Warehouse and Fulfillment Automation

Smarter systems that move more, faster

Futuristic Technology Retail Warehouse: Worker Doing Inventory Walks when Digitalization Process Analyzes Goods, Cardboard Boxes, Products with Delivery Infographics in Logistics, Distribution Center

Are you facing an inventory of issues?

Warehouses, distribution centers and fulfillment centers are under more pressure than ever. Rising consumer expectations for faster, more-accurate deliveries are overwhelming many legacy systems. At the same time, the explosion of ecommerce has introduced a wide variety of packaging shapes and sizes—often disrupting established workflows and creating bottlenecks. Many operations rely on fixed, inflexible systems that make it difficult to scale, reconfigure or respond to changing order profiles and business needs. To stay competitive, warehouse and fulfillment operations need smart, adaptable automation solutions that improve throughput, increase agility, reduce downtime—and more.

Inside the Modern Warehouse

Image of a logistic warehouse. Interior of a factory storage room with goods on large shelves.

Blog

Inside the Modern Warehouse

The modern warehouse must be able to adapt not only to today’s challenges, but to tomorrow’s as well. Discover two key focus areas to consider as you modernize warehouse operations.

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Take your Warehouse to the Next Level

Explore our Warehouse and Fulfillment interactive and learn how you can elevate your approach to warehousing, supply chain and logistics.

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Transform Your Warehouse Logistics with AMR Robots

Female wearing yellow hardhat, holding clipboard in warehouse, managing OTTO autonomous mobile robot (AMR robot) fleet

Solution

Transform Your Warehouse Logistics with AMR Robots

Manufacturers continue relying on AMR robots to increase factory floor productivity, reduce labor costs and boost safety.

Delivering across sectors

No matter if your focus is on stabilizing storage temperatures, automating material movement across a facility or helping to protect your supply chain from cyberattacks, Rockwell Automation and our partner ecosystem are prepared to meet you where you’re at.

Grocer
Use technology that helps you streamline your path to FSMA 204 regulatory compliance, overcome DC/FC/WHS footprint constraints, and navigate cold/ambient storage challenges.

Pharmacy and Medical Device
Deploy proven technology and professional services for track and trace/regulatory compliance and OT cybersecurity that is tailored to your power, information, and control systems.

Ports
Bring autonomy, flexibility, and efficiency to your main and satellite port operations through solutions from a US company with hundreds of US-based local support and service professionals.

Ecommerce
From intelligent material handling to virtual commissioning to supply chain integration, access solutions that help you streamline operations, improve flexibility, and scale efficiently.

Couriers, Express and Parcel
Address your material movement operation challenges with a dock-to-dock autonomous material handling solution that is centrally managed, data-driven, and designed to enable continuous optimization.

Retailers of Personal Goods
Access a suite of solutions tailored to help retailers leverage AI and automation to optimize their operations and supply chain to become more agile, efficient, and responsive to market demands.

OEMs of Material Handling Systems
Leverage digital-first optimization for virtual testing and validation, simplify machine designs using modular, scalable in cabinet or on machine control solutions, and deliver reliability through built-in diagnostics and remote support.

Third-party Logistics Providers
Create differentiated capabilities and exceed service level agreements through optimized, automated operations. Together with our robust PartnerNetwork™, we provide end-to-end autonomous material movement, automated fulfillment, and data-driven insights.

Delivering across facilities

The performance of your material handling systems directly impacts your speed, accuracy, and profitability. That’s why we work with you to design and implement flexible, future-ready automation solutions that adapt as your business grows. Whether you're upgrading a legacy facility or building from the ground up, we help you optimize throughput, increase uptime, and stay competitive in a fast-moving marketplace.

Warehouses

conveyor belt in a modern logistic warehouse

Distribution Centers

Recyclable Cardboard Box Being Transported on a Conveyor Belt in a Modern Logistics Center. Parcel is Prepared for Delivery to an Online Client. Rendered Conveyor System of a Big Retail Business

Fulfillment Centers

Rockwell Automation solutions for warehouse and fulfillment automation

At Rockwell Automation, we deliver the hardware, software and services you need to transform warehouse, supply chain and logistics operations. Our advanced automation and information solutions help you respond to shifting consumer demands, streamline material handling, and gain real-time visibility across your operations—from inventory forecasting and replenishment to end-to-end traceability.

Optimize
throughput

Reduce
operational
costs

Maximize
resource optimization

Minimize
human
error

Improve
inventory
control

Enhance order fulfillment

Reduce shipping errors

Explore by material handling technology

Distribution and industry software

PartnerNetwork Program

We offer you access to a network of distributors, system integrators, OEMs, technology, and EPC companies skilled in projects related to warehousing, fulfillment and logistics.

Our PartnerNetwork™ program members are prominent companies experienced in delivering products and services that work with our solutions. The collaboration among members helps to streamline your supply chain, simplify project implementation, and provide the best value for your automation investment.

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staff discussing together in a warehouse

Kalypso

Reimagining warehousing innovation & resilience

Kalypso, a Rockwell Automation company, helps warehousing and fulfillment companies by providing a comprehensive suite of digital transformation services aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, adaptability, and resilience.

Our approach begins with the Digital Value Accelerator, which helps organizations assess current capabilities and develop a strategic roadmap for transformation. We employ warehousing digital twins to simulate and optimize warehouse layouts and processes, leading to improved commissioning times and increased throughput.

Kalypso's enterprise solutions integrate advanced warehouse management systems (WMS) to enhance inventory accuracy and order fulfillment rates. Our intelligent warehousing capabilities leverage data science for predictive maintenance and labor efficiency, while their IT/OT cybersecurity services help protect against digital threats to achieve secure and resilient operations. Through these integrated solutions, Kalypso enables companies to modernize their warehousing operations effectively.

What You Need to Know about Warehouse Automation

What is Warehouse Automation?

Warehouse automation refers to the process of automating the movement of inventory into, throughout, and out of warehouses with minimal human interference. This includes automating repetitive and time-consuming processes such as labor-intensive duties and data entry.

Warehouse automation can include automated warehouse systems, such as autonomous robots, moving inventory throughout a warehouse as needed. For example, this could include an automated warehouse picking system selecting the correct inventory to fulfill an order followed by an autonomous guided vehicle moving the inventory into the shipping zone, where it is ready to be delivered to the customer.

However, warehouse automation does not necessarily always include advanced robotics moving and storing inventory. It can also entail warehouse automation software robots updating inventory records as products move throughout the warehouse. Despite covering different levels of automation, in both instances, daily processes are performed more efficiently, faster, and with greater accuracy when buoyed by automation.

Automated warehouse solutions are applicable to a range of different warehouses and functions. Warehouse automation includes:

Fulfillment automation
Logistics automation software
Automated distribution centers

How Does Warehouse Automation Work?

Warehouse automation uses multiple advanced technologies including robotics, sensors, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) to efficiently move and store inventory.

While more advanced automated warehouse systems might physically move inventory with robotics, simply automating repetitive tasks within an existing inventory management system helps to ensure operational processes are being fulfilled as needed.

Benefits of Warehouse Automation

Warehouse automation comes with a wide range of benefits, from increasing operational efficiency to lessening human error. Some of the key benefits of warehouse automation include:

Optimized throughput
Optimal resource utilization
Competitive operational costs
Minimized human error
Better inventory control
Improved order fulfillment
Reduced shipping errors

Levels of Warehouse Automation

As mentioned, warehouse automation can be implemented at different levels, from basic automation solutions to more involved robotics. The four levels of warehouse automation include:

Basic Warehouse Automation – the first level of warehouse automation includes the adoption of simple technologies to lessen manual labor, such as conveyor belts that can move inventory throughout the warehouse.
Warehouse System Automation – the next level of warehouse automation includes the adoption of warehouse automation software to optimize systems through AI and ML, including warehouse management and supply chain management systems.
Mechanized Warehouse Automation – this level of warehouse automation includes the use of robotics to assist human employees with tasks like loading and picking inventory.
Advanced Warehouse Automation – the most advanced level of warehouse automation combines automated warehouse software with physical robotics for a singular harmonious system, in which automated solutions enhance every level of operations.

Types of Warehouse Automation

As you can see, there are many different ways in which automation can be implemented into warehouse operations. Some common warehouse automation technologies include:

Goods-to-persons
Automated storage and retrieval
Automatic guided vehicles
Pick-to-light and put-to-light systems
Automated sorting systems
Autonomous mobile robots

Ecommerce Conveyor Control System

Automated warehouse. Boxes moving on conveyer.

Whitepaper

Ecommerce Conveyor Control System

Ecommerce Conveyor Control System - Lifecycle Services is a document describing needs of Industry for conveying control system solutions of fulfillment and sorting centers. It also described what are the challenges customers face and how can our Rockwell solutions solve them , what is the value proposition of Rockwell solution.

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Repeatable Solution by LifecycleIQ Services

The Rockwell Automation Fulfillment and Sortation System is an integrated control system solution for varying sizes of conveyor control systems.

It includes pre-built functionality for controlling conveyors, diverters and sensors to achieve required high-speed end-to-end material flow.

Ready to talk to a Rockwell Automation consultant?

We offer industry expertise to help design, implement and support your automation investment.

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