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Introduction:

Automation is the new norm in the manufacturing industry and many companies are now investing in automating manual activities in both production and logistics. The purpose of this report is to examine and analyze automation from a logistical perspective by answering the following questions: What are the advantages and disadvantages between an automated warehouse and a manual warehouse? Which deviations can an automated warehouse system minimize? Which manual activities in the storage flow can an automated warehouse system replace?  

Method:

To be able to answer the questions, a case study was carried out on two case companies where one works with completely manual activities while the other has mostly automated activities. The flow of pallets with activities from goods reception to storage location has been observed at both companies and analyzed in comparison with each other and the theory gathered through a literature study.  

Results:

The result shows several manual activities in logistics management that can be automated and facilitate both the amount of work activities but also reduced personnel and traffic in the warehouse. Furthermore, several activities can also be combined into one activity in an automated system. Benefits that are achieved include efficiency, less manual work and fewer errors where human handling is a factor.  

Conclusions:

Automation streamlines material handling and also makes it easier for operators and truck drivers at the goods reception, as monotonous work can be replaced with conveyor systems or automatic pallet controls. This leads to staff being able to focus more on deviations or spend time on other activities that can increase the quality of the work.