Invata Intralogistics

02/02/2023

One of the great unknowns for operations is the fulfillment window that will accompany any given order coming into the system.

No doubt all ecommerce orders need to be filled quickly, but some orders require even more expedited fulfillment than others for reasons such as:

=> Orders entering the system close to shipping/carrier induction cut-off times

=> Deliveries farther away from the fulfillment center

=> Overnight delivery requirements

Whatever the reason, the challenge for the provider is to find ways to respond to these orders on the fly without compromising the deliverability of other orders already in their system.

That means ecommerce companies need to be able to dynamically adjust their fulfillment process for some orders without throwing the rest of the order pool into chaos.

So how is that best handled?

Forget offerings for solutions like dynamic waves (or batches) that tie-up a large amount of critical resources while the wave is processing. They can stop an operation in its tracks while accommodating a handful of orders.

A successful ecommerce operation needs to be able to dynamically reassign in-motion inventory at the last minute, so that inventory that might be allocated to one order can be reassigned if needed to fill another order with a shorter fulfillment window.

This enables ecommerce to take advantage of processing opportunities that would not otherwise be available and may not have even been evident when an order or set of orders was first pulled into the system.

Having the ability to postpone inventory allocation decisions requires a fulfillment solution that has both real-time visibility into all in-motion inventory as well as real-time control over inventory allocation.

By combining these capabilities with robust algorithms for continuously assessing and calibrating the delivery requirements of ecommerce demand, retailers can use last-minute decisions to not only solve the challenges of last minute online customer requests, but also capitalize on processing commonalities and opportunities in orders from other sales channels as well.

If you’d like to know more about how you can use this capability in your ecommerce operation, just reach out and we can show you how.

12/14/2022

Working long hours in a warehouse can make any team lose sight of the time of day, or even the time of year.

The gray-beige color palette. The constant drone of equipment. The focused concentration on specific tasks. It’s worse than being in a Vegas casino for forgetting there’s a world just beyond the doors.

That’s why a couple of Invata team members decided to bring a little holiday spirit inside one of the customer facilities we’re currently in the process of implementing.

Carefully adorning one of our 16-foot tall Miniload with lights, so that they would not interfere with its normal operational capacities, they sent the AMR off into the warehouse to work just like any other day.

Since then, just like the 174 other Miniload robots on site, the AMR has made its rounds throughout the warehouse, delivering inventory from storage and back as needed throughout the work day.

The only difference is that as this AMR delivers inventory for critical customer orders, it also delivers smiles and a little holiday spirit to those who happen to see it passing by.

It was a simple way to brighten the spirits of both the Invata team and the customer teams working in the busy this holiday season.

And hopefully, perhaps, a way to brighten your spirits as well.

A great example of the energy Invata brings to its customer sites.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Invata.

12/07/2022

The tote (and team) that saved our customer $5 million:

It was supposed to be a fairly standard build out for a high density, narrow aisle storage racking system that would house some 370,000 totes and be accessed by Invata’s shelf-picking Miniload autonomous robots.

But when the fire suppression consultants came back with an estimate for a required 56,172 sprinkler heads to cover the space, the cost blossomed 10-fold. That’s one sprinkler head for every 6.5 totes. And that’s not to mention the larger capacity piping that would be required to accommodate all those sprinkler heads.

The problem from a fire suppression standpoint was that, were there to be a fire, closed-wall, open-top totes would retain most of the water pumped out of a sprinkler system. But from a material handling standpoint, a closed-wall, open-top tote capable of holding up to 70 lbs. of inventory was needed.

That’s when the tote that could double as a sprinkler head was conceived.

Since there were no alternative tote options on the market that could handle the storage requirements while also satisfying FM Global’s fire suppression code requirements, Invata engineers went to work on creating one. Working with a tote manufacturer, Invata engineers collaborated on the design of a closed-wall, open-top tote that could hold 70 pounds of inventory, while also allowing water to flow through it at a rate equivalent to a sprinkler head.

To achieve the required flow rate, the tote’s sidewalls were designed with vents across the bottom of all four walls that would collectively remove 32% of the sidewall material. Vent locations were strategically placed so that the positioning lasers of tote handling equipment would never pass through the vent hole and possibly impair operation, but rather always reflect back off the tote surface.

The new tote offered a flow rate that satisfied fire suppression codes enough to allow for half the sprinkler heads originally required.

But the team at Invata didn’t stop there.

Digging through the FM Global specifications for weeks, the Invata team found a way to design the storage area so that additional classifications could be applied that would further reduce the remaining requirements.

Eventually, between the tote redesign and the team becoming experts in fire suppression specifications, a cool $5,000,000 was shaved off our client’s bill.

Another example of Invata’s commitment to its customers.

11/21/2022

The Zen of Goods-to-Person Robotics Automation:

It’s typically quite difficult for an outsider to get a real sense of the systems we build without actually visiting the distribution centers in which they're built.

But every once in a while, we get lucky and find a way to convey the essence of an operation in a few seconds time.

This is one of those times.

The video in this post was shot by Invata Simulation Engineering Manager Craig Dickson during a recent visit to a system we're implementing.

Part of the operation features 5-meter tall Invata Miniload AMRs shuttling product back and forth between narrow aisle, high-density storage areas and goods-to-person stations where orders are filled.

In shooting the footage, Craig chose time-lapse video and, in doing so, actually captured many of the key system attributes that otherwise might have gone unnoticed.

A few seconds of viewing and the scope and complexity of the operation becomes clear.

With 175 AMRs in the mix, each with a myriad of daily destinations, rush hour in this facility runs the entire shift. Yet to watch the AMRs even sped up, there are no backups, no traffic jams, just a Zen-like flow of technology cooperatively transporting inventory to and from destinations without any human being sent on a single pick run.

It is a tribute to Invata’s AMR route mapping as well as the algorithms in our Automate AI Software that keep product flowing so orders can get out the door.

What you don’t actually see in the video is all the tenacious planning, scientific rigor, engineering elegance, and precision ex*****on that went into building this system.

But you do see the results: a beehive of activity in which the bees are towering, tote-laden robots, each autonomously flying about on a singular, unswerving mission to enable our customer to satisfy their customers.

It’s a mesmerizing dance in which, if you are at all like the Invata teams charged with creating such monuments to automation, you may begin to see not just as a feat of engineering, but as a thing of beauty.

Enjoy. And may your holiday travels go as smoothly.

10/31/2022

Halloween seems like the perfect time to take a closer look at one of our favorite AMRs. Simply put, the Invata ANT A6 AMR is a beast.

Agile, athletic, and awesomely powerful, it can lift 3x its weight (weighs 200kg, can lift 600kg) and dash through a warehouse at the lightning speed of 1.1m/s fully loaded (1.8m/s unloaded).

Strategically built for flying under the radar, the ANT A6 deftly transports goods on pallet stands, shelving units, and customized inventory stands or tables through a warehouse in ways fixed conveyor never could. With routing options for goods transportation fixed conveyors could never dream of, it’s no wonder the motto among ANTs is “to boldly go where no conveyor has gone before.”

And even though the ANT A6 is a beast when it comes to increasing operational flexibility and reducing both labor demand and lifting-related health risks, the Invata ANT A6 also plays nice with other Invata AMRs. As a result, it often works alongside it’s awkwardly taller cousin the Invata Mobile Miniload in companies offering products that don’t conveniently fit into a one-size-fits-all solution.

And as you can imagine, with the ability to spin its load handling device and body independently, it’s been known to put on the kind of performance that’s always a hit at a Halloween party.

The Invata ANT A6 AMR. The beast you want in your warehouse!

10/26/2022

Here’s a first look at a new in-store micro-fulfillment system we designed for a global home goods provider. It’s the company’s first in-store automation/micro-fulfillment operation in North America.

The client wanted to find a way to utilize its store space to improve its customers’ shopping experience through enhanced processing of “Click and Collect” and “Click and Deliver” offerings.

Not only did this call for a micro-fulfillment solution that would utilize only a small percentage of the client’s store footprint, it also required utilizing a non-traditional mix of storage mediums as well as a mix of robotics capable of tackling its unique inventory and fulfillment challenges.

The client’s product offerings vary greatly in size, weight, and the speed at which they sell. The diversity makes filling customer orders extremely challenging and often inefficient from a handling, storage, and picking perspective.

Traditional automation solutions favor product lines that fit one-size-fits-all storage mediums, and typically breakdown when it comes to combining more than one storage medium into a single fulfillment solution. They also favor products that sell at similar speeds to avoid the additional handling challenges of mixing fast movers with slow movers.

In offering a solution for this challenge, Invata developed the industry’s first Goods-to-Person (GTP) fulfillment system to support each, case, and pallet picking/replenishment in the same station. Product is supplied via totes, shelves, and pallets to the same station at the same time. This enables our client to fill orders with product ranging from fast to slow movers, small to large items, and even conveyable and non-conveyable SKUs from the same station.

The system is built around two Universal Work Stations (UWS) that are supported by a mix of autonomous robots. Operators are directed by pick/put-to-light technologies to execute fulfillment related tasks including induction, replenishment, picking, packing, and cycle counts.

Between the two work stations is a packing station in which orders are packaged for delivery or pickup. The entire operation, including robotics management, is run by Invata’s Automate Warehouse Software.

Narrow-aisle, high-density racking houses the totes, mobile shelving units, and pallet stands used to hold the company’s mix of product and are serviced by two AMR types.

System benefits include:

• Increased picking productivity for filling multi-line “Click and Collect” and “Click and Deliver” orders
• Decreased labor requirements
• Increased storage density
• Enhanced coworker morale thanks to ergonomic UWS stations.

To further enhance the efficiency of the operation, Invata also developed a virtual reality training module to enable trainees to get virtual hands-on training for every task they will be asked to perform in the Universal Work Station without ever stepping foot in the station. So no production efficiency is lost to training new coworkers.

10/12/2022

Quote of the day: “Anything done once is inherently risky.”

This is a quote from our Director of Intralogistics Science, the group at Invata that eats, drinks, and sleeps data science for the purposes of minimizing the risk associated with warehouse automation solutions.

For context, the statement was made in relation to the solution development work our Intralogistics Science team does, which includes data analyses, simulation modeling, algorithm development, and route mapping for robotics.

It was made in reference to the critical need for an iterative approach to solution development and the risks that can accompany solutions that don’t follow such an approach.

Risk is a topic that our Intralogistics Science team talks about a lot, because it’s the differentiator that can make or break the success of a project.

Risk in warehouse automation is primarily fueled by assumptions. The more assumptions baked into the design process, the greater the potential for risk.

Iterative testing mitigates risk, which is why our IS team rarely does anything once.

If you’re considering automation for your fulfillment or distribution operation, make sure your provider has a rigorous, iterative testing protocol that replaces assumptions with real data, so that you can make educated decisions when it comes to your company’s future.

09/14/2022

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how '47 Brands, a leader in licensed headwear and apparel, rapidly retooled its fulfillment operations to tackle increased D2C and B2B demand in the same facility?

What was once two separate operations in two separate facilities is now consolidated into one thanks in large part to the partners that collaborated on this project.

Join '47 Brands COO Dominic Farrell at a special CSCMP Edge Session for an insider's look at the effort that went into selecting the right partners, approach, and systems that were needed to execute an aggressive and successful implementation plan.

Dominic will be joined by the following partners and fulfillment industry experts from the project:

—> Jasin Effland, VP Supply Chain Solutions for Boston Industrial Consulting,
—> Nick Gordon, VP Sales for Invata Intralogistics,
—> Scott Wilkins, VP Customer Solutions for Barrett Distribution Centers

This CSCMP EDGE session highlights design approach, solutions considered, and final justification to solve for both D2C and B2B fulfillment from a single facility.

—> Title: 47 Brands: Building Teams to Tackle Technology and Efficiency

—> Date: 09/19/2022

—> Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

—> Location: Ryman Studio HI

—> Session Track: Order Fulfillment and Customer Service

https://www.cscmpedge.org/website/31866/sessions/

08/11/2022

Some thoughts on fulfillment automation from a perspective that goes beyond the warehouse floor and the beauty shot of a robot dancing across it…

When done right, fulfillment automation can dramatically enhance a company’s ability to move product, execute marketing initiatives, control profit levels, and increase customer loyalty and retention.

As a result, a company can adopt a more nimble and strategic approach to purchasing, marketing, sales, and product pricing.

In fact, the right fulfillment automation enables companies to realized strategic advantages and payback from their investment in all the following areas:

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND SOURCING

Faster, reliable fulfillment enables a more strategic approach to product sourcing. It enables last minute delivery of product to the distribution center, promotes faster purchase-to-sale turn, ties-up less cash in inventory, and enables greater flexibility in product life cycle.

PRODUCT MARKETING AND PROMOTION

Reliable store deliveries enhance a company’s ability to plan promotions, enabling greater flexibility and spontaneity with store sales events, more efficient coordination of company marketing initiatives, and greater precision in maximizing selling potential at the store level.

Faster, reliable, ecommerce fulfillment enables greater flexibility and spontaneity for online events like special promotions and flash sales, maximizing selling opportunities with mobile and online customers.

PRODUCT PRICING AND CLEARANCE

With the ability to handle fulfillment for flash sales without compromise to everyday fulfillment requirements, companies are able to manage inventory discounts as needed to move product without selling it off to deep discount 3rd party resellers. In doing so, they not only maintain better profit margins and control of inventory, they also preserve brand identity.

IN-STORE RELATIONS

Faster, reliable fulfillment enables store managers to know when to expect shipments, more effectively plan in-store labor, and maximize sales.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, RETENTION, AND LOYALTY

Better more reliable store selection enhances the experience for in-store shoppers. Faster delivery of ecommerce orders dramatically enhances the shopping experience for the online and mobile customer. Both increase levels of customer satisfaction while increasing the likelihood of additional sales with existing customers.

Enhanced customer satisfaction diminishes the need for new customer acquisition, increases customer retention, and enhances customer loyalty. And since loyal customers have been shown to spend more than new customers and cost less to serve over time, purchase higher margin goods, and act as commission-free referrals to the businesses they support, customer loyalty is a benefit of automation that shouldn’t be ignored.


Sound like a perspective worth exploring? If you’re considering warehouse automation, let us know what you hope to achieve and we’ll tell you how you can.

07/27/2022

It’s the perfect match-up for summer: Hot topic insights on how to up your game found in short-form white papers that are completely toll-free.

Read what you like when you like without having to trade any personal data to do so.

In fact, there’s no need to exchange your name, email address, or digits for any content on our website whether it’s for white papers, case studies, blog posts, or press releases — because at www.invata.com, nothing’s gated. It’s all toll-free.

Think of our website as a knowledge warehouse for automation information that can make for great reading this summer as you plan your ascension to market domination this fall.

Check out these white papers, for example…

AUTOMATE THE VISION, NOT THE WAREHOUSE: Dive into a world where careers are launched or dashed based on the approach taken to . Find out why so many projects are doomed from the start. And learn about the hidden benefits of making the right choice. This page-turner is rich with real-lie drama, useful insights, and just the right amount of suspense to make for a great summer read.

GAINING A STRATEGIC EDGE THROUGH THE USE OF SMART ALGORITHMS: While Skynet’s Terminators have yet to take over the world, algorithms are quite a different story. So there’s no time like the present to understand what’s required to create and control these powerful process orchestrators. In this non-fiction tale, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how smart algorithms dynamically react to changing production demand and provide the secret sauce to success.

MAINTAINING A STRATEGIC EDGE THOUGH CONTINUOUS SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENT: This classic thriller pits your competitive edge against the ticking clock of technology. In a seemingly impossible scenario in which technological advancements can disrupt even the best operations, this how-to adventure tells the story of how correlations and causalities can save the day — all thanks to the wonders of data science.

INNOVATIONS IN OMNICHANNEL FULFILLMENT: It’s a feel-good story of how your distribution center can go from being a bottleneck and potential growth inhibitor to a competitive advantage that takes your business to new heights. A timeless tale of redemption and turnaround, if you’re an omnichannel retailer looking for a strategic edge, this is the perfect summer read for you.

There’s nothing like some sizzling insights for summer, so dive in and expand your knowledge with these hot summer reads!

https://www.invata.com/white-papers

07/13/2022

Imagine spending your days being tasked with finding proverbial needles in stacks of high density small parts storage cabinets. (Picture ten banks of cabinets, comprised of ten cabinets each, with ten drawers to a cabinet, and partitions in each drawer dividing them into dozens of smaller storage spaces.)

And imagine fearlessly staring down endless aisles of open shelving crammed with odd sized parts, and like a librarian on a mission armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System, walking to the exact shelf you need and finding the right part.

This is a look inside the world of mechanical parts dealerships that rely on a manual fulfillment process for supplying parts to stores or walk-in and ecommerce customers. In this world, brave souls spend their days meticulously hunting down parts for those in need.

Now, imagine a scenario in which all those elusive parts are instead automatically (some would say magically) delivered to workers who are no longer hunter gatherers per se, but now pilots of their own towering, computerized monuments-to-storage-efficiency that reach clear up to the sky (or at least to those giant fans on the ceiling some 35-feet up — or more!).

At the heart of this scenario is the (VLM), a 30+ foot high automated vertical storage (and retrieval) system that deftly serves up large partitioned shelves of parts where workers can efficiently and ergonomically pick from them.

And even better, the VLM uses red and green laser lights to precisely point out the part(s) to be picked within the shelf, while using an alpha numeric LED light bar directly above the shelf to confirm the part number and name.

It’s a safe, secure, accurate, ergonomic, goods-to-person (i.e. parts-to-person) set-up that cuts parts-retrieval time by 90% when compared with static shelving.

And it’s making lives easier for a lot of workers.

We know, because we imagined (and built) such a scenario for one of our favorite parts dealer clients recently.

It has allowed them to reduce their warehouse footprint by 28% and increase their pick and replenishment rates by 25%, while providing their workers with better working conditions.

And with such high-density storage at their fingertips, they are now able to store more parts on-site — 96%, in fact, of the parts they distribute.

If you think your operation might benefit from vertical lift modules, let us know what hope to accomplish, and we'll tell you how you can.

06/30/2022

When providers of describe the systems they design and build, they tend to talk a lot about things like throughput rates, units per minute, feet per second, and percentage increases or decreases.

But if you're a retailer looking to automate your fulfillment/distribution operation, you might want to ask your provider how the solution they're looking to sell you will provide your operation with the ability to adapt to unforeseen change.

If the last few years has taught us anything, it’s that change is inevitable.

This is especially true for retailers, which means that as a retailer your future success may likely be tied to your ability to adapt to things like:
Changes in merchandizing strategies, buying patterns, receipts handling, transfers and consolidations, outbound shipments
Fluctuations in order profiles (lines, units, SKUs, the number of orders)
Fluctuations in returns volumes and patterns
Rapid expansions in non-linear growth
Shifts in company business models
Global pandemics
So ask your provider how the system they’re designing will enable you to adapt to such things and what your limitations will be with the system they want to provide.

And if you don’t like the answer you get, then consider a provider that can provide you with the answers you need.

If you’re unsure how to find the right partner, the blog below provides a primer on what to look for in your quest.

The pressure on retailers is palpable: Dramatically enhance your fulfillment capabilities or lose market share to those who already have. But how?