The Role of Robotics in the Modern Material Handling

It's estimated that more than 30 percent of all warehouses have some type of robotics automating work in their facilities today. That's up from only about 20 percent of warehouses that integrated robots in 2021. Furthermore, more than 50 percent of warehouse managers report spending more on robotics and automated equipment for their warehouse, with the robotics market in this sector expected to be valued at north of $50 billion by 2030.

Primarily driven by increasing demand for online purchases and challenges in hiring skilled laborers, robots may seem like a necessity in today's modern warehouse. However, their benefits extend to other areas as well, such as helping improve operational efficiency, enhancing safety, and reducing errors that humans may be more likely to commit during certain tasks.

As a leader in developing innovative automated material handling solutions, Daifuku continues to move the market forward by developing next-generation solutions to help warehouses further improve their efficiency and effectiveness to create new competitive advantages. Daifuku's latest innovation is an update to its popular Robotic De-Layering and Singulation System, or RDS.

Read on to learn more about the increased role that robotics is playing in modern material handling situations and Daifuku's latest innovation, the newest version of our RDS.

The Role of Robotics in Material Handling

Picking. Placing. Transporting. That's the central role of robotics in material handling situations — and when it's done correctly, robotics can effectively automate various tasks and improve efficiency and productivity on the shop floor. Some of the key benefits of robotics in material handling environments include:

• Improved efficiency: Time is money, and robots can work much faster and more continuously than humans, which increases throughput and productivity. Ideally, this can also help lead to improved profits.

• Robots can also help with precision and reduce the likelihood of errors. This can help with quality control, minimize the necessity of returns and result in more satisfied customers.

• Safety: Robots can do things that humans are either unable or unwilling to do — regardless of the reason. For instance, robots can handle hazardous materials or be asked to do dangerous activities that would otherwise put a human worker at risk of injury. This often includes tasks that are not necessary viewed as “dangerous” but due to their repetitive nature, sometimes pose long term threats to the human body. In these instances, robotics can help reduce the risk of on-the-job injuries and reduce lost time incidents and worker's compensation payouts. It can also help boost morale, as existing workers can transition to higher-value tasks while robots automate more mundane or repetitive acts.

• Overcoming labor challenges: It's already difficult to find skilled labor to staff warehouses, leaving many environments operating understaffed. Robots can help offset these labor challenges by automating tasks that a human would otherwise do. This is often achieved in a manner that robotics supplements human labor, or vise-versa, creating operations flexibility.  Robots can help ensure your warehouse is running at optimum capacity and help ensure they won't be as impacted by labor challenges.

• Operation in confined spaces: Robots can operate in areas where humans cannot and have a compact footprint that doesn't take up much floor space, which is another key advantage of these solutions. That's one of the biggest strengths of Daifuku's latest innovation, as its compact footprint helps warehouse managers optimize space without sacrificing functionality.

Read on to learn more about Daifuku's latest robotic material handling solution and how it continues to support many of the benefits mentioned above.

Daifuku's Latest Innovative Solution

Since its founding in 1937, Daifuku has been at the forefront of industry-leading innovation in material handling. The latest example is the newest generation of our Robotic De-Layering and Singulation System (RDS). Born in Daifuku's Innovation Center, the new RDS takes what works from an already well-established solution and addresses some of the most labor-intensive warehouse tasks even more. It makes short work of:

• Removing products from pallets.

• Conveying products downstream.

• Keeping cases oriented adequately throughout the entire process.

The secret to the latest RDS version is the automated features packed into its sensing and sequencing capabilities. The RDS solution can process pallets of varying heights and discard slip sheets when they are present. Another feature that sets this latest RDS version apart from its predecessors is its compact footprint. Optimize space without losing functionality, and you'll never have to worry about taking up too much space on the shop floor. What's more, there's enhanced flexibility to lay out your warehouse and expand the floor space with various configuration options.

Innovative. Efficient. Space-conscious. You get it all with the new version of the RDS.

‍

‍

Key components of the new RDS include:

• Robotic depalletizer: The RDS consists of a robotic arm that handles pallet layers and transports them individually.

• Singulator/descrambler: This device takes a layer of cases and manipulates them to output as single cases.

• 3D vision sensing: This is used mainly for SKU identification and accurately handling layers.

When optimized, the new RDS can adequately handle up to 450 layers per hour (or more than 5,200 packages per hour). That's a level of productivity that other delayering and singulation systems cannot match.

Contact Daifuku Today

Our team members in the Daifuku Innovation Center continue to work hard to advance our robotic material handling solutions, with the latest version of the RDS serving as a prime example. It's all part of our effort to develop "automation that inspires" since our founding in 1937. Our solutions are known for improving efficiencies and streamlining operations, which is why they're found in warehouses worldwide and continue to help our customers establish competitive advantages.

For more information about our industry-leading automated material handling solutions and how they can help take your warehouse operations to new heights, contact us today.

‍