From Manual Warehouse Management to Automated Picking – How to Take the First Step

What does manual warehouse management really cost?

Manual warehouse management is rarely free – it is just invisible in the accounts. Labour costs for picking and walking time, error rates on incorrect orders, lost selling time because items cannot be found quickly enough, and the cost per square metre of space you cannot really afford. The question is usually not whether you can afford to automate – it is whether you can afford not to.

The first step is to map your actual picking frequency and the time your employees spend moving around the warehouse. It often turns out that pickers spend half their working day on travel rather than actual picking. That is the time automation directly replaces. → efficient warehouse management: https://effimat.com/blog/efficient-warehouse-management/

Manual vs. automated: what is the real difference in warehouse management?

In a manual warehouse the picker fetches the item. In an automated warehouse the warehouse fetches the item for the picker. That is the principle behind goods-to-person technology, which both EffiMat 4 and E/Classic are built on.

The difference is not just speed. It is also space utilisation. A traditional racking system with aisles uses up to four times as much floor space as a vertical carousel with the same storage capacity. For businesses paying rent per square metre, that is a direct saving – not a feature. → compact warehouse solution: https://effimat.com/blog/compact-warehouse-solution-save-space-and-improve-flow/

EffiMat 4 is the flagship: high capacity and high picking throughput, designed for tall warehouse ceilings. E/Classic is the compact complement – built for lower ceiling heights and as an entry point for businesses that want to take the first step without building a new warehouse. The two products frequently work side by side in the same solution. → E/Classic: effimat.com/e-classic | EffiMat 4: effimat.com/effimat-4

SkatePro: from manual chaos to a stable picking workflow

SkatePro is a clear example of what happens when a business decides to take the first step. As a fast-growing e-commerce company in skateboarding and action sports, they faced a classic problem: warehouse growth was not keeping pace with order growth, and there was no room for more.

The solution was 4×EffiMat 4 and 5×E/Classic – a combination that established a stable picking workflow and freed up space without SkatePro having to move to larger premises. The result: 3x faster picking, 300 per cent better space utilisation, and a payback period of just 2.5 years – with a ceiling height of only 6 metres.

Carsten Schmidt, CEO of SkatePro: “Working with EFFIMAT was good. I thought: this is something we do together.”

→ See all cases: https://effimat.com/cases/

Sinful: when growing pains meet compact storage

SkatePro is not the only example. Sinful, one of Scandinavia’s largest online retailers in its category, faced an even more dramatic space challenge. Using 6×EffiMat 4 and 4×E/Classic, they reduced their warehouse footprint from 2,500 m² to under 100 m² – 5x faster picking and 25x better space utilisation.

Ibrahim Kara, Director of Logistics & Warehouse at Sinful: “The investment in the warehouse and picking solution from EFFIMAT takes us from Sinful 1.0 to Sinful 3.0.”

When is the right time to switch to automated warehouse management?

Picking errors are rising. When the number of incorrect orders starts to climb, it is rarely the employees’ fault – it is the system’s. A goods-to-person system eliminates that category of error almost entirely because items are retrieved automatically and precisely.

Space is running out. If you are considering renting additional warehouse space or moving to larger premises, it is worth investigating whether EffiMat 4 or E/Classic can solve the problem within your existing square metres. Up to 85 per cent space optimisation is documented.

Order growth is outpacing headcount growth. That is where automation really pays off. Not because you let people go – but because the same hands can handle far more orders when they are not spending half the day walking. → what does warehouse automation cost and when does it pay off: https://effimat.com/blog/what-does-warehouse-automation-cost-and-when-does-it-pay-off/

The first step towards smart warehouse management: map, calculate, decide

Moving from manual to smart warehouse management does not have to start with a large investment. It starts with mapping. What is your current picking rate? What do employees spend most of their time on? And what would a 3x improvement in picking workflow mean for your delivery time and capacity? → automated warehouse: how to get started: https://effimat.com/blog/automated-warehouse-how-to-get-started-step-by-step/

Effimat offers a price calculator that provides a concrete starting point for exactly that calculation. You enter your own figures – warehouse area, number of order lines, picking time – and receive an estimate of what a solution with EffiMat 4 or E/Classic would cost, and when you can expect to see it paid back. → effimat.com/en/price-calculator/

It is not a binding offer. It is a basis for decision-making – precisely what is missing when you are considering taking the first step.

Further reading

→ automated warehouse: how to get started  https://effimat.com/blog/automated-warehouse-how-to-get-started-step-by-step/

→ what does warehouse automation cost and when does it pay off  https://effimat.com/blog/what-does-warehouse-automation-cost-and-when-does-it-pay-off/

→ compact warehouse solution  https://effimat.com/blog/compact-warehouse-solution-save-space-and-improve-flow/

→ efficient warehouse management  https://effimat.com/blog/efficient-warehouse-management/