Cargo Expreso uses LogiNext technology to increase market share

Cargo Expreso, a Grupo Almo company in the business of delivering parcels and couriers in Central America, has partnered with LogiNext, a global logistics deep tech company. The main driver of this partnership is to accelerate its digital transformation and deliver a superior customer experience, a process that is led by KPMG.

As a part of this collaboration with LogiNext, Cargo Expreso will implement a state-of-the-art transportation automation platform on top of its existing processes, to speed up operations, from the receipt of a package to the delivery to the recipient. The Oracle CX CRM technology will be connected in real time to LogiNext and Oracle ERP, which will facilitate the customer journey, optimising and digitising parcel delivery and added services.

“The customer is at the centre of our entire strategy. In this new digital age, we needed to take this step and implement technologies that allow us to provide a better experience to our customers. We started this transformation some years ago and today, in partnership with LogiNext, Oracle and KPMG, we continue this process by adopting new technologies that can easily fit existing systems and that will contribute to the growth of the company,” expressed Mario Tejada, Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Almo.

The Post and Parcel industry has an estimated value around $400 billion in 2020 and is growing at 8-10% annually. eCommerce has grown exponentially, and this has given a huge impetus to digitisation in the Courier, Express and Parcel industry, using digital automated transportation management systems to improve operational efficiency and pave the way for the future of parcel delivery.

“Most of our clients, including Cargo Expreso, have a large network of their own carriers built over the years. Bringing in all the stakeholders like their shippers, carriers, drivers, dispatchers and the end customers is almost always the first priority.

“What we have been able to achieve in a short term and a relatively low cost of technology is truly unparalleled and sets the tone for the future of the Courier, Express and Parcel industry,” says Dinesh Dixit, Vice President of Account Excellence at LogiNext.

 

Cargo Expreso uses LogiNext technology to increase market share

Cargo Expreso, a Grupo Almo company in the business of delivering parcels and couriers in Central America, has partnered with LogiNext, a global logistics deep tech company. The main driver of this partnership is to accelerate its digital transformation and deliver a superior customer experience, a process that is led by KPMG.

As a part of this collaboration with LogiNext, Cargo Expreso will implement a state-of-the-art transportation automation platform on top of its existing processes, to speed up operations, from the receipt of a package to the delivery to the recipient. The Oracle CX CRM technology will be connected in real time to LogiNext and Oracle ERP, which will facilitate the customer journey, optimising and digitising parcel delivery and added services.

“The customer is at the centre of our entire strategy. In this new digital age, we needed to take this step and implement technologies that allow us to provide a better experience to our customers. We started this transformation some years ago and today, in partnership with LogiNext, Oracle and KPMG, we continue this process by adopting new technologies that can easily fit existing systems and that will contribute to the growth of the company,” expressed Mario Tejada, Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Almo.

The Post and Parcel industry has an estimated value around $400 billion in 2020 and is growing at 8-10% annually. eCommerce has grown exponentially, and this has given a huge impetus to digitisation in the Courier, Express and Parcel industry, using digital automated transportation management systems to improve operational efficiency and pave the way for the future of parcel delivery.

“Most of our clients, including Cargo Expreso, have a large network of their own carriers built over the years. Bringing in all the stakeholders like their shippers, carriers, drivers, dispatchers and the end customers is almost always the first priority.

“What we have been able to achieve in a short term and a relatively low cost of technology is truly unparalleled and sets the tone for the future of the Courier, Express and Parcel industry,” says Dinesh Dixit, Vice President of Account Excellence at LogiNext.

 

Clark supports disaster relief operation

The heavy rainfall in Germany during the summer turned small streams into raging rivers, and led to large parts of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Rheinland-Pfalz to be declared disaster areas. Since then, a wave of aid has been running throughout Germany.

Clark Europe has also helped the people in need and supported the German Technische Hilfswerk (THW) in the disaster operation at the Nürburgring. Three Clark WPio 15 electric low-lift trucks and a Clark C30D diesel forklift were sent to help load the THW’s emergency vehicles, which travelled from there to the disaster areas, with materials and helping to supply the relief workers on site.

“For us at Clark Europe, it was clear from the outset that we wanted to help the people in need as a result of the floods,” explains Karl Hielscher, Director Logistics at Clark Europe. “I immediately contacted the THW. The head of operations in charge told us that materials handling vehicles were urgently needed – to load the emergency vehicles, to supply the relief workers and to distribute the donations in kind, which are now stored in three halls. The transport of the Clark trucks to the Nürburgring was organised free of charge by our dealer in Wermelskirchen, the company Gabelstapler Finger, whom we would like to thank again at this point.”

Because of the infrastructure and location, the Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring became the operations centre for the aid organisations. Here are the temporary accommodations for the emergency forces. Here they are fed and vehicles and equipment are maintained. Just under 40km from Ahrweiler, the site is the ideal base camp for the state of Rheinland-Pfalz to coordinate disaster relief operations from.

More than 5,000 helpers from the THW, the fire brigade, the rescue service and the German Bundeswehr were stationed at the site. At the same time, the event centre of the Nürburgring became a collection point for relief supplies. The public’s willingness to donate was so great that the goods filled three halls.

“With the low-lift trucks provided, loading our emergency vehicles is not only faster, but our helpers’ work is also made much easier,” says a technical manager of the THW at the Nürburgring.

Clark supports disaster relief operation

The heavy rainfall in Germany during the summer turned small streams into raging rivers, and led to large parts of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Rheinland-Pfalz to be declared disaster areas. Since then, a wave of aid has been running throughout Germany.

Clark Europe has also helped the people in need and supported the German Technische Hilfswerk (THW) in the disaster operation at the Nürburgring. Three Clark WPio 15 electric low-lift trucks and a Clark C30D diesel forklift were sent to help load the THW’s emergency vehicles, which travelled from there to the disaster areas, with materials and helping to supply the relief workers on site.

“For us at Clark Europe, it was clear from the outset that we wanted to help the people in need as a result of the floods,” explains Karl Hielscher, Director Logistics at Clark Europe. “I immediately contacted the THW. The head of operations in charge told us that materials handling vehicles were urgently needed – to load the emergency vehicles, to supply the relief workers and to distribute the donations in kind, which are now stored in three halls. The transport of the Clark trucks to the Nürburgring was organised free of charge by our dealer in Wermelskirchen, the company Gabelstapler Finger, whom we would like to thank again at this point.”

Because of the infrastructure and location, the Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring became the operations centre for the aid organisations. Here are the temporary accommodations for the emergency forces. Here they are fed and vehicles and equipment are maintained. Just under 40km from Ahrweiler, the site is the ideal base camp for the state of Rheinland-Pfalz to coordinate disaster relief operations from.

More than 5,000 helpers from the THW, the fire brigade, the rescue service and the German Bundeswehr were stationed at the site. At the same time, the event centre of the Nürburgring became a collection point for relief supplies. The public’s willingness to donate was so great that the goods filled three halls.

“With the low-lift trucks provided, loading our emergency vehicles is not only faster, but our helpers’ work is also made much easier,” says a technical manager of the THW at the Nürburgring.

ARIBIC digitalisation project saves AGV sensor data

As automated guided vehicles (AGVs) navigate through warehouses or production halls, they become real data collectors. Data that is, however, immediately deleted again. “This is a huge waste,” says Bengt Abel, project manager at Hamburg-based intralogistics provider STILL. The international research project ARIBIC (Artificial Intelligence based Indoor Cartography) therefore aims to identify methods to make profitable use of this valuable information.

The data collected via sensors and cameras can be used in the ARIBIC cloud to create continuously updated 3D maps of warehouses or production facilities. “Via this real-time sensor data, we create a live digital twin of the environment and can thus display and share relevant information virtually in real time,” says Bengt Abel, describing the basic idea of the research project. In contrast to today’s method, where a rigid 3D image of the environment is created from a snapshot, the images generated by the ARIBIC platform (3D map creation engine) remain dynamic and always up-to-date.

“As the truck or AGV travels through their surroundings, their sensor technology detects even the smallest changes and forwards them to the ARIBIC platform. These changes, such as a moved rack or a newly placed pallet, are immediately taken into account in the artificial intelligence-based interior mapping and fed back into the system,” says the STILL expert.

Enormous benefits for users

High-resolution 3D maps with semantic information are primarily needed for the localisation and navigation of automated guided vehicles in their working environment. Operators of warehouses or production halls thus know where their vehicles are at all times. This information, in turn, can be used to optimise warehouse or factory planning. For example, it becomes clear in which areas of the warehouse traffic is high or low. It also shows which aisles are more frequently blocked. With these results, racks can (initially) be moved virtually or production areas rearranged.

Bengt Abel: ” With this new possibility to permanently record the working environment, operators will be able to optimally plan and utilise their warehouses and production halls in the future. For the first time, they would get a detailed insight into what is actually happening in their warehouses.”

According to the STILL expert, countless other fields of application are conceivable that build on the ARIBIC results: “We already have great ideas today. But I am quite sure that there will be a great many more in the future.”

The ARIBIC project

The ARIBIC project was launched in March this year. Completion is planned for the fourth quarter of 2023. In addition to the consortium leader STILL, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Toronto with its STARS laboratory and the Canadian sensor manufacturer LeddarTech are also involved in the international research project. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).

STILL will also be contributing the OPX iGo neo, their successful autonomous order picker, which is already well equipped with sensors and camera technology. Yet that is not all, as Bengt Abel emphasises: “Our early commitment to the areas of automation technology, robotics and digitalisation is now paying off. For years we have already been working on a variety of sensor solutions for our industrial trucks, which are now gradually being implemented in series production. An important prerequisite for being able to participate in such a project in the first place.”

ARIBIC digitalisation project saves AGV sensor data

As automated guided vehicles (AGVs) navigate through warehouses or production halls, they become real data collectors. Data that is, however, immediately deleted again. “This is a huge waste,” says Bengt Abel, project manager at Hamburg-based intralogistics provider STILL. The international research project ARIBIC (Artificial Intelligence based Indoor Cartography) therefore aims to identify methods to make profitable use of this valuable information.

The data collected via sensors and cameras can be used in the ARIBIC cloud to create continuously updated 3D maps of warehouses or production facilities. “Via this real-time sensor data, we create a live digital twin of the environment and can thus display and share relevant information virtually in real time,” says Bengt Abel, describing the basic idea of the research project. In contrast to today’s method, where a rigid 3D image of the environment is created from a snapshot, the images generated by the ARIBIC platform (3D map creation engine) remain dynamic and always up-to-date.

“As the truck or AGV travels through their surroundings, their sensor technology detects even the smallest changes and forwards them to the ARIBIC platform. These changes, such as a moved rack or a newly placed pallet, are immediately taken into account in the artificial intelligence-based interior mapping and fed back into the system,” says the STILL expert.

Enormous benefits for users

High-resolution 3D maps with semantic information are primarily needed for the localisation and navigation of automated guided vehicles in their working environment. Operators of warehouses or production halls thus know where their vehicles are at all times. This information, in turn, can be used to optimise warehouse or factory planning. For example, it becomes clear in which areas of the warehouse traffic is high or low. It also shows which aisles are more frequently blocked. With these results, racks can (initially) be moved virtually or production areas rearranged.

Bengt Abel: ” With this new possibility to permanently record the working environment, operators will be able to optimally plan and utilise their warehouses and production halls in the future. For the first time, they would get a detailed insight into what is actually happening in their warehouses.”

According to the STILL expert, countless other fields of application are conceivable that build on the ARIBIC results: “We already have great ideas today. But I am quite sure that there will be a great many more in the future.”

The ARIBIC project

The ARIBIC project was launched in March this year. Completion is planned for the fourth quarter of 2023. In addition to the consortium leader STILL, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Toronto with its STARS laboratory and the Canadian sensor manufacturer LeddarTech are also involved in the international research project. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).

STILL will also be contributing the OPX iGo neo, their successful autonomous order picker, which is already well equipped with sensors and camera technology. Yet that is not all, as Bengt Abel emphasises: “Our early commitment to the areas of automation technology, robotics and digitalisation is now paying off. For years we have already been working on a variety of sensor solutions for our industrial trucks, which are now gradually being implemented in series production. An important prerequisite for being able to participate in such a project in the first place.”

More freight trains between Duisburg and Milan

Rail logistics company TX Logistik is increasing the number of round trips on the Duisburg (DE) to Segrate (IT) connection from five to six per week as of 6th September 2021 due to an increased demand for the transport of semi-trailers.

Since the completion of the Gotthard axis expansion, modern trailers with a corner height of 4m (profile P400) can be transported by rail through Switzerland without any restrictions. This has given an additional boost to demand on this route. For this reason, TX Logistik is adding a Saturday departure to its schedule in each direction, in addition to the previous departures on Mondays to Fridays.

The trains operate between the DUSS terminal Duisburg-Ruhrort Hafen and the Terminal Intermodale Milano Segrate east of Milan. The route runs along the Rhine via Zurich, through the Gotthard Tunnel, via Chiasso to Segrate and back.

The connection is operated as an open train system. Up to 34 loading units fit on one train. In addition to semi-trailers, which account for more than half of the loading units, containers, swap bodies and tank and silo units are also transported. The route is mainly used to transport consumer goods.

More freight trains between Duisburg and Milan

Rail logistics company TX Logistik is increasing the number of round trips on the Duisburg (DE) to Segrate (IT) connection from five to six per week as of 6th September 2021 due to an increased demand for the transport of semi-trailers.

Since the completion of the Gotthard axis expansion, modern trailers with a corner height of 4m (profile P400) can be transported by rail through Switzerland without any restrictions. This has given an additional boost to demand on this route. For this reason, TX Logistik is adding a Saturday departure to its schedule in each direction, in addition to the previous departures on Mondays to Fridays.

The trains operate between the DUSS terminal Duisburg-Ruhrort Hafen and the Terminal Intermodale Milano Segrate east of Milan. The route runs along the Rhine via Zurich, through the Gotthard Tunnel, via Chiasso to Segrate and back.

The connection is operated as an open train system. Up to 34 loading units fit on one train. In addition to semi-trailers, which account for more than half of the loading units, containers, swap bodies and tank and silo units are also transported. The route is mainly used to transport consumer goods.

Linde offers 3D view into the warehouse

The Linde Warehouse Navigator helps small- and medium-sized companies to digitally organise their entire warehouse processes.

Consisting of a warehouse management system as well as an order picking and forklift guidance system, the modular solution enables long-term time and cost savings to be achieved and features various special options: A three-dimensional view visualises the warehouse including goods in real time and shows drivers the fastest route to their destination. While doing so, the software automatically documents the movements of the load carriers across different storage locations.

Many small- and medium-sized companies in Germany and other European countries still handle their warehouse processes manually using tables, lists and paper printouts. “In the long run, however, this is neither efficient nor up-to-date and is detrimental to profit and competitiveness,” says Christoph Hock, Product Manager Software Solutions. “Even with fleets of three or four forklifts, it quickly becomes confusing when incoming and outgoing goods processes as well as storage and retrieval operations are organised using paperwork.”

The Linde Warehouse Navigator provides a solution in the form of digital warehouse management. Its range of functions can be adapted to different warehouse scenarios and expanded step by step. The developers placed great importance on providing clear, configurable user interfaces, and ensured that mobile devices can be integrated in the system. Training and go-live support are part of every package solution. The required software licenses can be either purchased or rented via a monthly fee. This also includes the charges for cloud hosting.

Reliable goods tracking

Once installed, the Linde Warehouse Navigator can be used for the paperless control, monitoring and documentation of all orders and inventories as well as goods movements in the warehouse. The basis is the warehouse management system (WMS) which is suited for all warehouse types as well as standard storage and retrieval strategies. “In addition, even the entry-level version offers customers an overview of specific key figures on the basis of which they can further improve their processes,” says Hock.

For Product Manager Hock, the highlight of the software is that it enables 3D visualisation of all storage locations that shows the current occupancy for the entire plant site. Selected items are color-coded so that their position in the warehouse is easy to identify. “This function is particularly helpful for block warehouses,” says Hock. In addition to this is the continuous tracking of load carriers via the optional Real-Time Locating System (RTLS).

In conjunction with the RTLS, the forklift guiding system (FGS) coordinates the routes of the industrial trucks in real time and displays all forklifts and AGVs operating in the warehouse. Transport orders are either generated manually by the employees, for example via the “drag-and-drop” feature in the warehouse visualisation system or via a forklift call system (call button).

Alternatively, orders can also be assigned automatically, for example from the ERP system via an interface or when predefined thresholds are not met. The optimal route to the destination is shown to the drivers via arrows in the 3D view. The source and destination of the transport order are also highlighted in colour.

The third component of the Linde Warehouse Navigator is the order picking system. The system bundles smaller orders with various individual items for parallel picking (multi-order picking). Larger orders can be divided into several partial orders and consolidated afterwards.

Last but not least, the software solution helps harmonise the operational IT landscape and reduces the number of contacts involved. Very narrow aisle trucks and AGVs can be integrated via standard interfaces. “This ensures short commissioning times and reduces costs,” explains Christoph Hock.

Linde offers 3D view into the warehouse

The Linde Warehouse Navigator helps small- and medium-sized companies to digitally organise their entire warehouse processes.

Consisting of a warehouse management system as well as an order picking and forklift guidance system, the modular solution enables long-term time and cost savings to be achieved and features various special options: A three-dimensional view visualises the warehouse including goods in real time and shows drivers the fastest route to their destination. While doing so, the software automatically documents the movements of the load carriers across different storage locations.

Many small- and medium-sized companies in Germany and other European countries still handle their warehouse processes manually using tables, lists and paper printouts. “In the long run, however, this is neither efficient nor up-to-date and is detrimental to profit and competitiveness,” says Christoph Hock, Product Manager Software Solutions. “Even with fleets of three or four forklifts, it quickly becomes confusing when incoming and outgoing goods processes as well as storage and retrieval operations are organised using paperwork.”

The Linde Warehouse Navigator provides a solution in the form of digital warehouse management. Its range of functions can be adapted to different warehouse scenarios and expanded step by step. The developers placed great importance on providing clear, configurable user interfaces, and ensured that mobile devices can be integrated in the system. Training and go-live support are part of every package solution. The required software licenses can be either purchased or rented via a monthly fee. This also includes the charges for cloud hosting.

Reliable goods tracking

Once installed, the Linde Warehouse Navigator can be used for the paperless control, monitoring and documentation of all orders and inventories as well as goods movements in the warehouse. The basis is the warehouse management system (WMS) which is suited for all warehouse types as well as standard storage and retrieval strategies. “In addition, even the entry-level version offers customers an overview of specific key figures on the basis of which they can further improve their processes,” says Hock.

For Product Manager Hock, the highlight of the software is that it enables 3D visualisation of all storage locations that shows the current occupancy for the entire plant site. Selected items are color-coded so that their position in the warehouse is easy to identify. “This function is particularly helpful for block warehouses,” says Hock. In addition to this is the continuous tracking of load carriers via the optional Real-Time Locating System (RTLS).

In conjunction with the RTLS, the forklift guiding system (FGS) coordinates the routes of the industrial trucks in real time and displays all forklifts and AGVs operating in the warehouse. Transport orders are either generated manually by the employees, for example via the “drag-and-drop” feature in the warehouse visualisation system or via a forklift call system (call button).

Alternatively, orders can also be assigned automatically, for example from the ERP system via an interface or when predefined thresholds are not met. The optimal route to the destination is shown to the drivers via arrows in the 3D view. The source and destination of the transport order are also highlighted in colour.

The third component of the Linde Warehouse Navigator is the order picking system. The system bundles smaller orders with various individual items for parallel picking (multi-order picking). Larger orders can be divided into several partial orders and consolidated afterwards.

Last but not least, the software solution helps harmonise the operational IT landscape and reduces the number of contacts involved. Very narrow aisle trucks and AGVs can be integrated via standard interfaces. “This ensures short commissioning times and reduces costs,” explains Christoph Hock.

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