The Material Handling Blog

There are many automation technologies available to improve omni-channel fulfillment – but which are right for your operation?

Whenever asked about my job, most questions revolve around conveyor and racking, but I can’t help but wonder why the scope of the industry ends there, or at least the perception of it. Today's material handling technology is impressive and more advanced than ever before.

The world of automated warehouse vehicles can be confusing. Just consider the various types of available guidance systems: wire-guidance, magnetic tape and magnetic paint, laser-guidance, inertial navigation, and camera based imaging (i.e. vision-guidance). When you factor in the type of vehicle, e.g. tugger, unit load, custom, etc., the task of selecting a specific platform can be overwhelming.

The ever-increasing need to satisfy customers in the world of order fulfillment is causing the warehouse and distribution industries to consider more efficient and cost-effective solutions to satisfy the need. This has lead many companies to implement, or consider, higher-automation solutions that include goods-to-person technologies. Read: Key Considerations When Designing Goods-to-Person Systems