Reduce Shipping Errors and Transportation Costs with Tailored Warehouse Automation Solutions

Warehouse Automation Solutions to Prevent Shipping Errors

Order fulfillment is a multi-step, labor-intensive process. Far more complex than grabbing an item off a shelf and sending it off, order fulfillment encompasses inventory planning, ordering, storage, picking, packaging, labeling, and, yes, finally… shipping. While a few dozen daily orders are manageable, hundreds or thousands can become overwhelming and costly. Warehouse automation can help you overcome the headwinds holding down your shipping efficiency.

While automating an entire warehouse may not be economically feasible or sound for many businesses, streamlining part of your order processing is very doable. Costs increase as facilities rely on error-prone manual activities such as hand scanning and verifying, boxing and sealing, dimension measuring, weighing, manifesting, and labeling. It’s no secret that minimizing these touches is the best way to reduce the time and costs associated with shipping. In addition to labor savings, automation can help reduce transportation fees associated with dim-weight errors and chargeback costs for mislabeling. 

Automating part or all of these functions allows you to use your best workers for other tasks and stop the struggles associated with redundant pack and ship processing.  

Shipping Automation Advantages 

• Minimize reliance on labor variability 
• Quickly scale up and down for seasonality
• Optimize carton size and compliance with carrier specs to reduce transportation charges
• Improve consistency and accuracy throughout the pack and ship processes
• Improve flexibility and scalability to meet ever-changing Customer needs

Let’s look at warehouse automation solutions that simplify packing & shipping. For the purpose of this review, let’s consider “shipping” as encompassing the process post item picking. Assuming we have an item and a customer, how can we cost-effectively get the product to our customer using warehouse automation?

Automation Solutions for Pack & Ship

• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
• Packaging & Sealing
• Void-Fill Systems
• Carton Construct, Close & Seal Equipment
• Dimensioning & Weighing
• Print & Apply Labeling
• Conveyance & Sortation
• Scan/Camera Verified-Based Compliance & Quality Control

 

WMS software automates and optimizes various warehouse processes, including inventory management, order fulfillment, packing, and shipping. By integrating with other automation technologies, WMS helps reduce errors by providing real-time visibility, accurate inventory tracking, and efficient order processing.

Case erectors & sealers automatically form corrugated cases or boxes from flat cardboard sheets, significantly reducing manual labor, improving efficiency, and ensuring consistent carton quality. Case sealers use glue, tape, or adhesive to close various case sizes and types.

Void-fill systems fill empty spaces in packages to prevent products from shifting. Air pillows, foam, paper, or bubble wrap are commonly used to cushion items and protect them from damage.

Dimensioning & weighing systems are typically laser or camera-based measurement systems used to capture the package length, width, height measurements, and package weight. Capturing this data accurately is critical for proper ship system manifesting and compliance with parcel carrier dim-weight rules to avoid chargebacks. The data collected drives the ship system manifest process. This process can optimize the best shipping method and generate shipping labels for the package. 

Automated labelers consist of self-contained print-apply systems that combine a high-density thermal/thermal-transfer label printer with an automatic label applicator to simultaneously print and apply pressure-sensitive labels to the tops, bottoms, or sides of products, shipping cartons, or picking containers along the conveyor lines. Besides the elimination of labor, this automation provides consistency for labeling where customers require specific adherence to a variety of requirements at steady high-speed rates.  

Accumulating & sorting conveyors are often integrated with dimensioning, weighing, and print & apply automation.  Accumulation conveyors help provide upstream and downstream carton buffering and gapping between the various automated equipment operations (document insertion, void fill, weighing, dimensioning, carton sealing, print & apply). Sortation conveyors come in many styles and speeds, which are designed around the carton characteristics and peak business volumes to efficiently sort cartons to the carrier pallet or truck.

High-speed sortation conveyor systems pair with automated labelers to seamlessly move packages through the labeling process, reducing manual handling and optimizing overall efficiency. Mechanical sortation conveyors use divert arms, reciprocating slats or shoes, pop wheels, cross-belts, tilt trays, and other mechanisms to sort and route items to designated shipping areas automatically. Streamlining the sorting process helps ensure that the correct items are sent to the right destinations.

Compliance and Reporting: The system can generate reports and documentation that comply with carrier requirements and industry standards. This includes providing accurate dimensions and weights for shipment rating, regulatory purposes, and auditing shipments to ensure compliance.

Automated Quality Control Systems use sensors, cameras, and machine vision technology to inspect products for defects, damage, or incorrect packaging. By automatically identifying and rejecting faulty items, they help prevent shipping errors and ensure that customers receive high-quality products.

Strategic Application of Warehouse Automation Solutions – The Apex Way

By implementing warehouse automation technologies, your operation can significantly reduce shipping errors and operating costs while enhancing customer satisfaction. There is clearly a range of automation solutions to apply –Let the Apex Automation team help ensure you choose the equipment that will deliver accurate order fulfillment, reduce manual labor, optimize inventory management, minimize packaging errors, streamline shipping processes, and improve overall efficiency.

We take a vendor-agnostic approach when customizing your solutions and ensure the most efficient and cost-effective application for your unique needs. Apex remains your partner through the process and beyond, offering full-service warehousing support from custom warehouse and systems design, automation solutions, installation, pallet rack inspections, custom repairs, equipment, and more. 

Contact Apex today to speak with our automation experts.