When it comes to warehouse and distribution employees, more organizations are starting to deploy ergonomically designed automation systems. These ergonomic solutions help workers complete picking and order fulfillment tasks while simultaneously eliminating the risk of injury. In addition to enhancing safety, the devices can boost productivity and reduce a variety of costs – positioning both workers and companies for operational success. To minimize the exertion injuries associated with manual material handling processes (including lifting, reaching, walking, stretching, bending, stooping, pulling, pushing, twisting, gripping and climbing), a variety of automated goods-to-person storage and retrieval systems exist. These include: Horizontal Carousels – Bins mounted on an oval track that rotate horizontally to deliver storage locations to an operator. Vertical Carousels – Comprised of a series of shelves that rotate around a track – similar to a Ferris wheel – these systems deliver stored items safely and quickly to an ergonomically positioned work counter. Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) – A vertical lift module (VLM) consists of two columns of trays holding items. An automatic inserter/extractor device between the columns stores and retrieves a tray when required by an operator. Minimize Fatigue, Improve Accuracy All three of these automated storage and retrieval systems eliminate unproductive and physically tiring, travel and search time by delivering items directly to the operator on command. Workers in conventional warehouses spend as much as 60% of their time walking to products, searching for it on a shelf and climbing on a ladder to reach items stored high, or kneeling down to access items stored low. With an automated storage system, a worker no longer has to spend as much time on travel or retrieval of items. Not only does limiting an operator to just a few steps to complete picking tasks dramatically reduce fatigue, it also boosts picking […]