How Stackbox Minimizes Warehouse Travel Distance Using Advanced Interleaving
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How Stackbox Minimizes Warehouse Travel Distance Using Advanced Interleaving

Venktesh Kumar

MD, Co-Founder | Stackbox

In today's warehouse, speed is not the only currency. Intelligence in movement — of people, materials, and machines— is increasingly defining operational excellence.

Unproductive travel is one of the most  persistent forms of waste in supply chain execution. Workers and equipment often return empty from every putaway or picking, only to be sent across the facility again for another task resulting in..

  • Lower Worker Productivity
  • Wasted MHE fueland time
  • Elevatedfulfillment costs

As volume and velocity rise,this inefficiency multiplies. That’s why leaders are turning to a smarter solution — Stackbox WMS’s Intelligent Orchestration which enables Advanced Interleaving for Human Operators and Autonomous Robots.

What is Advanced Interleaving?

Advanced Interleaving is part of Stackbox’s intelligent orchestration engine that reduce  unproductive travel by:

  • Merging inbound,outbound, and internal tasks into efficient sequences
  • Dynamicallyassigning them to the most optimal human operator or robot
  • Continuously re-optimizing task queues based on real-time warehouse conditions

How It Works

         1.  Task Fusion: Putaway, picking and Internal movement tasks are combined whenthey’re physically close,               minimizing empty return trips.

         2.  Proximity-Based Assignment: Tasks are auto-assigned to the most optimal picker, forklift, or              AMRbased — not just the next free one or the nearest one.

          3.  Real-Time Optimization: Live reordering of task queues based on movement patterns,congestion, or                zone-specific  load.

          4.  Cross-Mode Coordination: Works across human and automated actors — from BOPTs to ARMs and               AGVs.

The Results That Matter

From deployments across global CPG, Retailand 3PL sites, including high-SKU environments:

30–35% reduction in overall worker and forklift travel distance
20–25% increase in labor productivity
Lower fuel and energy usage in MHE
Improved picker safety, reduced fatigue
Shorter order cycle times

“Our forklifts now move with a purposeevery time. Stackbox’s interleaving brought instant gains in productivity.”
Operations Head, One of the Largest CPG company in India

Stackbox transforms warehouses from task-based execution to route-optimized orchestration.

What Powers It?

Stackbox Interleaving is driven by our:

  • Warehouse Map Engine
  • AI Allocation Algorithms
  • Real-time Operator/MHE/AMR Location Tracking
  • Automation-AwareHAL Layer (AMR/AGV telemetry)

These components work together to ensurethe next best move is always the most productive one.

Final Takeaway

In a world of tight labor markets andrising operational costs, interleaving is a strategic advantage. Ithelps you:

  • Boost throughputwith existing headcount
  • Cut unnecessarylabor and MHE hours
  • Align with  sustainability (fewer movements = lower emissions)
  • Prepare for  automation scale-up with smarter orchestration

If your WMS is still assigning tasks inisolation — you’re operating with built-in inefficiency.

With Stackbox Advanced Interleaving,every movement, whether human or robotic, serves a purpose. It’s not just aboutmoving faster — it’s about moving smarter.