While contemplating the use of automation, remember proper warehouse organization and the procedures and controls followed are the foundation for effective operations. The less automation involved, the greater the need for organization and discipline.
What could the recent sale of The Washington Post have to do with PHCP, PVF and HVACR supply houses? Once you understand who bought the newspaper that brought down a U.S. president and what this individual has accomplished, you will understand the threat he poses to supply houses.
Thanks to great efforts on the part of supply houses, customers have become accustomed to getting almost all the items they want, in the ordered quantities, at the right prices and when needed.
Amazon Supply, a new 8,000-lb. gorilla, has taken aim
at many of the customers of PHCP supply houses. Amazon Supply is a separate
unit, not an extension of the Amazon consumer side, and uses its own
business-oriented website.
It sounds like pie in the
sky, yet one of my clients is considering implementing extensive automation to
avoid the ever-escalating costs of labor. His vision would still involve some
people, not a totally peopleless warehouse - one in which, day and night, all
physical movement of items is handled by automated equipment controlled by
software.