When you ask a lot of questions, you typically get a lot of answers. But it’s how you use that information that’s important because knowledge is only powerful if you know what to do with it.

At Abel Womack, we operate a lot like material handling doctors. We ask clients questions to better understand their current condition and contrast that baseline against their ideal one. When was the last time you went to see a doctor and got a diagnosis before you told them anything about how you felt? It never happens! Before the doctor even sees you, you are weighed and checked out from your heart rate to blood pressure so they can begin to understand how you’re doing today compared to how you could be doing.

Uncover Client Pain Points

Asking the right questions and listening carefully to the answers is what we do at Abel Womack. We’re focused on your business and how it’s operating when it comes to storage, retrieval and materials movements inside your facility. We want to know what parts of your operation are doing well and what parts are causing pain. How long have those things have been an issue? How can we help you uncover the causes? Without understanding what’s going on in your business first, we can’t make a true diagnosis. But, with all of this information in hand, the solutions we recommend can improve your performance and provide a positive ROI.

Like a doctor, we’ll come up with personalized options to recommend just for you. This is very important because your business is not the same as your neighbors’ business, and neither are the problems or solutions. As we get to know you and your operation, we can begin to assess areas of concern where we might be able to help you. Often a walkthrough or quick checkup can be a helpful exercise for planning purposes. Then it takes a rigorous analysis of your data e.g. velocity reports, SKU/slotting analysis and trends. It’s all centered around your goals for future improvements.

Find a Cure

Here are just a few of the concerns we encounter regularly and suggested fixes:

Limited space for expanding operations: Consider automated vertical storage systems, mobile aisle storage racks, narrow aisle and very narrow aisle rack systems, shelving systems, and pick modules.

Lower than required productivity per person: We often recommend Warehouse Management Software (WMS), Pick-to-Light and Put-to-Light automated picking systems, robotic picking, batch picking software and hardware solutions integrated with your WMS, and horizontal carousel systems integrated with your ERP.

Higher than desired labor costs: Solutions include automated robotic cells for replacing repetitive motion tasks and Warehouse Management Software (WMS).

Safety/Ergonomics: Try an automated goods-to-person picking system (vertical carousels, vertical lift modules) and robotic cells for repetitive or heavy movements.

Moving into a new facility or consolidating locations: Start with multiple CAD layouts and concepts to evaluate on a cost benefit analysis for optimal product flow and storage.

If your operation is ailing or you simply need a checkup, make an appointment stat with your material handling provider. Once we get a pulse on your operation’s vital signs, we can offer the appropriate remedy. Because an Abel a day keeps the warehouse issue away!