A. Koch, D. Kuhn
Rising energy prices, a shortage of skilled workers, and limited space are presenting the industry worldwide with new challenges. What does this mean for intralogistics specialists like Ferag? Andreas Koch, Head of Operational Business, and Product Manager Dieter Kuhn see several aspects.
Despite slight dips following the Covid-19 lockdowns, e-commerce demand remains high. The challenge for many retailers: a large number of new customers with increasingly smaller orders. Medium-sized retailers are therefore looking to move away from manual processes. However, logistics processes are not their core business. They need support. "Manual systems quickly reach their limits these days," says Andreas Koch, Head of Operational Business at Ferag.
Most business owners associate automation with complexity, high energy costs, new construction, and lengthy start-ups. "The energy issue is currently a major concern. Our competitors' responses are usually similar: energy-efficient motors and drive systems improve the bottom line. But honestly, these are no longer differentiating factors in the market. What truly makes the difference, in our view, is that our technologies are based on the smooth rolling principle rather than sliding motion.".
This reduces the number of required drives to a minimum. "In the Skyfall overhead conveyor system, we use gravity to drive the conveyor units," confirms Dieter Kuhn, product manager of the Swiss company.
Combine systems
Nevertheless, job portals are teeming with logistics vacancies. "Many are desperately trying to recruit staff so that packages can somehow leave the warehouse. There's a real crisis for many." However, the industry agrees that they can't avoid automating material flow. The time has come for simple, modular, scalable, and energy-efficient solutions.
“It’s about combining systems. The customer doesn’t have to build everything from scratch or redesign processes; instead, we need to develop the right processes together,” explains Koch. For example, the Swiss company combines its Skyfall pocket sorter with a shuttle warehouse or an AutoStore system. “We reduce storage movements, achieve efficiency gains, and automated systems also benefit, as they are often already operating at their capacity limits. With Skyfall, we relieve the burden on processes and create reserves for the storage system,” promises Dieter Kuhn. Combining automated storage systems with a Skyfall pocket sorter, for instance, increases efficiency by reducing storage transport and retrieval cycles. “To demonstrate this, we create a digital twin of the system before implementation and simulate future material flows. Many customers realize that they need to think holistically about their processes. Simply deploying a robot or AMRs in isolation doesn’t immediately solve the problem. Many of our users understand this.”
Image: Ferag AG
That sounds like a major investment – daunting for medium-sized businesses. "The modularity of our systems enables automation even in the smallest spaces. We don't need any additional square meters because we work under the ceiling. We integrate seamlessly into the customer's existing systems." Connecting AMRs is also easily possible. Another uncomfortable topic: land consumption. Dieter Kuhn explains: "Every square meter seals off habitat for plants and animals. Therefore, wherever possible, we rely on systems that are installed under the warehouse roof, thus optimally utilizing the available space thanks to their 3D capabilities." Many municipalities are hardly ever tendering logistics space in industrial parks anymore because many residents expect fast delivery from e-commerce shops but don't want the warehouse in their neighborhood. "If a medium-sized business has to build from scratch, then it really has a big problem. That's why retrofit projects are becoming so important right now," Koch adds.
