The Material Handling Blog

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.

Various goods-to-person technologies have risen to the challenge of social distancing by creating naturally spaced workstations for employees and allowing companies to continue their business momentum. In some cases, ramping up to match shifts like we’ve seen in ecommerce. In Q3 2020, about $1 in every $5 was spent on online sales, according to U.S. Commerce Department retail data.