Enhancing Workforce Productivity with Automation
Organizations that are leaders in technology implementation have found that workers appreciate the value of automation and expect a certain level of technology in their work environment.
One of the reasons is that, when deployed correctly, automation technology, such as automated forklifts, can create a more comfortable working environment and enable higher productivity for workers supported by the technology. This aligns with the goal of many companies that are deploying automation to help increase overall productivity.
However, productivity increases do not happen automatically. You need to understand how technology affects workers and embed change management strategies into your implementation plan accordingly.
When shaping your change management strategies, it helps to have at least one implementation team member that can view the plan, and the resulting changes to processes, through the lens of your frontline workers. This helps ensure an understanding of how automation will affect workers and what employees will expect and experience during and after the implementation.
You can also work with your automation provider to conduct a human-centered implementation audit to identify potential issues related to human interaction and opportunities to increase the effectiveness and safety of integrating the automation into warehouse workflows.
The audit can also help you determine which automation technology can best leverage the skills and expertise of your workforce. For instance, if you want to create a more productive, ergonomically friendly low-level order picking process, the audit may point you toward an operator assist solution, such as Crown QuickPick® technology, which can yield productivity improvements of up to 25%.
QuickPick technology enables operators to remotely advance the forklift during low-level order picking operations while it uses various sensors to safely travel down the aisle, avoiding obstacles that may block its path. Operators can work from behind the vehicle, advancing it without stepping on and off the operator platform and moving back and forth across the aisle in an efficient Z-shaped picking pattern.
By introducing this type of operator assist technology to your low-level order picking, you may realize three primary benefits:
1. Enable a more streamlined low-level order picking process in the aisle.
2. Eliminate wasted steps, reducing picking time and operator fatigue.
3. Utilize rider mode to advance the lift truck to the next aisle or to transport the completed pallets to the order fulfillment station.
By explaining the benefits and showing your workforce how the technology can improve their productivity and comfort levels, your workers may be less concerned how the technology could negatively affect their assignments and tasks.
For more information on engaging your workforce through automation, download Crown’s e-book The Time to Automate is Now: Overcoming the Hurdle of Getting Started.