In-aisle packing

(Update 2): In the Nike-Wings case, packing became the bottleneck. This approach could help balance picking to packing workloads??? Additionally, a robot with a stack of virgin packing envelopes (or a stack of flattened shipping boxes and a roll of tape) allows skipping the induction step, and robot only travels between outbound shipping conveyor and picking locations.

(Update): For Singles Batch picking robots, having a dedicated robot for compatible items, in which the the bottom of the bin sits on a stack of padded envelopes. Shipping label printer lives behind tablet. Picked items are put directly into a shipping envelope with shipping label before even being put into bin. This would reduce one manual handling stage. If the bin could be made into a motorized dump-truck-type bin, (maybe using the new larger robots from Waypoint), the ready-to-ship orders could be dumped to a conveyor downstream from the manual packing stations. ...

(Original post)

(sorry if already exists, haven't read all previous entries). I assume a large percentage of orders are single items. I wonder if there would be an efficiency gain in a workflow where the bot carries a single large bin and has an onboard label printer and a roll of packaging (think those Amazon padded LDPE bags). In such a workflow, for single-item orders the bot goes to the picker, the picker takes a bag from the robot (alternatively a large roll sits on each aisle), picker scans product and onboard printer prints shipping label. Picker puts item in the bag/applies label, dumps package on big bin on bot (now product is packaged and packed, so arguably the loading of the bot can be less structured. After this bot heads to next picker/item. When full, bot brings big bin of ready-to-ship packages , leaves big bin or dumps all content in shipping area.

Because bin picking of standardized packages is more amenable to traditional automation, this approach could remove one of the instances of manual product handling...

This approach could co-exist with the existing workflow, and could be reserved for non-fragile single-item orders...

Just wondering...