Distribution center technology provider, Lucas Systems, has announced its new software enhancements to help warehouses make quicker and more effective decisions as it relates to order batching and prioritization, warehouse worker travel, and slotting.

With the addition of new powerful algorithms and digital twin mapping of the warehouse, Lucas Systems’ next-generation Dynamic Work Optimization (DWO) delivers more effective warehouse performance by considering in-the-moment complexities related to order priority, SKU clustering, proximity and warehouse layout.

Additionally, the enhanced software promises a reduction (up to 50%) in the number of steps workers take inside the warehouse by optimizing pick paths in a way that considers the least amount of travel time required.  Pick path recommendations now factor in the effect of forklifts and cherry pickers, and Lucas Systems says these details matter.

In recent months, Lucas Systems executives have announced ‘dynamically-driven’ technologies to help warehouse operators quickly adapt to changing operational conditions or shifts in demand. Lucas Systems’ Dynamic Slotting technologies is an example of one of these technologies. Announced earlier this year, its benefit is to simplify re-slotting by providing in-the-moment recommendations, powered by AI. It applies machine-learning algorithms to recommend which products should be moved. It also learns the spatial characteristics of a warehouse and predicts task time based on activity-level data. The model then continues to ‘learn’, providing continuous optimization as conditions change.

Lucas Systems says warehouse agility is key to a company’s future growth and is necessary in these times. They’ve outlined their vision for creating a dynamically-driven warehouse in their new report, The Transformational Promise of the Dynamic Warehouse. The report includes customer insights and new strategies and considerations for change.

Lucas Systems CMO Ken Ramoutar says, “You cannot future-proof your warehouse with fixed or mechanical automation. Rising supply chain volatility requires adaptive operations with in-the-moment smart decision support. The more agile your operations are, the more you’ll be able to capitalize on opportunities and minimize the impact of disruptions and then course correct them.”

Ramoutar describes a dynamic warehouse as having the smart software and decision-making technology to:

• Be self-optimizing – make real-time optimized decisions on work execution, priorities, and labor assignments
• Enable managers to quickly implement change upon learning new insights
• Efficiently optimize the use of warehouse resources, including the workforce
• Allow new automation such as robotics to be introduced and orchestrated seamlessly
• Cost-efficiently adapt to changes in demand profiles, supply disruption, and resource availability

Ramoutar adds, “The agility from smart software will help warehouses respond – cost-effectively – to supply chain disruptions and other fluctuating market dynamics. Warehouses that aren’t dynamic will face significant long-term challenges with warehouse performance and more demanding customer service levels.”