In the last few years, companies worldwide have shown a keen interest in retrofit automation.
That’s because as markets become more dynamic and customer demands increase, companies have to make their manufacturing and logistics more flexible.
Flexible manufacturing and logistics operations prepare businesses for unexpected geopolitical, weather, and other disruptions. It scales operations up and down, expands and reduces warehouse resources based on demand and situations, and maintains resiliency.
Take Krispy Kreme, for instance. The doughnut manufacturer recently updated its manufacturing operations with retrofit automation. This helped them upgrade their existing control in just two hours without relying on any technicians. In fact, they could upgrade over 30 Krispy Kreme stores in Australia in five days using retrofit automation. The result? It helped Krispy Kreme minimize wastage, improve fry time accuracy by 12%, and ensure consistent quality across all stores.
But what exactly is retrofit automation, how is it different from usual automation, and how can manufacturing and logistics companies benefit from it? Well, we answer all these questions in this blog.
What Is Retrofit Automation and How Is It Beneficial?
Retrofit automation is the process of upgrading or modernizing the existing systems and infrastructure without ripping or replacing anything.
Retrofit automation is different from traditional automation systems.
Traditional automation, while efficient, had its own limitations.
- High costs: From training resources to investing in new automation systems, high costs can be a challenge for companies.
- Complete warehouse overhaul: Companies have to completely redesign their warehouses to fit and configure new systems for automation.
- Scalability issues: Sometimes, a legacy automation system might not be well-equipped to manage large-scale manufacturing and production.
- Time-intensivity: Setting up an automated warehouse was time-consuming and prevented companies from staying ahead of the competition.
Retrofit automation eliminates all these limitations. It can retrofit an automated picking solution with an existing pick mod rack or eliminate heavy machinery like forklifts and stacker cranes by automating picking from high bay racks. The objective is to ensure smooth and faster operations.
How Retrofit Automation Enhances Manufacturing and Logistics Flexibility?
- Improves cost-efficiency
Traditional automation necessitates companies to rip and replace old systems, racks, and equipment with new ones. The process is not only time-consuming but also cost-intensive. Retrofit automation eliminates this step. Companies can upgrade their existing systems without spending much on infrastructure, training, and maintenance. This reduces the massive upfront costs required for upgrading the warehouse, plant, and maintenance.
- Optimizes spaces for material handling
With technologies like automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) and pallet flow racking, companies can optimize their vertical spaces, narrow the aisles, and free up floor spaces to increase storage capacity. This allows companies to add more product stocks and stock keeping units (SKUs) and meet demands quickly without changing the infrastructure.
- Prevents business disruptions and downtimes
Unlike traditional automation that requires a complete overhaul, retrofit automation doesn’t follow the rip-and-replace approach. Companies can integrate the new systems with existing ones in planned phases. This enables companies to implement the solutions faster without disrupting business operations and ensures minimal downtime. At a time when companies worldwide are suffering from geopolitical and other issues, business disruptions are the last thing one would want.
- Enhances operations and flexibility
The modular capabilities of retrofit automation allow companies to keep pace with the dynamic market needs. It increases productivity and reliability of the systems, ensuring seamless operations without significant overhaul.
How To Get Started With Retrofit Automation?
While the benefit of retrofit automation is that it doesn’t need a complete overhaul of warehouses or systems, companies must be careful while integrating it. Here are a few steps to get started with retrofit automation.
- Conduct an initial evaluation
Conduct a thorough evaluation of the existing warehouse or plant to identify the areas of weakness. These could be the existing systems, the warehouse layout, or the process. This will help companies define the objective and choose the right technologies and systems to improve their business.
- Select the right technologies and systems
There are many solutions available for retrofit automation, ranging from AS/RS to automated picking solutions. Know which ones align with the goals and fit the company’s budget. Ensure these technologies and systems integrate smoothly with existing systems and workflows, require minimal disruption, and have no steep learning curve. The goal is to implement changes with minimal downtime.
- Work with the right partner
Choose an experienced partner who can help with retrofit automation without causing major disruptions. Ensure they understand the company’s business needs and goals, and offer the right solutions for seamless operations.
- Monitor and iterate continuously
To improve the efficiency and flexibility of manufacturing and logistics operations, companies must monitor their performance continuously and ensure it meets the business goals. Make iterations wherever necessary to optimize operations.
At Cartesian Kinetics, we understand the need to transform warehouse operations without complex modifications to keep pace with the dynamic market. That’s why we built a retrofit automation solution called Carte+ that helps companies get the most out of existing investments and infrastructure.
Carte+ is easy to install, doesn’t require any racks to be ripped and replaced, and is flexible enough to manage peak and seasonal demands. More importantly, it helps companies increase their throughput and picking efficiency.
For more details on Carte+, contact us.
FAQs
- What is retrofit automation?
Retrofit automation is an approach used to upgrade existing systems without replacing the current ones.
- How does retrofit automation benefit manufacturing and logistics companies?
Retrofit automation saves the company time and cost of upgrading the systems and infrastructure as there is no rip-and-replace approach involved. It optimizes the warehouse space using technologies like AS/RS and enhances flexibility in manufacturing and logistics operations.
- How is retrofit automation different from traditional automation processes?
Unlike traditional automation processes that need a complete overhaul of technologies and infrastructure, retrofit automation doesn’t require it. Companies can easily integrate the new systems with existing ones and ensure smooth operations.
