Top Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in the Warehouse
Warehouse facilities aren’t just dusty storage spaces anymore that are visited sometimes to retrieve an item, or in the case of the Indiana Jones movies, to store a supernatural ark that can melt faces off. (Hopefully your warehouse doesn’t have that.) Instead, they’re busy facilities filled with bustling workers and machinery that are working towards the same cause – to get orders out quicker and make customers happy. But, as more orders come in, and more items need to be picked, packed, and shipped, the chaos also grows.
If you want to stay competitive in the warehousing industry, you can’t afford to ignore the technology that will transform this chaos into finely-tuned operations: Artificial Intelligence (AI). Adopting AI isn’t just the next big thing — it’s an absolute necessity for thriving in warehouse madness and there are five reasons you should bring AI into your warehouse.
- Warehouses are in Flux
One minute, your warehouse is overflowing with inventory, and the next you have empty shelves, especially right after the holiday peak season before returns come flooding back. With the ebbs and tides of warehouse operations, your labor needs can fluctuate by the week, if not the hour. Rigid, conventional warehouse processes just don’t cut it anymore. But when you automate your warehouse operations and bring on AI, you can tackle any order volume that arrives with ease. With AI, you’ll be able to make decisions based on real-time data and adjust your operations on the fly so your warehouse can roll with the punches and stay competitive.
- Ninja-like Moves
Warehouses can be like the TV show “Wipeout” with associates running around in every direction, forklifts zipping through, and obstacles popping up left and right. It’s chaos and large fixed automation won’t help in such an environment and will instead make things worse. AI-powered robots, however, use their advanced LiDAR sensors and machine learning to navigate these spaces like pros, avoiding collisions with their human colleagues and keeping operations running smoothly.
- Safety First
In an environment with so many moving parts, safety has to be your warehouse’s top priority. With AI managing their movements, your warehouse robots take the correct and safest path every time. Whether they’re moving around each other with multiple robots in the same aisle to avoid traffic jams, performing precision two-robot passing maneuvers in tight spaces, re-routing or redirecting whenever obstacles pop up, and maneuvering around people and obstacles, you have flexible, safe, and intelligent navigation.
- Surprise Sales
Thanks to supply and demand, along with flash TikTok sales or promotions that marketing doesn’t mention to the warehouse, your order volumes can change just like the tides. AI can show you what’s coming in for orders so you can scale up throughput, know if you need to move workers around in the zones, and optimize picking routes so you’re ready to crush that pipeline surge.
- Handling Endless SKU Combos
From pocket-sized electronics to industrial equipment, modern warehouses manage crazy amounts of product diversity. Tracking and properly handling thousands of unique SKUs is a mind-bending task for humans, but an easy one for AI-powered systems. With artificial intelligence, you’ll be able to optimize your storage layouts, design the most efficient pick routes, and seamlessly adapt processes as your warehouse inventory changes.
Locus Robotics’ AI-Powered Solution
Blending cutting-edge AI with robotic automation, Locus improves your warehouse operations with one intelligent bot at a time that works alongside your human associates. LocusBots aren’t here to replace your human workforce — instead, they create a better working environment for your associates by taking over monotonous tasks so your team can focus on higher-level operations.
LocusBots adapt to even the craziest warehouse conditions, self-navigating through chaos while avoiding obstacles and self-adjusting routes. The LocusHub solution works with your warehouse management system to supply a constant stream of operational intelligence, pinpointing inefficiencies and optimizing workflows in real-time so your warehouse keeps hitting peak performance.
Want to learn how artificial intelligence and robotics can improve your warehouse operations? Let’s talk!
