at a glance

• Improve speed

• Ensure accuracy

• Maximise capacity and space

utilisation

• Minimise risk

• Satisfy the customer’s

expectations

• Enhance your reputation

01. Procurement Including vendor selection and

contract negotiation

02. Mobilisation Managed by a dedicated

Project Team

03. Design Detailed design with engagement

through process workshops

04. Build and Commissioning Project facilitation

and coordination

05. Operation Preparationand Training

Management structures

and operational controls

06. Testing and Readiness Planning Software acceptance

and integration

07. Go Live Cutover planning, issue logging,

issue resolution and refinement

08. Review Tracking and measuring

the business benefits

Integrating automated systems and processes across the organisation

A successful automation project typically flows through eight main phases: Effective management at every project phase is critically important.

Making the decision to automateGetting the scale right

A recent survey by technology

research firm Gartner revealed that operational scalability is the

top business priority for 58% of

enterprises around the world.

Technology, IT-related

improvements, process automation

and robotics will all play a part by

enabling business efficiency and capacity for growth.

Our expert automation team

provides decision support for

each step along the automation

journey – from helping the client

organisation at the start to identify

opportunities to producing a robust

business case, through to training,

communications planning, final testing and review.

We work in close partnership with

each client to

• Analyse the current operation

• Select a brand-new site if a new

facility is required

• Collate commercial plans and

identify product types and

volumes

• Develop material flows

• Prepare the outline design

• Generate a detailed cost budget

• Identify cost savings and benefits

What can go wrong?

For obvious reasons, companies don’t generally make their automation

disasters public but there are many examples of automation projects

going badly wrong. Usually it’s a combination of several factors; technical

and human, poor planning and change management and inadequate

communication. When disaster strikes, suppliers and contractors may well

try to apportion blame on the other stakeholders, whether external or

internal.

Appointing an experienced project consultant who acts as ‘honest arbiter’

can be helpful in bringing together all the parties in dispute, to quickly

resolve issues and find workable pathways that get the automation project back on track.

Automation Success

Successful implementation will depend on how well the four core aspects

of the automation project are integrated;

• Chosen automation solution

• Build

• IT systems

• People and change management

If you’re looking at introducing or scaling up automation in your business,

our advice is to talk to those who have done it well and at the right scale.

© 2018 • info@logisticsimprovementgroup.com • www.logisticsimprovementgroup.com

LIG Director Declan Kelly is a consultant with over 30 years’ experience in

logistics and operations management for major organisations with global supply chains. He has successfully delivered major change for a variety of clients in engineering and pharmaceutical and retail sectors including ASOS, Debenhams

and JD Sports. Declan’s current focus is on delivery of automated solutions,

particularly for major clients with complex omni-channel requirements.

About Declan Kelly