Automated warehouse: How to get started - step by step

You’ll find a step-by-step guide here with concrete before/after examples and a practical first step towards E/Compact.

What an “automated warehouse” should mean in practice

Forget big promises. Focus on three things you can feel in day-to-day operations:

• Less floor space used (more vertical storage, fewer aisles).

• Less walking time (the goods come to the operator).

• More stable operations (the same pace on good and bad days).

Step 1: Choose one process and one “pain point”

Don’t automate the whole warehouse first. Choose one area where the problem is obvious.

Good places to start:

• Fast-moving items that create congestion.

• Small items that take time to find and count.

• Orders with many lines, where walking time kills the pace.

• Packing that often waits for picking.

Step 2: Measure your starting point for one week

Measure over 5–10 working days:

• Order lines picked per hour

• Estimated walking time or distance per picker

• Top 50 SKUs by picking frequency

• Picking errors and time spent fixing them

• Space used (shelving meters and aisle widths)

Step 3: Create a simple before/after picture

Keep it visual. One page is enough.

Before

• Goods spread across long aisles

• Picking is a walking job

• Replenishment interrupts picking

• The same hot zone gets overloaded

After

• Goods stored vertically with a small footprint

• Goods are brought to the operator (goods-to-person)

• Picking and replenishment run to a plan

• Floor space is freed for packing, assembly, or production

Step 4: Start small with a clear first choice

If you’re new to automation, the first goal is confidence. You want better flow without rebuilding everything.

That’s why many start with E/Classic. It’s the entry product.
It gives you compact goods-to-person when space is tight—without making the project unnecessarily heavy.

When you need to handle more volume and more order lines, you move up. That’s where E/Compact comes in. E/Compact is a high-volume system that automates storage and retrieval for Effimat 4 while orders are being prepared. It is designed for high storage density, scalability, and fast order flow. It’s used when you need to support a higher pace and a broader assortment.

Step 5: Define your first “automation lane”

This is where you keep it practical and avoid operational chaos.

Choose:

• One product group or one zone (e.g., spare parts, accessories, consumables)

• One picking workstation

• A fixed replenishment rhythm (daily or twice daily)

Then agree on what “good” looks like.

Realistic targets could be:

• The day’s picking finished earlier without overtime

• Fewer errors in fast-moving items

• More free floor space in the busiest zone

• More order lines per employee hour

This is where ROI connects in practice.
Less walking time means lower labor cost per order.
Better space use can delay expansion.
Fewer errors means less rework and fewer returns.

Step 6: Plan scaling before you install

Scaling isn’t just buying “more” later. It’s choosing something that can grow without breaking the flow.

Ask early:

• Will there be more SKUs in the next 12–24 months?

• Will the number of order lines per day increase?

• Will you need integration with conveyors or other automation?

• Do you want to start with one unit and later add more?

E/Compact is built for that journey. You can expand capacity and workflow as demand grows.

Step 7: Train for flow—not just for buttons

A new system changes habits, and that’s where the gains become real.

Train the team in:

• How replenishment should happen (and when)

• How to keep order in assortment and locations

• How exceptions are handled (shortages, damage, returns)

• How to use the freed space wisely

Two quick before/after examples you can reuse

Example A: Congestion in the spare parts area

Before:
Two pickers in the same aisle.
They wait for each other.
Counting and visibility slip.

After:
The most-picked parts move to compact goods-to-person.
One operator picks at a steady pace.
The aisle area becomes a packing zone.

Example B: Small e-commerce items spread across the warehouse

Before:
Items are stored “where there was space.”
New employees search for too long.
Peak creates stress and errors.

After:
Fast movers are structured in an automated flow.
Picking becomes consistent and easier to learn.
You scale with capacity—not with extra walking time.

Summary: Turn your automated warehouse into a controlled improvement

An automated warehouse works best when you start with the obvious bottleneck. Then you improve space, flow, and quality in one lane first.
That gives faster picking, fewer errors, and better warehouse automation ROI—without betting the entire operation on one move.

If you want a realistic assessment of space, pace, and staffing, take the next step here.