that required first aid—like bumps and bruises—by 87% while seeing a 21% productivity boost,” he says. Reducing the physical strain on employees can help reduce turnover as well. “It’s hard enough to retain people, but if you give them something they want to work with, it helps,” says Blizard. “They’re not as exhausted when they go home and have more energy for their family life.” Multifaceted ROI In addition to employee productivity gains, automation can change the equation of operational velocity and space utilization in a distribution center. Several Destuff-it users have been able to reduce the number of dock doors due to the increased speed of unloading trailers. A warehouse with 40 doors could be downsized to 10 doors, with 10 teams instead of 40. They can reallocate those doors and floor space to other uses, such as adding more racks or other machines. Faster turn times help reduce carrier waiting times and trailer backlogs. With a portable ergonomic conveyor, a dock
With the Destuff-it, two teams of six workers can replace 10 teams of two workers, for example. “You end up with a headcount bonus you can distribute somewhere else in the building,” Sawatzky says. Enhancing Employee Management & Safety According to OSHA, 25% of all reported warehouse injuries are attributed to loading docks. Workers grapple with heavy boxes and may be struck by falling boxes. As they become fatigued, workers may take shortcuts like reaching too far, knocking the box wall over, and picking up boxes off the floor. Automation not only improves productivity but also improves employee safety. Fewer employees work each dock, and they don’t have to engage in lifting, twisting, and turning, which reduces exposure to potential injuries. When he worked at a leading ecommerce company as a safety program manager, D’Anna saw firsthand the benefits of the Destuff-it ergonomic conveyor in a pilot program. “We completely eliminated all serious injuries and reduced injuries
door may handle four trucks per shift instead of one. “The ability to keep trucks cycling through doors and keep the product flowing through the building is critical,” D’Anna says. Because the Destuff-it system is portable, it can serve several dock doors, compared to a stationary machine that occupies a door, whether it’s used or not. “With the correct power distribution system, you can service a dozen doors with a single Destuff-it at a DC,” Sawatzky says. Engineering Innovation Inc.: First Steps to Automation Given the technological and financial hurdles to implementing fully robotic DCs, many companies understandably look for interim steps between manual and automated operations. Engineering Innovation Inc. (EII) offers low-tech yet effective solutions for presort mailing and parcel applications that dramatically improve DC performance without a lengthy and costly onboarding process. DC operators can get a taste of the benefits of automation, and cost savings can help fund future investments. “When someone is going from manual processes and taking their first steps into automation, that’s our niche,” Gregory says. “We’re helping them get started in their first few years in automation, and then they’ll be ready to take the next steps.” The level of automation may vary by location within the same company.
Gorbel®’s Destuff-it™ and complementary machine Restuff-it™ improve labor and warehouse space utilization.
“We have seen a company with an East Coast warehouse with full
automation; in the middle of the country they have some level of technology, and in their West Coast operation they have zero automation,” Gregory says. EII helps companies target the worst bottlenecks in the operation, such as manually receiving packages into the building and sorting parcels for shipment. The solutions were developed to solve specific problem areas with automation to improve warehouse efficiency.
48 Inbound Logistics • November 2024
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