A step ahead in warehouse automation

EVEN though global economic challenges continue to put a damper on international business activities, the Asia Pacific market has been quite promising and remains dynamic in these trying times. Warehousing solutions have always played an integral part in any business regardless of their operating industries, so in spite of the challenging economy, our sales team have reported increased enquires for Efacec’s Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS).

Pedro Furtado, deputy general manager and projects director, Efacec Singapore Pte Ltd

With over 30 years of experience, Efacec continues to be at the forefront of our industry, providing customised automated solutions for each customer. We avoid the ‘one size fits all’ approach because every business has different needs and challenges to work with.  The company also remains ahead of our competition by continuing to manufacture our warehousing solutions in Europe at competitive price points. We might derive bulk savings if we relocate our facilities to more competitive manufacturing regions, but we may also not be able to then ensure the same consistency and quality in all our solutions. Our customers appreciate that Efacec remains committed to providing high-quality, European-manufactured solutions, even in this recovering economy. 

Challenges in the industry

Every industry requires warehouse solutions to ensure some degree of structure in their business processes. The number one challenge that we frequently face is to change the entrenched perceptions of companies that still work with manual warehousing procedures. Even with the development of advanced warehousing solutions, there are still companies who easily dismiss the efficiency and benefits that these new-age technologies can offer. 

Convincing companies operating in countries with moderate to high seismic activity to adopt automated logistics technologies is another challenge. When earthquakes or tremors occur, products may fall off the racks due to the automated warehouse’s high racking designs. So companies operating in these areas continue to choose conventional warehouses to avoid such problems. But as racking suppliers develop more advanced systems to overcome this potential problem, more companies are embracing the upgrade to automated logistics solutions. A major attraction of these systems is its storage volume, which provides users with racking solutions of up to 30 meters in height, doubling to tripling that of conventional warehouses even under seismic conditions. 

Each business industry also experiences specific challenges in logistics focus. Food safety and traceability are high priorities in the food and beverage (F&B) industry. Food manufacturers are increasingly coming under pressure to conduct thorough warehouse audits, and to trace products back to specific sources. First-expiry, First out (FEFO) is another prevailing logistics concern in the F&B industry. Some food materials have a short shelf life, and the FEFO process can help to avoid product loss due to food expiry. 

Changing market needs

Market needs have evolved rapidly over the years. A decade ago, manual operations were the norm. From processing to storage and retrievals, and even to packing orders, companies conducted all their warehouse procedures manually. Fast forward a few years, a plethora of warehousing solutions is now readily available on the market. 

To keep up with the changing times and to satisfy customers’ needs, Efacec continues to provide customised warehousing solutions. No two solutions from Efacec are identical, and that allows us to take advantage of a customer’s existing facility. We are flexible to cater to different requests from our customers. 

One of Efacec’s top priorities is to provide customers with quality consulting services during the evaluation stage of the decision making process. We firmly believe in supporting our customers at every stage, and that places us in a favourable position to make suitable recommendations to address their specific needs. Listening to our customers and understanding their concerns is what we excel in. By fully understanding each company’s concerns, Efacec can then better support their warehousing goals more effectively. 

Additionally, with the onset of globalisation, companies are looking for more pallet storage due to the influx of product orders. In this regard, Efacec’s ASRS solutions are most ideal as it has the capability to provide pallet storage volumes of 50,000 and more. In addition, our solutions also feature high pallet handling rates, which provide the ability to sort 400 pallets and more per hour. Efacec’s ASRS solutions have been adopted by internationally recognised names such as Coca-Cola and PT Indolakto. 

Due to changing market needs and logistics challenges, including limited land space for a large warehouse, problems with manpower dependency and productivity, and inventory accuracy, PT Indolakto consulted with Efacec to overhaul and make improvements to its existing warehouse procedures. Efacec then outfitted the 25m-high warehouse with 20,000-pallet storage capacity, supplemented with shuttle cars, rail guided vehicles (RGV) and a warehouse management system (WMS). With Efacec, PT Indolakto was able to achieve several accomplishments, including reduced operation cost and reliance on manpower, increased storage capacity, fully automated processes, and better inventory control.