ASK VISITORS to this year’s LogiMAT what stood out and no doubt many will recall the sheeting hastily erected by Brightpick to hide its latest grid picker system. Its hand forced by a legal challenge from Ocado Intelligent Automation, Brightpick somehow managed to turn a derailed product launch into a PR coup.

This spat highlights the growing issue of intellectual property in intralogistics. Automation technologies have matured to a level at which they are being combined and applied in new and interesting ways that muddy the IP waters. Sortation and picking are prime examples. These processes, which lie at the heart of modern distribution centres, face increasing pressure from growing order volumes, SKU proliferation and demands for rapid delivery.

Traditional automated picking and sorting solutions are being supercharged by AI to manage high throughputs and minimise touchpoints. However, these technologies operate at fixed speeds and generally cannot be scaled quickly to meet fluctuating demand. In addition, a single failure can disrupt the whole operation – when a sorter stops, for example, it forms a bottleneck for the whole warehouse.

The Holy Grail in intralogistics automation is designing systems with the ability to flex capacity dynamically, while minimising fixed infrastructure and avoiding single points of failure. Hence AMHSA members are applying technologies in innovative ways to increase supply chain efficiency and resilience. For example, automated mobile robots (AMRs) are being used for sortation. Fitted with touch screens, AMRs can also partially automate person-to-goods picking. Meanwhile, bots operating inside an automated put-wall equipped with smart cameras can make light work of sortation. And – as in the case of Brightpick and others – the bots scooting around on cube storage systems are now being fitted with robotic picking arms.

The benefits of these mobile technologies are clear. With each robot operating independently, movements are aligned with real-time throughput, optimising both energy use and equipment utilisation. The fleet can be scaled back outside of peak periods, such as Black Friday and Christmas. And with multiple bots, there is no single point of failure, boosting operational resilience.

Over time, a gap can develop between how a system was designed to run and what the business actually requires. So the value of automation increasingly lies in its ability to adapt after deployment. The watchwords are flexibility, integration and dynamism.

Dave Berridge, secretary, AMHSA