How to Know if You’ve Outgrown Your Automation
Article from MHI Solutions Magazine
Maybe your manufacturing plant or warehouse was an early adopter of automation, but that original material handling equipment is now showing signs of age. Or maybe your automated systems were built for the business‑to‑business selling model, before the shift to business‑to‑consumer e‑commerce. Or maybe robust order growth and SKU proliferation are pushing your automated systems—and the four walls of your facility—beyond their limits.
Even the best‑designed automated systems can become obsolete over time due to changing business dynamics, emerging technologies and years of steady use. That’s why it often pays to take a fresh look at automated equipment to determine whether it’s still the optimal solution for your operations.
Jason Effing, chief revenue officer at MHI member Systems in Motion, said many factors can alter a company’s automation needs, including mergers and acquisitions or changes to the customer base and service‑level agreements.
