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More and more end-customers are demanding that automated material handling solutions be integrated to address the \u201cfull stream\u201d of order fulfillment and bridge the gaps created by the islands of automation.<\/p>\nMore and more end-customers are demanding that automated material handling solutions be integrated to address the \u201cfull stream\u201d of order fulfillment and bridge the gaps created by the islands of automation.<\/p>\n
In the past, MHI member companies would often work with customers seeking a single solution, such as pick-to-light or voice-directed picking, to address a specific fulfillment area or process, says Joe Pelej, marketing manager at MHI member Pyramid Controls.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow companies are more often engaging with customers seeking flexible technologies or a variety of integrated solutions to address the entire fulfillment execution process, end-to-end,\u201d Pelej says. \u201cSo instead of just selecting a picking system, they require automation for sortation, bagging and boxing, print and apply labeling, automatic document insertion of packing lists or marketing materials and more, to successfully manage omnichannel operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The goal of integration is being able to \u201cintelligently balance\u201d all of the numerous operations, adds Mukesh Ram, Pryamid\u2019s founder and general manager.<\/p>\n
\u201cDownstream is dictating the pace of what\u2019s happening upstream, and you have to get the best rate out of one process because it affects another process that it\u2019s coupled with,\u201d Ram says. \u201cThere may be some forgiveness in between with some buffering in accumulation, but it\u2019s all about balancing flow by making sure operations have the best production rates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christian Dow, vice president at MHI member Panther Industries, Inc., says that many of Panther\u2019s print-and-apply labeling systems are implemented through partners that integrate the systems into a much larger order fulfillment system.<\/p>\n