© Copyright Acquisition International 2025 - All Rights Reserved.

Article Image - It’s the Solution, Not Necessarily the Technology
Posted 19th August 2022

It’s the Solution, Not Necessarily the Technology

Warehouses have become busy fulfilment factories, where throughput and performance can determine business success or failure.

Mouse Scroll AnimationScroll to keep reading

Let us help promote your business to a wider following.

It’s the Solution, Not Necessarily the Technology
engineer staff worker using laptop monitor business information data screen at port cargo shipping.

Craig Whitehouse, Managing Director of Invar Integration, takes an objective view of problem solving within the warehouse.

Warehouses have become busy fulfilment factories, where throughput and performance can determine business success or failure. Now, as costs rise and labour availability falls, many companies are turning to technology to alleviate the pressure points in warehousing processes in order to free up valuable human resources and drive productivity.

But technology in itself is only part of the equation; those looking to adopt automation should consider their options fully, and very carefully, before arriving at a decision.

For a prospective buyer it can be tempting to read a few articles, identify a technology that looks appropriate and simply approach a technology vendor directly. Of course, this may work out fine. However, there is the danger that the buyer may just see the technology rather than the solution required. It’s all too easy to be sold a system that may work okay, as a compromise, but doesn’t necessarily offer you the best result – perhaps, falling short on flexibility, scalability, performance at peak or overall value, to mention but a few possibilities.

What is missing here is independent, informed thinking. Automation, with the plethora of technologies available, can offer a whole host of possible solutions to a range of warehouse processes – from goods-received, storage and order picking to packing, sorting and despatch. New technologies, such as Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) combined with pick-to-light technology, have transformed good-to-person order processing in recent years, bringing highly flexible and scalable, low-Capex solutions within comfortable reach of small to medium size enterprises. But the choices are many and varied, which can be bewildering – making unbiased technical expertise an invaluable resource to tap into.

Working with an independent integrator offers a number of advantages. First and foremost, being independent means that recommendations relating to technology and potential suppliers are unbiased, and are not determined by the need to sell a proprietary product. A good integrator with strong software capabilities can therefore bring together the very latest and most advanced technologies for the task, producing a best-in-class solution.

Having in-depth knowledge and expertise in the field of advanced warehouse automation, helps too, of course. For instance, there are any number of suppliers of AMRs capable of handling cartons, however, they all have their own particular attributes and limitations. Understanding the technical specifications is essential. But important to know too is the purchaser’s priorities – is it price, space, reliability etc?

The starting point for any automation project has to be a complete understanding of the aims and objectives of the business. What level of growth is the business expecting year-on-year – is it 20% or more? What financial resources are available for any automation project? Limited capital may not preclude automation, as point solutions and scalable technology can be deployed in stages over time.

More specifically, what problems are you trying to solve? Automation may be adopted for any number of reasons, such as: increasing capacity, reducing reliance on labour, overcoming space constraints, lowering costs, increasing storage density, speeding processes, introducing higher levels of accuracy or enhancing operational resilience. But where in the warehouse can technology be best applied in order to deliver the desired objectives?

An independent systems integrator can help guide a business through this process, ultimately, figuring out what an optimum solution should look like and then finding the appropriate hardware to deliver against the set objectives. Critically, it’s this independence that enables the customer to have access to the very latest advanced technologies, a resource that can deliver the best-fit technology for their application. All in all, far better than taking a hardware first approach and then trying to crowbar the solution around it.

Bringing a combination of technologies together in a cohesive way, based on process efficiency and overall performance, is what counts and much of this depends on the software development and the skills of the integrator to successfully tailor the solution for optimum performance.

One of the biggest factors determining whether a solution works well or not is the software. That’s why it’s important to work with an independent systems integrator with its own in-house developed software and control solutions.

As an independent, full-spectrum automated warehouse solutions provider, Invar Group is free to select the most appropriate technology for the task, and being a multifaceted organisation that brings together skilled individuals with competencies across warehouse management software, systems integration and controls, we take responsibility for the complete turnkey-key system from start to finish.

More on smart warehouse automation at www.invargroup.com

Categories: Innovation, News, Strategy


You Might Also Like
Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
5 Ways to Optimize AWS Migration Costs
Innovation
27/07/20235 Ways to Optimize AWS Migration Costs

Increasingly more enterprises switch to AWS by performing the migration themselves or outsourcing AWS migration services. According to Amazon, 51% of AWS adopters report reduced operational costs, 62% IT staff productivity increase, and 94% downtime reduction.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Best SaaS Softwares to Help Improve Your Services
Innovation
28/09/2021Best SaaS Softwares to Help Improve Your Services

The business landscape has changed dramatically in recent times, as technology is booming and has become central to businesses across all industries.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
How to Understand Stock Market Basics
Finance
17/02/2021How to Understand Stock Market Basics

The stock market can be a profitable and exciting way to diversify your income and investments. It can also be a bottomless pit of confusion. Even if you have decided to hire a professional to trade on your behalf you will still want to be knowledgeable about

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
3 Signs Your TOM isn’t Working for You
News
17/06/20253 Signs Your TOM isn’t Working for You

Leading UK technology consultancy identifies the key warning signs that your Target Operating Model isn’t working for you.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Questro Expands into Germany: Thorsten Schaus Joins Transfer Pricing firm Questro International
Leadership
11/02/2016Questro Expands into Germany: Thorsten Schaus Joins Transfer Pricing firm Questro International

Questro International announced the opening of a new office in Germany and the recruitment of Thorsten Schaus as their new TP Leader in Germany earlier this month.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Strive, Committed, Synchronised, Inspired
News
01/09/2022Strive, Committed, Synchronised, Inspired

Established in 1957 as Qatar’s first registered company, Milaha began its journey as a shipping agency, and it strategically developed over the next six decades to become one of the largest maritime and logistics service providers in the region.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
BlackHawk Industrial buys Packaging Inc., Pioneer Tool Supply
M&A
15/04/2015BlackHawk Industrial buys Packaging Inc., Pioneer Tool Supply

BlackHawk Industrial Distribution, a portfolio company of Brazos Private Equity Partners, has acquired Packaging Inc.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
7 Ways to Cut Business Costs Through Cloud Computing
Innovation
03/11/20217 Ways to Cut Business Costs Through Cloud Computing

Various businesses all over the globe are eager to find ways to minimize their operating costs. With the advancements in the industry, a steadily increasing number of companies are turning to the cloud.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Setting the Benchmark
Finance
01/11/2016Setting the Benchmark

CKLB was founded in 1998, is well-established and independently owned. As a medium sized firm, they pride themselves in their ability and commitment to provide a personal and tailor-made services for their clients.



Our Trusted Brands

Acquisition International is a flagship brand of AI Global Media. AI Global Media is a B2B enterprise and are committed to creating engaging content allowing businesses to market their services to a larger global audience. We have a number of unique brands, each of which serves a specific industry or region. Each brand covers the latest news in its sector and publishes a digital magazine and newsletter which is read by a global audience.

Arrow