The Role of Carousels in Warehouse Operations

When someone says ‘carousels’, most of us think about the fun rides at the carnival. However, in the material handling industry, carousels have a very different meaning.

Warehouse carousels are material handling solutions that use trays and tracks to transport inventory directly to a person for efficient picking. These automation solutions are a key innovation to getting the most out of our existing warehouse space, while driving efficiency and productivity. Find out why below.

To start off, warehouse carousel storage systems come in two main types - horizontal carousels and vertical carousels. As you can tell from the name, horizontal bins move in a horizontal motion. These automated warehouse systems are perfect for facilities with low clear height and small to medium sized items needing to be picked at a medium velocity.

Vertical carousels on the other hand are similar to ferris wheels, where trays of material are rotated up, over, and down to the picker, and are great for warehouses that have limited floor space but high ceiling height.

These automated warehousing solutions can have an enormous effect on how smoothly your operations run. Check out some of the main benefits below.

Improved Picking Efficiency and Accuracy

One of the main benefits of warehouse automation systems like carousels is improved picking accuracy. In the carousel, items are organized onto trays, and each tray can be specifically selected to be presented for picking.

This increases efficiency and eliminates time consuming walking and searching. This organization also makes the picking process easier and reduces human error by minimizing opportunities to pick the wrong part or quantity, which ultimately lowers operating costs by improving inventory accuracy.

Space Optimization

Implementing a new strategy or solution can often mean using more valuable space, but with a carousel, you’re able to store inventory in an efficient manner by reducing the existing footprint of inventory. Vertical carousels are unmatched for floor space savings, using your clear height as a significant advantage. Both vertical and horizontal carousels also save space by more neatly and tightly arranging your inventory, achieving a higher storage density than traditional shelving and drawers.

Safety

One of the most important benefits of this picking system, is the increased safety measures it offers. Since the inventory is stored in one place, there is less physical labor needed from a worker to walk many thousands of steps over the length of a shift. Additionally, carousels can minimize accidents as a worker isn’t reaching, having to climb a ladder, or bending to grab hard-to-reach or heavy items.

All carousels currently on the market have automated safety features in place. These automated technologies can include light curtains and emergency stop buttons that are easily accessible to workers.

Flexibility

Every operation is different, which makes carousels great for a wide variety of facilities. Carousel construction is generally modular and includes configurable trays and bins, so they can be customized to better accommodate the types of products that need to be stored.

For example, healthcare providers can use carousels to store medicine while manufacturing warehouses can use these automated warehousing solutions to have parts readily available for assembly lines. This automation solution is highly adaptable and can adjust to any changes in your inventory or workflow.

If you’re wanting to take the next step in creating a more efficient warehouse structure or you’re interested in warehouse automation, carousels are a great place to start. They are a reliable investment, saving time and money year over year.

We’re proud to be able to offer VIDIR carousels and Modula VLMs as these are sturdy and long-lasting solutions. Let us know if you’d like to know more about carousels or another automation solution that may work better for your specific needs.