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Automation And Distribution Center Labor Effectiveness: A Case Study Of Operations Company X, James Rizzitano

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

Distribution center automation has progressed rapidly in recent times, with substantial improvements in automated systems which improve worker efficiency. These improvements have enabled distribution centers to increase their total throughput, while lowering their labor cost-per-case. However, when a distribution center transitions from manual fulfillment to an automated warehouse execution system, there will be growing pains as the facility adapts. In this exploratory case study of Operations Company X, we observe one such facility that recently transitioned to use an automated warehouse management system. To best explore the happenings of this facility, an archival analysis of pre and post automation data …