Automation Success at UK Parts Supplier! 🦾 Field Reveal of an Automated Warehouse Powered by 40 AMRs 😎

Process Overview

L&S Engineers, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of spare parts and consumables, implemented HIK’s logistics robot solution to enhance logistics efficiency in its large-scale warehouse. This project focused on automating the order picking process using mobile robots, increasing logistics precision, and reducing the physical burden on workers.

Project Background & Objectives

Background

L&S Engineers operates a massive logistics center that handles thousands of spare parts and consumables, processing a high volume of orders daily. However, the existing manual methods faced several challenges:

High worker fatigue due to long walking distances.
Low operational efficiency and slow order processing speeds.
Concerns over decreased customer satisfaction due to high error rates.

Objectives

Enhance Operational Efficiency: Reduce worker travel distances and improve productivity through mobile robots.
Improve Accuracy: Decrease error rates in the order picking process.
Reduce Operational Costs: Lower labor and operating expenses through automation.

Components

Robot	Components Robots: 40 HIK AMR Logistics Robots. Each robot navigates autonomously using high-performance sensors and transports necessary parts to the workstations for order picking.

Workflow

STEP 1.	Order Receipt: The central management system collects customer order information.
STEP 2.	Work Instruction Dispatch: Mobile robots receive information regarding part locations and workstation destinations from the central system.
STEP 3.	Part Pickup: Robots retrieve specified parts from the warehouse shelving.
STEP 4.	Transport & Delivery: Robots transport the parts to the workstation and deliver them to the worker.
STEP 5.	Task Completion: The worker packs the items, performs a final check, and dispatches the order.
STEP 6.	Robot Return: Once the task is finished, the robot moves to a standby area for its next assignment.

※ The content provided by Marosol is protected under U.S. and Canadian copyright and intellectual property laws. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or use of this content is strictly prohibited.

Key Features

Automation & Efficiency

Continuous Operations: 40 robots work non-stop for 8 hours, maintaining consistently high throughput.

Precision

Error Reduction: Advanced sensors have reduced picking error rates by 50%.

Flexibility

Scalable Design: A flexible system architecture capable of processing diverse and multiple order lines simultaneously.

Worker Convenience

Fatigue Relief: Reduced worker travel distances by 20 miles, significantly alleviating physical strain and exhaustion.

Implementation Results

ROI Period
Key Metrics	Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Work efficiency has doubled, enabling the picking of over 1,100+ order lines per day. Improved Accuracy: Error rates decreased by 50% compared to previous manual methods, leading to higher customer satisfaction. Better Work Environment: Reduced walking distances have lowered worker fatigue and increased overall job satisfaction. Operational Cost Savings: Automation has secured long-term cost efficiency and reduced labor expenditures.
Client Feedback	"HIK’s logistics robots have done more than just increase efficiency; they have innovatively transformed our entire work environment. Thanks to the reduction in walking distances and the automated picking system, both our employees and our customers are seeing massive benefits."