Automated warehouses as a response to space and lean manufacturing challenges
In 2015, BizLink launched the first phase of implementing Modula automated warehouses. This process is still ongoing, with the addition of further units. The impetus came from a customer who was focused on comprehensive production and warehouse optimization. This brought new demands for the reorganization of the original space in order to achieve maximum item capacity and use the warehouse in a different way than just the area in the existing solution. However, not every company builds on a greenfield site. In most cases, existing spaces or buildings are available that were once used to manufacture something else. Companies thus continue to operate where they once planted their first production “seed” and remain in their original locations. For this reason, automation and the entire supply chain are a challenge for suppliers and logisticians alike. They must seek solutions to cope with the space while supporting lean production, efficient warehousing, and handling. The goal is for the end result to deliver maximum added value in the form of a comprehensive and functional system.