Warehouses rely on repetitive tasks like picking, packing, sorting, and scanning to maintain steady supply chain operations and organize the flow of goods within the warehouse. While these repetitive tasks are essential to the efficiency of warehouse operations, the repetition can put a strain on labor resources.

Implementing smart warehouse solutions and autonomous material handling equipment to warehouses streamlines repetitive tasks while also reducing the cost of human labor. That way, you can focus your human resources on higher-value roles within the warehouse and leave the repetitive tasks to an automated system.

Repetitive Material Handling Labor Costs

Repetitive material handling can become a problem for warehouses more strained on labor force. It also may not show up clearly on a spreadsheet when determining how to improve efficiency within your warehouse. Workers walking the same routes dozens of times per shift can reduce hours being put towards higher-value tasks like quality checks, order accuracy, or inventory management.

Beyond lost time, repetitive lifting, pushing, and walking is a high contributor towards warehouse injuries. Strains, sprains, and overuse injuries are common in facilities that rely heavily on manual transport. This can carry a real cost of workers’ compensation, turnover, and lost productivity.

There’s also the cost of sourcing enough manual labor for your warehouse on a consistent basis. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for hand laborers and material movers ranges from 50,980. Factor in the costs of an HR department for hiring, as well as the reliance on a large labor pool to keep the warehouses staffed, and there may become too many factors causing your supply chain or warehouse operations to slow down.

Is There a Labor Shortage in the U.S.?

Labor shortages have become an increasing concern for warehouses in the U.S. This comes from a combination of the existing labor force aging and a decrease in new recruits for these jobs. But, the requirement for repetitive material handling does not slow down. With a smaller pool of new hires to choose from, there needs to be solutions beyond the existing labor force to keep warehouses running at the same pace, or an even more efficient pace.

The Solution Through Warehouse Automation

At the same time that labor shortages have increased, autonomous material handling equipment has offered a solution. This type of equipment automates tasks often done by human labor. The goal is not to replace the workforce in its entirety but to create a more efficient working environment within the warehouses.

Autonomous mobile robots are one such example of implementing automated material handling equipment within warehouses. Using AMRs, warehouses can reduce the amount of human labor resources needed for repetitive material handling tasks. These self-driving robots follow a mapped path to transport material around a warehouse. They also relieve human labor in warehouses from strain carrying heavy materials back and forth within the warehouse.

What to Look For in Warehouse Automation Solutions

Not every warehouse automation solution fits. Before investing in autonomous solutions, consider which repetitive tasks in your facility truly take up the most time and resources that could be best spent on higher-value tasks. These repetitive tasks are ideal candidates for implementing automated strategies into your existing layout, rather than restrategizing business operations around these time consuming tasks.

Also consider scalability. Solutions that work today should also be able to expand as your operations grow, without requiring a complete rethink of your material flow. Repetitive material handling is a solvable problem within warehouse operations, especially as automated solutions become more advanced within the advent of AI.