Expert advice: Download our free White Papers

September 2022 - The pandemic intensified consumer behavior in many ways — and while e-commerce will continue to be essential for a retail strategy, the future success will depend on the use of robotics that allow e-commerce warehouses to efficiently respond to changing demand. 

In this new white paper, you'll learn:

• How to use flexible robotic solutions to support rapid growth

• How the new generation of warehouse automation solutions can deliver the speed, flexibility and efficiency

May 2022 - Goods-to-person automation systems have driven significant improvements in item picking productivity. Now, robotic item picking technologies are emerging that allow warehouse operators to take the next step in increasing picking productivity.

This new white paper reviews the requirements item picking robots must meet to function effectively in warehouse applications, explores how item picking robots can complement goods-to-person automation systems, and presents a use case that maximizes the value of the current generation of robots.

• How brownfield sites have the ability to increase storage capacity, increase throughputs, and enable more efficient approaches to palletizing and picking through implementation of warehouse automation.
• Discover how Swisslog automation can transform any warehouse, regardless of age or other factors.

• How to keep processes and operations up to speed
• Automation modernization programs to help deliver reliability and performance

June 2021 -

COVID-19 has further accelerated MFC growth, as well as presented challenges to the growth of MFCs.  Consumers are rewarded with increased choice, shorter delivery times and efficient curb-side pickup options thanks to MFCs. A more efficient order fulfillment method can be utilized – one that reduces labor and transport costs, avoids clogging retail stores with pickers, and supports higher order demand levels. 

In this White Paper you will learn:

• How to utilize automation to maximize efficiency and profitability

• How to synergize online and storefront using MFCs

• The future of MFCs

• The importance of partnering with an experienced automation provider to achieve optimal efficiency and profitability outcomes that has extensive experience with other models such as Dark Stores and Central Fulfillment Centres (CFCs).

March 2021 - Automation technologies not only allow food and beverage companies to adapt to change, but they can provide ongoing benefits to profitability and efficiency.  Part II of this two-part series focuses on how warehouse automation can deliver the agility, adaptability and future proofing needed for food and beverage companies to not only survive, but thrive profitably in such a volatile landscape. 

Case studies of globally respected food and beverage companies are highlighted to explore how they have adopted automated systems, and are seeing strong benefits in their operations.  Find out how automation technologies can not only allow food and beverage companies to adapt to change, but they can provide ongoing benefits to profitability and efficiency.

July 2020 - Dramatic changes in consumer demands and expectations are exposing the limits of current picking strategies. Distribution centers of all sizes are struggling to meet continually increasing throughput requirements due to process inefficiencies or inadequate systems. To further complicate matters, COVID-19 social distancing measures are hampering manual picking efforts.

In this new white paper you will learn:

• Different strategies you can take to address challenges and inefficiencies within your order picking process.
• Automation technologies available and which one might be right for your situation

• Understand lights-out logistics; how it came into use and how it can help supply chains become more resilient in times of great uncertainty and crisis.
• By way of example, the paper explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on grocery supply chains.

• Learn more about the major societal and technological trends driving change.
• Explore the strategies and technologies that enable the move to a smarter, faster and more agile supply chain. 

January 2020 - Demand for e-grocery services is accelerating. This is quickly exposing the limits of manual picking. This labor- and time-intensive approach, which is forcing grocers to sacrifice profitability to remain competitive, is highlighting the need for automation.

As grocery chains explore opportunities to automate e-grocery fulfillment, our new e-book, “A Shopper’s Guide to E-Grocery Fulfillment,” takes a look at the different strategies being used to introduce automation. It also examines the e-grocery automation technologies available to help you understand which technology, such as AutoStore, might be right for your operations.

September 2019: The demand for cold chain storage continues to grow. Automation technology can play a key role in addressing the labor, efficiency and throughput requirements of cold storage facilities. However, achieving these benefits requires tight integration between building design, automation systems and operations expertise. 

Our new paper describes an approach to cold storage facilities in which the building designer, automation partner and operator work collaboratively to integrate automation technology into the design of the facility to ensure savings in building costs, as well as labor and energy. 

August 2019 - The explosive growth in e-commerce and omni-channel distribution has increased supply chain volatility and customer expectations, straining existing resources and forcing supply chain managers to rethink traditional distribution strategies. The Swisslog QTainer concept addresses these challenges.

In this white paper you'll learn about:

• The Swisslog QTainer modular concept
• How QTainer can be deployed to create pop-up urban distribution centers to address the volume growth, inventory placement and delivery speed challenges to meet demand

August 2019 - The overused tendency to describe almost any improvement in a company’s operations as innovative is clearly more hype than reality. Applying technology that is decades old or far from state-of-the-art may be better than what has been done before, but that does not necessarily earn the label of innovation.

In our second Kaizen White Paper you'll learn:

• Why taking small incremental improvements (Kaizen) are sometimes not enough
• How only by taking an innovative approach (Kakushin) with improvements can you truly transform your logistics and leapfrog past competitors

January 2019 - AutoStore continues to gain traction in the market by delivering high-density storage, outstanding application flexibility and unrivaled reliability. Pairing AutoStore with the most appropriate picking solution for your operation, including robotic picking, can unlock the true potential of AutoStore.

In this white paper you will learn:

• How Swisslog's proven pick station configurations for AutoStore pioneer the use of the automated picking robots
• Best practices from the world's leading integrator in configuring the system to optimize performance

September 2018 - Advances in sensing, vision, gripping and navigation technology have opened new applications for robotics in the warehouse. Today’s robotic warehouse systems offer the speed and productivity of traditional automation with lower costs and greater flexibility.

In this new white paper, you’ll learn:

• Why flexible robotics is an important pillar for future-ready warehouses

• How today’s new generation of warehouse robotics delivers on the blend of order picking efficiency and operational flexibility that fulfillment centers need to outperform competitors  

July 2018 - The impact of e-commerce and consumer expectation for greater choice and faster delivery continues to push the evolution of the warehouse. This current phase of evolution is being led by intelligent automation that focuses on flexible and scalable technologies that deliver performance benefits.

In this new white paper you'll learn:

• The next phase in the evolution of the warehouse 
• Three characteristics of warehouse systems capable of adapting to whatever the future brings

May 2018 - The production intralogistics process is highly inefficient. The processes for receiving, storing and transporting materials and parts to and from various stages of manufacturing still use the same legacy systems that have been in place for decades.

This is unacceptable in today’s hypercompetitive, dynamic markets.

In this new paper, you'll learn about:

• Intelligent material management software and flexible automation technologies available today
• How to optimize inventory levels, productivity and production capacity with positive inventory control

May 2018 - Many businesses assume they need to “start small” when it comes to warehouse automation. Unfortunately, by focusing exclusively on small improvements, you may miss opportunities to gain competitive advantage in costs and customer service. If interim investments are not part of a planned larger final system, they could be a false start.  

In this new white paper, you’ll learn:

• Why small incremental improvements (Kaizen) are sometimes not enough, and often slow down innovation
• Why radical change and a major step forward (Kaikaku) might be needed

April 2018 - From demographic shifts and increasing urbanization to drones and 3D printing, social and technology changes are putting pressure on supply chain managers to move goods closer to consumers and develop warehouses with the flexibility and speed to support local, faster delivery through multiple channels.

In this new white paper, you'll learn:

• Trends that are putting pressure on the warehouse
• A vision for how emerging automation solutions will help you meet the demands of the future

February 2018 – We are now entering the fourth industrial revolution. Industry 4.0 is changing how we interact with machines and how those machines interact with each other. This will have a significant impact on the warehouse.

To help you prepare for this future, our new e-Book takes a look at the six core design principles you need to integrate into your operations to build and effectively utilize Industry 4.0 capabilities:

•  Interoperability
•  Modularity
• Real-time capabilities
• Decentralization
• Virtualization
• Service orientation

November 2017 – A hyper-local distribution strategy can help traditional U.S. retailers keep pace with growing consumer demand for greater selection and faster delivery. Repurposing existing or closed retail space as hybrid retail/ distribution hubs streamlines fulfillment and gives consumers more control over the delivery or pickup of their orders. 

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about:

• How a hybrid distribution network can enable multiple buying experiences for shoppers
• Automation solutions that transform these existing facilities to better handle fulfillment

October 2017 – New approaches to warehouse storage are helping companies in a variety of industries manage inventory in less space and at lower costs. Carrier-based robotic systems combine high density with high throughput to deliver an attractive solution that can meet the increasing storage demands of today’s warehouse.

In this free White Paper from Swisslog you’ll learn:

• The best applications for carrier-based storage systems
• The benefits you should expect from a carrier-based system

October 2017 – Automation can streamline serialization management as raw materials move through production and from production to distribution.

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn:

• Key WMS capabilities that improve serialization management
• How pharma manufacturers are using automated order picking, pallet systems and shuttle systems to mitigate risk 

April 2017 – Find out how goods-to-person solutions can set new standards in your e-commerce order fulfillment facility. 

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about:

• Five goods-to-person technologies set to be game-changers in e-commerce distribution
• How to conquer the challenges of small order fulfillment

March 2017 – Warehouse automation is driving incredible improvements in productivity and accuracy. But how can you ensure it doesn’t drive up energy consumption too.

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about:

• The latest developments in energy management and automation technology to help optimize efficiency
• New solutions for monitoring and reducing warehouse energy consumption

December 2016 – Discover how automation can be used in beverage distribution without your operation becoming overly complex and inflexible

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about: 

• How focusing automation on slow-moving products increases flexibility and efficiency  
• Delivering pick rates comparable to a fully automated operation at a fraction of the cost

October 2016 – How much automation is enough? An over engineered system increases complexity, but under engineer the system and you could stifle future growth. So how do you find your sweet spot?  

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about: 

• How to use mathematical modeling to tailor an automation strategy to your business
• Modeling SKU velocity, order activity and other variables to ensure your automation system is optimized for cost, throughput and flexibility

August 2016 – Costs associated with optimizing distribution centers are often carefully evaluated, but the alternative is rarely scrutinized. What is the cost of doing nothing?

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about: 

• The full impact doing nothing has on a distribution center
• The real expenses and opportunity costs of doing nothing
• How to factor this into decisions on capital investment for distribution

June 2016 – Return handling costs are a global issue. Even where labor is cheap, returns can mean double logistics costs (shipping and reverse logistics), no turnover and disappointed customers.  

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about: 

• How efficient return solutions can enable a smooth experience for consumers
• Accelerated availability of returned goods
• Lower logistics personnel costs and higher storage density     

April 2016 – Keeping up with rapid changes in new technology and growth in operations makes it difficult to quickly hire the right employees with the right skills. 

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about: 

• Third-party-employers and how they reduce human resources liabilities 
• Effective methods for bridging the skills gap at warehouse distribution centers  

February 2016 – Learn about the five key tactics we recommend to optimize your DC for ever-growing numbers of SKUs in e-commerce and multi-channel fulfillment.

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about:  

• Relocating high-velocity SKUs to avoid congestion and reconfiguring pick methods to accommodate new SKUs
• Managing split cases with warehouse execution software (WES) and adding “early out” capability to ship completed orders faster 

December 2015 – Understanding the financial impact of SKUs is vital for any company. Decide which SKUs go into your distribution center based on how they contribute to the bottom line. 

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about:

• The four key questions to ask to discover the financial impact of new SKUs
• How to ensure new SKUs are strategic, profitable and why you should carry them

October 2015 – Existing distribution centers often face complex challenges, but looking closely at the operation helps you understand all underlying issues before considering an overhaul. 

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about:

• How to improve productivity and handle growth in your existing facility without a complete overhaul
• The importance of analyzing data and how to address often interrelated common issues 

September 2015 – Pick or sort? It may seem like a simple decision, but in reality, you need to take multiple factors into consideration when choosing a strategy to meet rapidly expanding retail fulfillment needs.

In this free White Paper from Swisslog, you’ll learn about:

• The range of factors playing a major role in retail fulfillment and how they affect operations
• The difference between pick and put strategies and how to determine which works best for your needs