automatically order maintenance parts when needed. This
capability holds so much promise that companies like GE
are investing heavily in these technologies for both commercial and industrial applications.
Reduction in asset loss. Distributors and manufacturers are challenged with keeping track of assets that are in
almost constant motion. Without appropriate strategies in
place to manage the tracking of equipment, supplies, and
products, the likelihood of misplacing or losing valuable
assets increases. Utilizing real-time IoT devices eliminates manual data entry and automates tracking processes,
reducing human error and insulating businesses from costly asset loss.
When equipped with an RFID tag and a sensor, objects
are uniquely identifiable, and they are also able to commu-
nicate data in real time. These two factors have important
implications for asset tracking in distribution centers. Using
RFID tags and readers, a distribution center manager has
the ability, for example, to identify the exact location of
a crate of tomatoes within the facility, the crate’s point of
origin, the temperature of the crate, and the number of
days until product expiration. This information allows the
manager to make informed decisions regarding shipment
so as to reduce asset loss.
Another warehouse example of asset protection is that of
Total Trax’s ImpactManager RF impact-monitoring system.
The ImpactManager, which is mounted on a forklift, controls access to the equipment, monitors usage, and detects
impacts. When there is an impact that meets or exceeds a
predetermined threshold, the unit records event details,
such as date, time, gravitational-force rating, truck number,
and identification number of the driver involved, and then
wirelessly transmits this data to an administrator. An alarm
also sounds to alert the driver that an impact has been
AMAZON.COM
Kiva Systems LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.
com, the e-commerce giant. Kiva uses automation for fulfilling
orders, which allows Amazon to simplify its distribution center
operations and reduce costs while increasing flexibility. Central
are Kiva’s 250-pound, bright orange robots that are capable of
lifting shelving units weighing up to 750 pounds.
The Kiva solution positions an employee at a workstation.
Orders are fed electronically into the system, and software
sends the robots to a pod, or portable shelving unit, containing
the desired item or items. The robots follow a grid of two-dimensional bar codes that are stickered to the floor. When the
robot reaches the correct pod, it lifts it from the ground and
carries it to the appropriate workstation. Once at the station,
the worker uses a laser pointer, pick lights, computer screen,
and bar-code scanner to select the required items for the
orders he or she is working on. Typically, workers pick multiple
orders simultaneously.
There currently are some 15,000 Kiva robots across Amazon’s
operations, and the company reportedly plans to greatly
increase that number. Amazon’s fulfillment center in Tracy,
California, USA, is home to 3,000 of them. The robots have
enabled workers to pick orders at a rate that is two to three
times faster than they were able to do before.
Because robots, not people, traverse the aisles, Amazon has
been able to reduce the width of its fulfillment centers’ aisles,
making it possible for the facilities to hold more inventory.
Warehouses with Kiva robots are capable of holding 50 percent
more items compared to facilities without robots. 11
Editor’s note: After this article was originally published, Kiva
Systems was rebranded as Amazon Robotics.
BOBCAT COMPANY
Bobcat Company, a manufacturer of skid-steer loaders, excavators, and other small construction vehicles, introduced
Swisslog’s SmartLIFT technology into the company’s three
warehouse buildings in Gwinner, North Dakota, USA. SmartLIFT
(an acronym for Smart Labor, Inventory, and Forklift Tracking)
provides precise vehicle and inventory tracking, acting as an
indoor GPS and monitoring each lift truck operator’s location
and vehicle metrics every second. Via a number of technologies, it gathers information on lift truck speed, location, and
direction. The location data is accurate to within an inch,
according to the manufacturer.
Much of the core technology in this application comes from
a suite of data-capture and telemetry products from Total Trax
Inc. These hardware and software products provide solutions
for asset, resource, and operations management in warehousing and supply chain applications.
To gather data, optical and digital sensors register the physical location and direction of the vehicle, the height and reach of
the forks, and whether a load is present, and if so, its identity,
in real time; the data are transmitted via a local network to
cloud-based servers. Applications on these servers transform
the data into information that allows Bobcat to optimize productivity and equipment at the individual site, regional, and
enterprise level.
Applications for the SmartLIFT system include detection of
lift truck impacts, secure operator access, asset/resource right-sizing, and safety, maintenance, and performance monitoring.
Bobcat says the system has helped to boost lift truck driver
productivity by 25 to 30 percent, reduce driver errors, improve
inventory accuracy, and increase visibility of productivity. 12
