BY BEN AMES, SENIOR EDITOR
ENERGY-EFFICIENT FACILITY DESIGN
specialreport
UNDER PRESSURE TO MEET THE
demands of omnichannel fulfillment and a rising tide of
e-commerce orders, many
warehouses have turned to
automated material handling
systems as a way to boost
accuracy, cut labor costs,
and speed up fulfillment.
Equipment such as automated storage and retrieval systems
(AS/RSs), conveying systems, lifts, and shuttles can go a
long way toward helping DCs achieve those objectives.
The solution comes with a steep price, however.
Automated facilities may see their electric bills climb to
meet the increased energy demands of running these powerful machines.
In response, facilities are seeking out new ways to optimize energy consumption while keeping the pedal to the
metal on fulfillment speed, according to Markus Schmidt,
president of Swisslog Warehouse & Distribution Solutions,
Americas. But what can they really do in this regard? We
decided to ask the experts for some advice. What follows
are their five top suggestions for ways to hold down your
power costs.
1Plug into the IoT. Intrigued by the notion of the Internet of Things (Io T) but haven’t yet found a reason to take the plunge? This may be just the excuse you’re
looking for. The IoT, essentially a network of connected
devices that communicate with one another automatically,
can provide a big assist to DC managers looking to reduce
their energy consumption. To begin with, it can supply vital
data on a facility’s energy usage patterns, which users can
then analyze with an eye toward identifying savings oppor-
tunities. For example, by attaching power-usage sensors to
individual pieces of material handling equipment, users can
monitor energy consumption throughout their facility in
real time, Schmidt said. Armed with this information, they
can track changes in energy consumption for every room,
aisle, drive, and motor in the building, identify inefficien-
cies, and make adjustments.
Another way to use the data is by analyzing it for pur-
poses of integrated energy management control. In this
approach, users set a baseline level of energy consumption
for each machine, then manage their operation so multiple
devices share their combined power “budget” in the most
efficient way. For example, two sensors can communicate
and delay the start of one machine by a few seconds in
order to minimize the peaks in power draw that occur
when two machines start up simultaneously, said Samuel
Schaerer, controls development manager with the Swisslog
Warehouse & Distribution Solutions Technology Center.
2Recuperate and recharge. Energy “recuperation” is another strategy for cutting the amount of electric- ity required to run large material handling systems,
Five clever ways to cut
your DC’s electric bill
Today’s whiz-bang automated handling systems
may be revolutionizing your DC operations, but
they’re also running up your power bill. Here
are some ways to ease the pain.
