AUTOMATION PIVOTAL TO STABILITY, PREDICTABILITY TO WAREHOUSE OPERATIONS, HONEYWELL REPORT SHOWS

Rhea-AI Summary

Honeywell's report, Warehouse Automation: Future-Proofing the Global Economy, highlights critical automation strategies for businesses facing unpredictable consumer demand. It emphasizes that today's warehouses experience constant high demand, unlike previously predictable cycles. The report suggests focusing on worker augmentation with automation, challenging current technologies, and long-term investment in automation solutions. These insights, derived from industry leader interviews, outline how ongoing disruptions affect operational throughput and supply chain stability.

Positive

• The report emphasizes the importance of automation in improving stability and efficiency in warehouse operations.
• Recommendations from industry leaders include augmenting workers with automation rather than replacing them.

Negative

• Ongoing disruptions from the pandemic and global trade issues are affecting throughput and capacity in warehouses.
• The report indicates that businesses face escalating demands that challenge existing fulfillment processes.

• Warehouse Automation: Future-Proofing the Global Economy report identifies three key considerations to help businesses identify and utilize the right automation solutions as they mature along their automation journey

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Relentless eCommerce trends continue to put tremendous strain on distribution and fulfillment operations worldwide. A new Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) report reveals once-predictable consumer demand cycles centered around holidays and "peak seasons" have given way to a model where any month, week or day can be a holiday.

Warehouse Automation: Future-Proofing the Global Economy, authored by Futurum Research, examines the importance of automation as an increasingly critical component in helping warehouse and distribution center (DC) operators meet new escalation points in consumer demand.

"One of the biggest predictors of how a business will thrive in the hypercompetitive e-commerce and omnichannel marketplace is how well it improves its decision making in real time to make deliveries faster and more accurate," said Keith Fisher, president of Honeywell Intelligrated. "With rising service level agreements dictating order fulfillment process improvements, automation can help bring stability, predictability and potentially unlock greater efficiency to their operations."

The analysts at Futurum Research developed the report after sitting down with a group of industry leaders with deep, global experience in warehouse operations, automation technologies and systems implementation to hear first-hand of their experiences and thoughts on the future of warehouse automation. Three recommendations emerged from the interviews as businesses navigate challenges both present and future along their automation journey:

• Focus on augmenting and securing, not replacing the worker. While the concept of a dark warehouse exists on the horizon, the reality today is that the future of warehouse and DC operations for the foreseeable future is one where workers and automation technologies are both needed and must co-exist.
• Constantly challenge assumptions and technologies. The value of automation should not be limited to just automating existing takes or processes, it should be part of an overall strategy that addresses the issues of what tasks can be automated today while also asking what new tasks or processes might be possible tomorrow.
• Invest with a long-term focus for both technologies and partners. In a static or slow growth market, the application of automation technologies to address specific short-term needs may make sense. However, the rapidly growing and evolving market of today requires a much longer focus and a more rigorous framework.

"While warehouses have historically had a sense of predictability in demand cycles, we found that in today's warehouses and DCs, every day is as busy as peak," said Shelly Kramer, principal analyst and founding partner of Futurum Research. "While we can assume the level of strain this has placed on supply chain and fulfillment operations, we were able to get a better grasp of how businesses are approaching this shift in consumer expectations and adopting the right automation to meet their long-term business goals."

The report also explores how the ongoing pandemic, global trade issues and regional conflicts have created long-term disruptions to the historically predictable throughput and capacity of warehouses and DCs.

From concept and integration, Honeywell Intelligrated draws on its expanding portfolio and deep industry expertise to help warehousing, distribution and fulfillment companies optimize and manage their processes. The business offers integrated end-to-end automation solutions, warehouse execution systems and analytics solutions to improve throughput and keep workers safe. To learn more about Honeywell's warehouse automation solutions and capabilities, visit sps.honeywell.com/us/en/products/automation.

Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (SPS) provides products, software and connected solutions that improve productivity, workplace safety and asset performance for our customers across the globe. We deliver on this promise through industry-leading mobile devices, software, cloud technology and automation solutions, the broadest range of personal protective equipment and gas detection technology, and custom-engineered sensors, switches and controls. For more information, please visit: sps.honeywell.com.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

Contacts:

Media
Whitney Ellis
(704) 621-4354
whitney.ellis@honeywell.com

 

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FAQ

What are the key recommendations from Honeywell's report on warehouse automation?

The report recommends focusing on augmenting workers with automation, challenging existing technologies, and investing with a long-term focus.

How does Honeywell's report address current trends in consumer demand?

It highlights that consumer demand has become unpredictable, with every day resembling peak shopping periods.

What challenges do warehouses face according to Honeywell's report?

The report identifies ongoing disruptions due to the pandemic and global trade issues as significant challenges affecting warehouses.

What is the significance of automation in warehouse operations as per Honeywell's findings?

Automation is seen as pivotal for stability and efficiency in warehouse operations amidst rising consumer expectations.

What industry insights were gathered for the Honeywell report?

Insights were obtained through interviews with industry leaders experienced in warehouse operations and automation technologies.