Material Flow Basics

When a product is produced or requested, the pick-pack-load sequence begins. Typically, a Warehouse Management System (WMS) will alert users what needs to be "picked" (retrieved internally from the warehouse), and any processing between then and a trailer load would be the "pack" step — for example, securing with banding, or consolidating into a Gaylord or tote. And finally, the trailer loading step.

This sequence is driven by incentives, as each actor in the system should be expected to optimize for the metrics that are measured. In a pre-SlipBot operation, the primary incentive for the picking/packing steps is to regularly outpace demand. Whether fulfilling warehouse orders or a production line build plan, individuals must ensure requests do not accumulate faster than they are fulfilled.

For loading, incentives vary more due to data and trailer flow considerations, but the most tangible metric is the accumulation of product physically on the dock. A supervisor walking the docks may not see the day's shipping volume or trailer flow bottlenecks but will certainly notice how many pallets are currently waiting on the dock.

How SlipBots Change Incentives

SlipBots represent trailer capacity on the dock. A fully loaded SlipBot is a nearly completed trailer load, even before the truck arrives. For this reason, optimal SlipBot dock flow often works counter to the standard direction — prioritizing the SlipBot's available capacity fills the dock but reduces downstream latency and bottlenecks.

Consider an operator's decision within an operation with more than one trailer: the operator has three loaded SlipBots on the dock, three empty on a trailer, and an empty second trailer. To maintain cleanliness, the operator might want to load full bots before unloading empty ones. However, this removes available bot capacity during the swap and requires double handling — inbound pallets must go to the dock if bots are not present — if inbound demand remains steady.

For this reason, it is preferable to unload the empty bots before loading the full bots. Prioritizing SlipBot availability over short-term reduction of available dock space.

This concept even extends to the picking step: if double handling is a downstream risk, delaying demand fulfillment until bot capacity is available might be more optimal.

Principles of Success by Role