Voice solution: Warehouse technology platform provider
Voxware Inc. has introduced its multimodal voice and analytic
solutions for DC workflows, based on the company’s Voice
Management Suite (VMS) product. Originally created as a voice-based piece-picking tool, VMS now supports picking, receiving,
and other tasks by combining the modes of voice, scanning,
vision and augmented reality (AR), and image capture, CEO
Keith Phillips said in a briefing at the Modex 2018 show in April.
Developed in partnership with smartglass provider Vuzix, the
additional features allow VMS to enhance efficiency in traditional
warehouse work as well as auditing functions like verifying pick-and-pack results to avoid errors and achieve more throughput
with fewer employees in a tight labor market, he said. (Voxware
Inc., www.voxware.com)
Print-and-apply system: Toshiba America Business Solutions
has partnered with Panther Industries, an automated labeling
equipment manufacturer, to introduce its new print-and-apply
system. Combining Toshiba’s B-EX4T1 and B-EX4T2 thermal
bar-code printers with Panther’s Shadow automated labeling
technology, the print-and-apply system is designed to improve
operational efficiency by printing and applying labels on demand
with high accuracy, the company says.
The system can be integrated with scale heads, bar-code scanners, warehouse management systems, and enterprise resource
planning systems. Warehouse and distribution center professionals have the option to install the print-and-apply system on
a tabletop or a stand adjacent to a conveyor for top and side
labeling.
Toshiba’s Ribbon Save technology allows the print-and-apply
system to optimize ribbon consumption while reducing waste,
the company says. The system, which features a large-capacity
ribbon (up to 800 meters) and dual motor, comes with a 3
million-linear-inch warranty on its printheads. (Toshiba America
Business Solutions, www.business.toshiba.com)
Locker system: Apex Supply Chain Technologies, which manufactures lockers for dispensing mobile equipment and assets
to workers in the distribution center, has introduced its Lenz
decision-support tool. Lenz provides a dashboard view of mobile
asset use and trends at the customer’s warehouse or DC.
It works like this: At the start of the day, warehouse associates
scan their identification badges at the Apex locker system to
receive the mobile asset that they need for their job, such as a
bar-code reader, smartphone, or headset. The locker holding the
device unlocks, allowing the worker to retrieve it. At the end of
the shift, the worker scans in again to return the device. The data
the equipment gathers about the assets and workers are sent
to Apex’s Trajectory cloud software system. Lenz then takes the
information and displays it as easy-to-read graphs and pie charts
for supervisors and managers. Managers, for example, can track
asset utilization rates or how good employees are about checking
mobile equipment back in. (Apex Supply Chain Technologies,
www.apexsupplychain.com)
Virtual warehouse tour: Intralogistics company Beumer Group
has introduced a virtual and augmented reality warehouse tour.
Using a virtual reality (VR) headset, users can take a virtual warehouse tour, moving boxes onto conveyor lines and following
them through to their final destination. The demo gives users
an inside look at an automated warehouse featuring Beumer
technology. Operators can also choose to follow their package
through the warehouse via augmented reality (AR), using an iPad
to track its path.
The company has been using the VR and AR technology tools
in the field for about six months. They are used during the engineering phase of a project for the most part, allowing customers
to simulate the operation of their new facility before it is up and
running. (Beumer Group, www.beumergroup.com)
Warehouse lift trucks: Forklift maker Kion has introduced a
host of new products, with its line of pallet trucks and other
warehouse solutions taking center stage.
New this year, the pallet truck line features a standard 4,500-
pound capacity truck, the MT20, as well as two lighter versions:
the MT15, with a 3,300-pound capacity, and the MT12, with a
2,600-pound capacity. The company says the lighter versions are
designed to meet the growing industry need for a more cost-effective solution for shorter distances and lighter loads.
Kion has also introduced its automated case picking solution,
the iGo Neo case pick system, which merges Kion’s fork truck
capabilities with Dematic’s supply chain solutions expertise. (Kion
acquired Dematic in 2016.) The iGo Neo is a semi-automated
industrial order picker that uses a walkie-type vehicle that alternates between automatic and worker-powered mode. The vehicle follows the order picker through the warehouse, stopping for
the picking and loading of product and converting to a self-driven vehicle when the operator gets back inside. The system is
already in use with customers in Europe but is being introduced
in the Americas this year. (Kion, www.kiongroup.com)
Automated solutions: Systems integrator Dematic has introduced a portfolio of automated solutions designed to make
piece, case, and pallet handling more responsive to today’s
on-demand omnichannel distribution environment. The products
are led by the Dematic Order Fulfillment engine, an on-demand
order assembly system that consists of a high-density staging
sub-system offered in three formats: multishuttle, miniload, and
the Dematic AutoStore solution. These solutions can be configured with a variety of workstations, including a goods-to-person
order picking workstation that features a graphical user interface
(GUI) for pick instructions, with a “pick-from inventory tote” and
“put-to-order” configuration; a goods-to-robot piece picking
module that integrates advanced vision, imaging, software, and
robotic arm and gripper technologies to eliminate costly picking
labor; and an automatic pick face replenishment storage sub-system that increases inventory accuracy and eliminates the labor
needed for manual replenishment. (Dematic, www.dematic.com/
en-us)
