Q: What are the top warehousing challenges right now?
A: The biggest challenge facing the supply chain industry right now is the ability to satisfy the increasing demand for quickly shipping goods direct to the consumer on top of the proliferation of SKUs. These challenges have driven the advancement in robotic storage and retrieval systems as well as more advanced warehouse execution software.
Q: What is Bastian doing to help?
A: AutoStore offers the unique ability to efficiently pick and put away individual SKUs. It offers the densest storage on the market; serves micro-fulfillment centers up to large regional hubs; and—with the addition of the Black Line robots—delivers up to 650 bins per hour with a 99% uptime. As a global integrator, we’re excited to leverage our experience and successes in North and South America for our clients on an international scale.
Q: What’s new in material handling technology?
A: The optimization of warehouse execution software (WES) that operate goods-to-person technologies. For example, AutoStore Black Line has been on the market for about a year now. Bastian Solutions has been fortunate to integrate several Black Line projects, and this experience has helped us further optimize our Exacta WES platform, providing clients with reduced installation time while increasing overall system efficiencies.
Q: What’s next?
A: The post COVID-19 world will undoubtedly look a little different. The supply chain will feel even greater demand and stress, as people’s buying patterns are sure to change. We’ll also see companies shift production back to the U.S., while also increasing inventory levels.