Will the robots eventually take over? It still open questionBut if the ability is criteria, the answer is determined – yes. Works can do almost everything that a man can do – no less personality than Bill Gates describes possibilities as “unlimited” – And they are still in its infancy. For companies, Robots mean performance and lower costs, especially in factories, warehouses and other facilities that require significant human work; At least that How they are perceived.
However, managers often assume that replacing people with robots is caused by staff who work for zero dollars per hour – and if necessary, it can work 24/7. While robots – and other autonomous and automated mobile devices (AMR and AGV), as well as forklifts and forklifts – cost money, thinking is that considering the reduction of work expenditure they replace, the return on investment should be great.
But It's not necessarily true; Many managers are not fully aware or do not bring enough importance to the fact that robots and autonomous mobile equipment have their own expenses, some direct and some hidden. Some of the hidden costs that managers often do not consider, but should include robot downtime due to charging, computer update to manage fleet, lost space for storage or production- and even traffic jams.
Inefficient downtime
Works and automated movable equipment work on batteries – and these batteries should be charged. The charging time depends on the size of the robot or vehicle, but it can be the same as 20% of the time Are to function. In addition, the data shows that other problems often maintain robots for another 12% of their timeWhich means that many robots can be offline, as many as a third of managers expect them to work. This downtime – when the machine is not available to perform the task – it must be reflected when Calculation Roi.
In addition to downtime, small breaks or errors in the work cycle may cause other inefficiency of automated robotic fleets. For example, in many magazines, collecting is done by robots, while people are performed by packing and verifying the order. If the robot does not choose and does not provide the object to the packaging area or brings the wrong element, the employee cannot fill in this order, and the whole system is often stopped, which causes the effect of delays and idle work. And if the company is involved in shipping the same day, because many websites need to make suppliers, this may cause the effect of waving disappointed customers and a lost company.
Fleet extension means extending the budget
To compensate for the downtime that most robots require, many warehouses or factories have a spare fleet – up to 35% more robots or machines to collect slack to charge and maintain downtime. Related expenses for these add -ons include additional maintenance and replacement of the battery (so often Once a year). But one expense, which is probably not included, is the need for a more reliable server to control additional robots or machines. This may require a significant investment in new hardware and software – a cost that can certainly affect ROI calculations.
In addition, additional works may require even greater maintenance than expected. Robots that sit idly are subject to additional maintenance problems such as Lubrication degradationIN Spare battery teamsIN accumulation of dust in sensorsAND Motor problems. If the robots are inactive as much as 20% of the time- so much- which can mean a commensual increase in additional maintenance costs to solve these problems related to the prolonged periods of inactivity,
Don't forget to consider the lost space
Robots need power, and in standard storage and factory configurations, this often means allocating the space of the charger and docking stations 10 square feet or more for a charger. This additional area of real estate costs money – whether in the costs of leasing, purchase of land and property taxes – and these expenses must be taken into account when calculating ROI. It is also assumed that you can even add space; Although this is unlikely to be a problem in large distribution centers, usually far outside the city, it can be a serious problem for companies that have opened smaller warehouses in cities and suburbs to better accommodate the delivery of the same day. In any case, when the space is occupied by chargers or docking stations, it cannot be used for other purposes and can stop the possibility of expanding or scaling.
More space for charging means less space for goods – which means more transport costs bringing items from distribution centers to urban and suburban warehouses, more waiting time for orders and more problems with stocks and tracking. This can also cause omitted or incorrect orders – and another black eye with clients. One of the solutions would simply be to expand the warehouse to compensate for the additional required space; Another one would be to add vertical shelves to accommodate more goods if the floor space is not available. But these solutions also cost money – which means that Roi will probably bring a significant hit.
Setting up robots movement is a real risk
With more robots at the factory or in a warehouse hotel, there is a greater possibility that they will collide Mutually or from Human workers . These collisions can lead to damage, injuries and others Main problems. When robots collide with each other, they probably have to be repaired, increasing the costs of maintenance and cause that the object has become even less efficient, because now there is not enough robots to cover the outdated charging time. And if the robot hits a man, victims can sue – so objects must increase insurance to cover potential losses. Managers can choose collision detection systems, but these also cost money. Although it is unlikely that most institution managers will not have in mind, these factors can seriously threaten ROI estimates.
Apparently, robots are not a simple matter. Those who take into account the large image and take into account all these hidden costs can actually disappoint or reject the automation of their warehouses. However, there are ways to further balance these costs and increase roi. And shows the promise By solving robot traffic jams, but when the object has to add additional robots to compensate for charging downtime, the algorithm must be adapted – which may again require updating software or hardware or employing AI experts to change controller systems.
One promising solution in solving some of these problems are innovative charging methods, which reduce or even eliminate the need to charge downtime. These methods, such as enabling charging robots during work, for example, can reduce the need for spare robots and solve some challenges related to inactivity, crowded floors or warehouses, waiting time for the task, a space lost in documents and expenses related to fleet control.
Automation is indeed the future, Experts believe; The number of fully automated warehouses in the US has been increasing for almost a decade. In addition, logistics and magazine staff are becoming more and more difficult to find, and delivery on the same day increased the need for credible staff. This automation trend will probably be continued, especially since more solutions to charging problems, downtime of robots and traffic jams, and logistics is solved, thanks to which the real roi of automation is much more attractive. However, until this happens, managers and facilities owners must take into account the hidden automation costs and make sure that they are thoroughly invented in their numbers of ROI. Automation can actually bring the organization's benefits – if he knows what is falling into it and can control hidden costs.
