The Material Handling Blog

Picture this: your organization is set for growth, but you're trapped in what feels like a life-size Rubik’s Cube, always moving pieces around to navigate your way through the space constraints of your warehouse. How do you optimize your operations when every inch of floor space counts?

When new material handling automation equipment is introduced to a manufacturing or distribution center, it is easy to lose focus on continuous improvement efforts. Often it is assumed that technology and automation have created a process which completely maximizes efficiencies and therefore cannot be improved. Kaizen, meaning continuous improvement, is a core tenant in TPS (Toyota Production System) and empowers individual team members to identify areas for improvement and suggest immediate, yet practical solutions. A facility that focuses on continuous improvement does not stop once a process is automated.

Ever tried cramming one last outfit into an already overstuffed suitcase? You push, you fold, you sit on top of it—and still, the zipper won’t budge. That’s exactly how many distribution centers feel when they hit capacity. There’s always one more pallet, one more SKU, one more shipment to squeeze in, but eventually, you run out of room. Unlike a suitcase, warehouses can’t just swap to a bigger model at the last minute. Space constraints in distribution centers lead to far more than just a tight fit—they create bottlenecks that slow operations, increase costs, and make it harder to meet customer expectations. Running out of space isn’t just an inconvenience for companies looking to scale - it’s a roadblock to growth. The good news? With the right material handling automation strategy, you can optimize the space you already have.

E-commerce and retail are evolving fast, and small to medium-sized businesses are at the center of that growth. The U.S. alone is home to nearly 14 million e-commerce sites, accounting for 53% of all online retail sites globally. As more businesses move online, the competition to fulfill orders quickly and efficiently intensifies. In fact, small and medium-sized businesses expect their e-commerce sales to grow year-over-year. With growth comes challenges: How do you fulfill rising order volumes quickly and accurately without adding more labor or expanding physical space? Large-scale warehouse automation has long been the answer for enterprise operations, but for smaller businesses, automation has often felt out of reach—too complex, too expensive, and too overwhelming. That’s changing.

The future of warehousing lies in optimizing every aspect of your operation. The AutoStore system, a cutting-edge automated storage and retrieval solution, offers unmatched efficiency and flexibility. This innovative system uses robots on a grid to store and retrieve bins, maximizing space utilization and dramatically improving pick rates. However, the true success of AutoStore results from the precise configuration that meets your unique high-throughput needs.

When designing a material handling automation solution, success often comes down to choosing the right pieces that fit together seamlessly. That’s the value of working with an experienced integrator: finding the optimal combination of technologies to meet your operational goals.

As retail e-commerce continues to evolve, the pressure to adapt and scale efficiently has never been greater. Companies must meet increasing consumer demand while grappling with real estate constraints, workforce shortages, and fluctuating order volumes. Flexibility is critical in an industry where fast, efficient delivery can make or break customer loyalty. For one leading specialty retailer, keeping up with this dynamic environment required a quick fix and a long-term growth strategy. Since 2014, their partnership with Bastian Solutions has helped them stay ahead of these challenges. From optimizing their distribution center (DC) to managing the complexities of fulfillment and seasonal demand, Bastian provided the right mix of expertise and technology to help them scale without unnecessary overhead.

Every movement within a distribution center or warehouse, from picking to replenishment, impacts the bottom line. Implementing a goods-to-person (GTP) system is one way to optimize these movements, reducing the time spent searching for items and improving overall accuracy.

Fire safety is a critical concern in warehouse, manufacturing, and distribution facilities due to the potential for significant damage and loss. In Canada, stringent regulations around fire suppression systems often surprise customers looking to install material handling automation equipment. These regulations particularly impact facilities handling flammable products such as textiles, fragrances, and aerosols.

Distribution centers are increasingly at the mercy of fluctuating demand, a challenge amplified by clear seasonal and ecommerce trends. As consumer behavior shifts and online shopping events gain traction, these facilities must adjust to significant peaks and valleys in product flow. This unpredictability can strain resources and complicate warehouse logistics.

Historically, intralogistics software providers have been known for providing very customized solutions to meet the unique needs of their various manufacturing and distribution center clients. Being in the industry for over 70 years, Bastian Solutions has identified various universal industry processes and created a standardized product suite with offerings in addition to providing customized solutions all under our proprietary software brand, Exacta®.

Automation is not merely a buzzword; it's a transformative force reshaping the landscape of warehouse operations and logistics management. By harnessing the power of advanced automation technologies such as AS/RS systems, conveyor and sortation systems, robotics, GTP (goods to person), artificial intelligence, and data analytics, are streamlining their logistics processes like never before. From inventory management to order fulfilment, automation is revolutionizing every aspect of warehouse operations, driving efficiency, accuracy and agility.