• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile

  • CORONAVIRUS
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Material Handling Automation in an E-Commerce Environment

Material Handling Automation in an E-Commerce Environment

April 22, 2014
SupplyChainBrain

The growth in e-commerce is driving many companies to rethink their material handling systems, says Cwiak. “Compared with traditional retail situations e-commerce orders have fewer units, so you need more labor or more automation,” he says. In these situations, belted solutions are usually more efficient than traditional roller conveyors and many companies are moving in that direction, he says.

In addition, smaller orders are more frequently being packaged in padded envelopes or poly bags rather than boxes, which also leads to different conveyor selections.

“With this type of packaging, the operators often are placing product directly on the equipment, which means that we have to close gaps that traditionally may not have needed to be closed,” Cwiak says. “We also need to reduce entanglements or catch points with the packages, which are not as rigid as boxes and have a tendency to fall into places where you don’t want them. So we are continually putting extra guarding in to help protect both workers and packages.”

When equipping a warehouse with automated material handing, it is important to keep flexibility in mind, he says. “We don’t know what packaging may be like in 10 years, so keep in mind that your packaging may change and the products you distribute may change. Selecting conveyors and sortation machines that are flexible and can be used across different types of packaging will be of most benefit.”

To improve and speed return on investment, Cwiak advises companies to select modular systems that can be integrated quickly, reducing the lag time between the equipment’s purchase and the realization of returns. To control ongoing costs, make sure you check out issues around reliability and energy efficiency, he says. “If the equipment is up and running it is giving you a return; if it is breaking down all the time, it is not,” he says.

To view the video in its entirety, click here

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Logistics Logistics Outsourcing Technology Global Supply Chain Management Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility HR & Labor Management All Warehouse Services Warehouse Management Systems
KEYWORDS All Warehouse Services Global Supply Chain Management group vice president and head of subsystems at Interroll HR & Labor Management inventory control Inventory Management inventory management IT inventory management systems IT supply chain IT supply chain management Logistics logistics & supply chain logistics IT solutions logistics management Logistics Management: Warehouse Logistics Logistics Outsourcing RFID & Barcode Stephen Cwiak supply chain supply chain management IT sustainability Technology Warehouse Management Warehouse Management Systems wms warehouse management WMS warehouse management systems
  • Related Articles

    Materials Handling Automation in an E-Commerce Environment

    Technological, Ergonomic Advances in Automation Improve Worker Environment in DCs

    E-commerce, Fulfillment Demands Drive Growth in Warehouse Automation, Study Finds

  • Related Directories

    SnapFulfil

SupplyChainBrain

100 Great Supply Chain Partners Issue 2009

More from this author

Wake up to Coronavirus Updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • Coronavirus-watch-Armada

    Virus Update: Cadila Looks to Double Vaccine Capacity; Pfizer Makes South Africa Deal After Standoff

    Coronavirus
  • Ocado

    Kroger Is Amassing a Robot Army to Battle Amazon, Walmart

    Logistics
  • Why Is There a Global Semiconductor Shortage?

    Watch: Why Is There a Global Semiconductor Shortage?

    Coronavirus
  • Gig Worker

    The Gig Economy Is Booming, Despite Debates Over Workers’ Rights

    Logistics
  • Mathematics

    Solving Supply-Chain Disruption Comes Down to Mathematics

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)

Digital Edition

Scb feb 2021 lg

2021 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • Remote Implementation: A Dose of the Right Medicine for B2B Pharmacy

  • LSP Saves Customer $1.5 Million a Year With MPO Global Inbound Management

  • Auto Supplier Wows Key Client Using riskmethods Supply Chain Savvy

  • Integrating Shipping and Compliance Saves Conglomerate Millions

  • How a Consumer Goods Giant Upped Its On-Time Delivery Performance

Visit Our Sponsors

Yang Ming 6 River Systems ArcBest
Armada aThingz BluJay
Burris Logistics DSC Logistics DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association)
DHL Resilience360 Flash Global Genpact
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Honeywell Corporate Honeywell Intelligrated Infor
Inmar Kibo Commerce Kinaxis
Logility Magnitude Software MPO
Old Dominion Oliver Wight OpenSky
Paccurate Ports America Purolator
QAD Precision Red Classic Riskmethods
S&H Systems Snapfulfil TGW Systems
Tradepoint Atlantic Transportation Insights Watson Land Company
Westfalia Technologies Workjam
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2021 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing