As thousands of production & industrial manufacturing jobs remain unfilled, the challenge for enlightened managers is how to best utilize the workers you already have. It’s clear that today’s workers are looking for something more fulfilling and less monotonous. Industry needs to respond with creative, appropriate solutions that improve productivity. We suggest those solutions start with a review of your processes, especially material handling.

Material handling functions are often the most repetitive, boring, and dangerous tasks within a facility. As the warehousing/eCommerce industry evolves & expands into the manufacturing space, these issues now impact not only production facilities, but also the storage aspect of consumer product. Repetitive tasks tend to induce boredom after time, which can lead to distraction and potential injury. That’s one reason material handling is one of the fastest growing segments for automation via autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

Consider that the advanced, integrated, interconnected automation systems-now commonplace-did not even exist ten years ago. The use of industrial & collaborative manufacturing robotics and autonomous mobile platforms is also relatively new, so it’s not surprising that most factories are still “old school” since capital budgets continue to be constrained. At the same time, a comprehensive automated solution to materials handling always (yes, always) improves productivity.

A major additional benefit is that material handling workers can be re-deployed to safer, higher value tasks. We know that capital remains a constant challenge in the production/manufacturing industry.

“In terms of material handling, we’ve seen a lot of interest in the MiR 1350 Pallet Lift, a sophisticated high performance mobile robot that can move pallets weighing up to 1350 kg or 2976 lbs.Best of all, it can work 24/7/365 delivering heavy loads exactly where needed, quickly and safely”, said VP of eCommerce & 3PL Dana Poling.

RōBEX is a growing robotic engineering-based company that develops automation solutions for customers in manufacturing, beverage, food, building products, packaging, and distribution. Their automated systems include robotics, smart conveyors, autonomous mobile robots, automated forklifts and much more as they continue to find new ways to automate “manual tasks” within a plant improving safety, efficiency, and productivity. Their team is comprised of some of the best minds in robotic automation who are creating new customized solutions that continue to evolve manufacturing, eCommerce, and material handling.

You can find out more about RōBEX by calling 419-270-0770 or emailing them at: automation@robex.us