The Basics of Warehouse Automation

By: Marc Menard

May 1, 2025 | 4 min read

There’s a ton of buzz around warehouse automation these days – robots gliding down aisles, systems whirring away, promising peak efficiency. It sounds futuristic, maybe even a little intimidating. But what does it really mean for your operation?

In this blog, we’ll break down the different flavours of automation, look at what they do best, and give you a real-world sense of where they fit. Think of this as your foundational guide to the basics of warehouse automation.

A Quick Reality Check

Before we dream about robots, let’s talk groundwork. Automation isn’t magic; it’s technology that needs to talk to your existing systems. If you’re seriously considering automation, you need to ensure your digital infrastructure is ready.

What does that mean? It means having a robust Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that can integrate smoothly. Your data needs to be clean, accurate, and structured properly. Without this digital foundation, even the most advanced automation will struggle to deliver its potential. So, get your house in order first!

Mechanized vs. Automated: What’s the Difference?

You might hear these terms thrown around. Let’s clarify:

• Mechanized: Think conveyors, sorters, or maybe pallet wrappers. These systems use machinery to assist human labor with specific, often repetitive tasks. Humans are still very much in the driver’s seat.
• Automated: This is where machines take on tasks with minimal human intervention. Think robotic arms picking items, autonomous vehicles navigating the warehouse, or systems managing storage and retrieval largely on their own. Automation implies a higher degree of autonomy and system-level control.

Understanding the Landscape: Two Main Categories of Warehouse Automation

When we talk about warehouse automation, especially the more advanced types, much of it can be broadly categorized, often falling under the umbrella of “Goods-to-Person” systems (more on that distinction later). But I find it helpful to think about it in two main ways:

1. Enhancing the Conventional: This approach involves adding automation into a standard warehouse layout. You’re not necessarily undertaking massive construction, but rather replacing or augmenting manual labor with technology.
   • What it Looks Like: Think Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) or Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) moving pallets or shelves, or perhaps Shuttle Systems operating within high density racking (like Deep Lane Shuttles).
   • The Objective: Flexibility is key here. You can often scale these solutions up or down by adding or removing units (like robots). It’s about boosting efficiency and reducing manual travel within an existing footprint.
2. Dedicated Systems: This path usually involves systems that define the storage area and often require significant integration, sometimes even specific building considerations or construction.
   • What it Looks Like: This is where you see technologies like Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) with cranes, cube-based storage (e.g., AutoStore), MiniLoad systems, Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs), or Carousels.
   • The Objective: These systems are often about maximizing density and throughput within a dedicated footprint. They represent a more fundamental shift in how goods are stored and handled, moving away from conventional layouts.

Goods-to-Person (G2P) vs. Follow-Me Systems

This is another crucial way to differentiate automation, focusing on how tasks like order picking are handled:

• Goods-to-Person (G2P): As the name suggests, the system brings the items to a stationary picker. Most of the “Dedicated Systems” mentioned above (ASRS, AutoStore, VLMs, Carousels, MiniLoads) operate on this principle. Some AMRs can also function this way, bringing shelves or totes to a picking station. The goal is to eliminate picker travel time almost entirely.
• Follow-Me Systems: Here, technology assists a picker moving through the warehouse. The most common example is AMRs (like Locus Robotics) that follow a picker, who picks items onto the robot. When full, the robot autonomously takes the order to dispatch while another robot meets the picker. AMRs can also be used simply to transport goods over long distances, reducing unproductive travel time for staff even without the “follow-me” picking function.

It’s Not Just About Speed: Throughput vs. Space

Different automation solutions excel in different areas. It’s rarely about getting everything. You need to know your goal:

• Boosting Throughput: Some systems are designed primarily to increase the number of orders picked or items processed per hour. Think AMRs, which can be used to pick multiple orders per trip down the pick path. Even more impressive, automated systems can have be operating up to 98.5% of the day, leading to a major increase in overall throughput.
• Maximizing Space (Density): Other systems are masters of fitting more stuff into less space. Cube-based storage (AutoStore), Deep Lane Shuttles, pallet ASRS cranes, and VLMs are prime examples. They achieve high storage density per square foot, often utilizing vertical space effectively.

A Quick Look at Common Automation Types:

Let’s touch on some specific technologies mentioned:

• ASRS (Cranes): Often used for pallets or large items. Requires significant infrastructure (tall racking, specific floor requirements) but offers high density and automated handling.
• 4-Way Pallet Shuttle Systems: A more modern and flexible take on the crane system. These can operate in shorter building heights and offer additional throughput by adding more shuttles.
• Deep Lane Shuttle: Great for high-density storage of items with fewer SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) per channel, often fitting into more conventional building structures. Excellent for buffering or specific storage needs.
• AutoStore / Cube Storage: High density for small-to-medium sized items that fit in standardized totes. Items are stored in a cube, accessed by robots from the top. Highly space-efficient G2P.
• MiniLoad ASRS: Similar G2P concept to AutoStore but typically handles totes or cartons from racking using a crane or shuttle mechanism. Good for unit/case pickingand can be utilized as an order buffering system.
• VLMs/Carousels: Enclosed G2P systems using trays or carriers that rotate/elevate to present items to a picker. Excellent space savers, often used for small parts or valuable items.
• AGVs/AMRs: Operate within conventional facilities. AGVs typically follow fixed paths (wires, tape), while AMRs navigate dynamically using sensors and maps. AMRs offer more flexibility and can be used for transport, G2P (bringing shelves), or follow-me picking. They can be a good way to “trickle in” automation as they often require less initial infrastructure change than large ASRS systems, though they might operate at slower speeds in mixed traffic environments.

Important Reminder: Automation Isn’t All or Nothing

Seeing all these options might feel overwhelming, but here’s the good news: you don’t have to automate everything overnight. The smartest approach is often incremental. Identify the processes in your warehouse that are bottlenecks, labor-intensive, or error-prone. Is it long travel times? Inefficient storage? Picking accuracy?

Then, choose the automation solution – big or small – that best addresses that specific problem. Start there, measure the results, and iterate.

Wrapping Up

Warehouse automation offers incredible potential, but it’s a tool, not a magic wand. Understanding the basics of warehouse automation – the different types, their strengths (throughput vs. density), how they integrate (conventional vs. dedicated), and how they interact with your workforce (G2P vs. follow-me) – is the first step.

The key is to be strategic. Analyze your operation, understand your needs, and choose the right tools for the job. Automation should solve your problems, not just be technology for technology’s sake.

Got questions about where to start? Feel free to reach out at [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn!

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