Energy efficiency is an extremely important topic in the highly cost-optimized field of intralogistics. Due to the current global situation, saving resources is a topic of particular interest across all industries. One of the key challenges for warehouse managers is to keep track of the highly diverse product landscape.

 

Every supplier of intralogistics hardware advertises increased energy efficiency compared to their own predecessor models or the solutions of the competition. Storage and picking processes are considered to be the most time-consuming and energy-intensive processes in a warehouse. The parameters that decision-makers have to consider when designing, purchasing and maintaining hardware, but especially when designing internal processes, are many and often complex. These include:

  • Energy and raw material prices
  • Existing regulations
  • Lifecycle of technical components
  • Time vs. energy efficiency
  • Optimization of material flow
  • Adapted warehousing strategies

Precise measurements and suitable mathematical models are the key to success

The most important factor for the evaluation and redesign of more energy-efficient processes is a stable database. Calculation methods or simulations provide added value here. However, in practice, it has been shown that the models are often based on assumptions that collide with real conditions. For example, conveyor systems of the same design do not necessarily have the same energy requirements. It is therefore essential to get an up-to-date overview with your own measurement data. Once a data-based picture of the energy demand exists, the available options can be adapted to their specific implementation form.

In any case, it is important to consider whether the underlying assumptions may have already been overtaken by the latest developments in technology and science when making any kind of estimate or simulation. Simplifications can quickly lead you astray if, for example, a constant speed is mistakenly assumed for spatial movements that actually show an accelerated movement. This is where powerful hardware interfaces and state-of-the-art prediction models play a central role in obtaining the necessary high-quality data.

Hybrid material flow strategies with autonomous systems

More complex processes, such as the interplay between storage and retrieval in stacker cranes, are more difficult to plan than a process that only involves a single task. With the help of optimized programs to approach a defined goal, so-called solvers, or solutions supported by artificial intelligence (AI), the probability of efficient workflows that bring an actual net profit and not only theoretical advantages in the software itself increases. After all, simply forcing double cycles and enjoying the energy savings while the processes behind or in front come to a halt is of no use to anyone.

The storage location is also crucial for energy-efficient intralogistics. Are the items stored in such a way that they can be retrieved quickly and also energy-efficiently? IT systems support the reliable application of complex storage strategies without compromising process reliability and speed. Where fixed storage location assignment previously offered the greatest security while also requiring a great deal of space, free storage location assignment or even mixed-item storage allocation are now better solutions. Optimizing the distribution of goods in this way makes it possible to achieve efficiency and energy savings.

In e-commerce in particular, where speed is of the essence, oversized packaging is often chosen. Once again, artificial intelligence offers an advantage over solvers: it adapts itself to new conditions and can be used in a wider range of applications. Once trained, it can optimize boxes as well as pallets. This means that the following challenges, which were previously spread across several systems, can be solved by a single one:

  • Assignment of orders to individual packing stations
  • Distribution of ordered items to individual packages and selection of suitable package sizes
  • Sequence of packing items and positioning of items within a package
  • Best possible distribution of the packages filled with items and the pallets loaded with packages to the individual delivery vehicles

Using energy intelligently

“In a closed system, the total amount of energy can neither be increased nor decreased. It is only possible to convert the different types of energy into one another.” This section is an excerpt from the first law of thermodynamics. In the context of electrically powered systems, such as electric vehicles, the term recuperation is often used, which is a technical process for recovering energy. This technology has been used in rail transport for a long time in the form of regenerative braking, which converts kinetic energy back into electrical energy. Waste heat can also be reused in certain situations.

Energy and time are two competing factors in all movements in the warehouse, and it is important to balance them in an economical way. For example, synchronous travel in storage and retrieval machines may intuitively appear economical. However, if energy recovery technologies are installed, for example, independent movement of the axes offers more advantages.

Outlook

Sustainability aspects play a central role in intralogistics – and their importance will increase. The complexity of this topic requires those responsible to carefully weigh up various parameters such as resource prices, existing regulations and the life cycles of technical components. The creation of a stable database through measurements and simulations is an essential prerequisite for well-founded decisions. The integration of AI-supported solutions enables the development of sustainable workflows, as they can be applied more efficiently in complex processes such as the double cycle of storage and retrieval machines. Greater flexibility in storage location allocation, supported by IT systems, reduces distances and saves time and energy. Responsible use of energy, in an economically efficient and timely manner, will be one of the fundamental competitive advantages of the future.

This article was first published in German in the trade journal “Technische Logistik”.