Warehouses that handle mixed SKU inventory, a diverse range of products that differ in size, shape, fragility, or storage requirements, are up against unique challenges when efficiently managing the throughput of various goods. When the same facility handles items that may be small, oversized, easily breakable, and perhaps even temperature-controlled, automation is essential for side-stepping common issues and fulfilling customer needs. Anyone tasked with manually managing such a varied range of products will attest that doing so often results in time-consuming bottlenecks and mispicks, pricey damaged goods, and higher labor costs. Automated material handling is a game-changer in optimizing product flow in a mixed SKU facility, from receiving and storing to picking and shipping.
Conveyor systems, shuttles, and goods-to-person automation are all essential tools for slashing throughput times, minimizing errors, and reducing costs. Ready to learn more? This blog illustrates how these elements work together to make mixed SKU processing as simple as possible.
Challenges of Mixed Inventory Warehousing
Across several industries, warehouses are needed to handle and process a broad assortment of goods. This can be especially difficult when that assortment encompasses SKUs that are particularly fragile, bulky, specialized, or small. When handled manually, this variability means labor-intensive handling (and a higher likelihood of injury), extended retrieval and picking times, and far too many opportunities for human error.
For example, grocery warehouses process many goods that require a range of storage types and handling specifics. Food spoilage, compliance with federal and local guidelines, and damage to packaging are all significant concerns for this type of facility. Mixed SKU automation in grocery logistics allows the seamless flow of products to and from their appropriate temperature zones, guaranteeing that clients receive their goods safely and ready to be served or put on shelves.
Mixed SKU automation is also vital in fashion and consumer goods of many kinds. With ranges of colors, sizes, and other distinctions, high SKU variability is a hallmark of these industries. (DIY and home improvement, too!) Manual retrieval and picking of orders not only eats up employee time—it also creates an environment where wasteful picking errors can be rampant. Automation addresses these challenges head-on, eliminating unnecessary costs and minimizing mistakes.
Key Components of Mixed SKU Automation
An efficient mixed SKU automation solution comprises several smart components encompassing every stage of material flow. Read on to learn more about each of them.
TGW Logistics’ conveyor systems are designed to transport SKUs of all sizes efficiently from zone to zone, including heavy and oversized goods. This modular, scalable technology prioritizes accuracy and efficiency, which can be significant pain points for facilities with a wide variety of mixed inventory.
Unlike traditional systems that create single points of failure, TGW’s conveyor features independently powered zones and quick-swap rollers that can be replaced in under two minutes, minimizing disruption and keeping your operation moving. Our conveyor systems and sorters can be easily and precisely customized to fit the needs and layout of your warehouse and grow and change with you as your business expands.
Facilities that process a wide range of SKUs require high-density storage configurations supported by state-of-the-art technology. The right warehouse automation for a mixed inventory solution addresses material flow needs and maximizes available space. The Stingray shuttle system by TGW Logistics utilizes state-of-the-art load carriers that self-heal and automatically realign, retrieving and returning goods to spaces not easily reached by human workers. This resilient system is designed to work flawlessly in temperatures as low as -22°F, making it an ideal option for grocery facilities and many others.
Like TGW Logistics conveyor systems, our automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) are customizable and integrate with our warehouse management software to keep your business on track. Their versatility increases flexibility and drives consistency, no matter what kind of goods you’re moving.
Manually managing a vast array of SKUs means untold valuable hours lost in walking time for pickers and the potential for injury in handling heavy goods. Instead of relying on workers to physically travel to storage locations, TGW Logistics’ Goods-to-Person (GTP) systems bring the cartons or totes containing the requested products to ergonomically designed picking stations via shuttle, where pickers choose what they need utilizing the screens in front of them. The receptacle is then transported back to the shuttle aisle, as the picker moves on to either the next order or the rest of the items needed for that order.
In addition to saving time and reducing the opportunity for error, automating this process also decreases the risk of goods being mishandled and damaged, which means a more robust bottom line.
How Software Synchronizes Operations
What brings all the pieces of the puzzle together? The proper logistics software to communicate with them all. Much like a command center, logistics software directs all the arms of your physical automation system to achieve synchronized movement at all process stages. TGW Logistics’ warehouse management system (WMS), warehouse execution system (WES), and warehouse control system (WCS) software integrate with all our equipment, as well as other integrated technologies and manual working areas, maintaining precise inventory counts and permitting flow changes when necessary. Plus, real-time routing uses smart data to optimize the processing of all the items your warehouse handles, based on SKU size, fragility, and/or shipping priority.
When equipment and software work harmoniously together, throughput times will be drastically reduced, labor costs will be reduced overall, and errors will be fewer.
Industry Applications of Conveyor Systems
Warehouse automation for mixed inventory is improving processes across several industries. Automation solutions empower grocery facilities to appropriately store and handle items that require storage in different temperature zones and often delicate handling. In the retail and consumer goods sphere, conveyor systems and goods-to-person solutions help businesses to respond quickly to e-commerce peaks and trends and to meet customer expectations for lightning-fast delivery. Automation in industrial logistics allows facilities to consolidate parts of varying sizes, such as shipping small spare parts with bulky machinery. What can automation do for you?
TGW Logistics Advantage
When your business trusts TGW Logistics to bring your facility into a new era of efficiency, you’re not just hiring a vendor—you’re bringing on a trusted, long-term partner. Our experts will help you design an automation solution package that works for you. We’ll also continue to provide support, maintenance, and development as you use it. TGW Logistics integrates material handling and software to increase throughput and lower costs at your mixed SKU warehouse.
We’ll guide you in choosing the ideal logistics tech stack and prioritizing strategy and fluidity over a quick fix. Our lifetime service packages include training to get your employees comfortable with the new systems, 24/7 logistics support, and proactive maintenance to keep you moving.
Forge a Path Forward With TGW Logistics
Clients spanning multiple industries have seen massive operational gains and dramatically boosted efficiency after introducing automated mixed SKU workflows to their facilities. Employing a combination of innovative software solutions and cutting-edge equipment is the most straightforward path to increasing throughput, eliminating the opportunity for error, reducing costs, maximizing storage space, and making the most of your human workforce. Whether you’re processing clothing items, groceries, spare parts, consumer goods, or other products of a wide variety, warehouse automation is no longer optional—it’s a must.
Ready to optimize your mixed SKU warehouse? Contact TGW Logistics today for a tailored automation strategy.
TGW Logistics is a foundation-owned company headquartered in Austria and a global leader in warehouse automation and warehouse logistics. As a trusted systems integrator with more than 50 years of experience, we deliver end-to-end services: designing, implementing, and maintaining fulfillment centers powered by mechatronics, robotics, and advanced software solutions. With over 4,500 employees spanning Europe, Asia, and North America, we combine expertise, innovation, and a customer-centric dedication to help keep your business growing. With TGW Logistics, it's possible to transform your warehouse logistics into a competitive advantage.
