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Day: 13 May 2022

RangePlus DC achieves significant efficiency improvement

Posted on by David Priestman

Geek+, a global leader in AMR technology, has announced the successful implementation of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) at independent British online retailer RangePlus’s fulfilment centre. The new automated storage and retrieval system was designed and delivered in collaboration with warehouse automation specialist and Geek+ strategic delivery partner Breathe Technologies. The modernisation provides RangePlus the firepower to compete with larger actors in the growing e-commerce sector.

Lit Fung, VP and Managing Director, Overseas Business at Geek+, said: “We are delighted to see our smart picking solution enable RangePlus to achieve efficient, flexible, and accurate operations. This digital transformation helps them greatly increase their competitiveness and chart their own course as an independent ecommerce provider.”

Due to the change in customers’ shopping behaviour from buying in brick-and-mortar shops to online purchasing, RangePlus has seen rapidly growing order demand, and its original manual order picking was holding the business back. With a high number of small and irregular goods, manual order picking processes were time-consuming and prone to error. RangePlus began looking at automation solutions to boost warehouse capacity and throughput. After comparing different order picking options, Geek+’s cost-effective, flexible, automated warehouse picking system was the best choice to help them handle a 25% increase in order volumes and 40% in SKUs.

Marcus Uprichard, Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Breathe Technologies, said: “Working closely with RangePlus and Geek+, we’ve created an automated warehouse picking system that’s incredibly flexible, modular, and perfectly suited to high-growth e-commerce environments.”

The Geek+ goods-to-person solution is running 24/7 in RangePlus’s fulfilment centre with 243,000 SKUs and handles over 250,000 orders per year. After automating its picking process, RangePlus achieved a 300% improvement in picking rate and order picking time, as well as a 25% reduction in operating costs. They also maximised their warehouse capacity by stocking 50% more SKUs in the same space while reducing error rates and minimising waste. Their ROI is 100% under two years, proving that investing in AMRs is a sound investment.

Shabbab Al-Ghamdi, co-founder of RangePlus, said: “This automated warehouse picking system has been a wise financial decision. We can now significantly increase the amount we pick, pack, and ship… the system is paying for itself.”

Geek+ picking AMRs automate the picking process by bringing the inventory shelves to the warehouse operator at the picking station. The solution reduces the time spent finding and moving goods around manually and improves not only picking accuracy but also employee productivity and comfort. Empowered by artificial intelligence, inventory shelves are arranged according to demand in real time; the most in-demand items are close to the operator to ensure a fast and efficient picking process.

Geek+’s solutions offer valuable flexibility to companies navigating the rapid changes inherent to e-commerce. The sudden rises in demand that accompany peak seasons like Black Friday and Christmas can be met by quickly adding AMRs to the system. Geek+ will continue creating and applying smart logistics technology to support independent e-commerce merchants’ transition to smart logistics operations.

 

 

RangePlus DC achieves significant efficiency improvement

Posted on by David Priestman

Geek+, a global leader in AMR technology, has announced the successful implementation of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) at independent British online retailer RangePlus’s fulfilment centre. The new automated storage and retrieval system was designed and delivered in collaboration with warehouse automation specialist and Geek+ strategic delivery partner Breathe Technologies. The modernisation provides RangePlus the firepower to compete with larger actors in the growing e-commerce sector.

Lit Fung, VP and Managing Director, Overseas Business at Geek+, said: “We are delighted to see our smart picking solution enable RangePlus to achieve efficient, flexible, and accurate operations. This digital transformation helps them greatly increase their competitiveness and chart their own course as an independent ecommerce provider.”

Due to the change in customers’ shopping behaviour from buying in brick-and-mortar shops to online purchasing, RangePlus has seen rapidly growing order demand, and its original manual order picking was holding the business back. With a high number of small and irregular goods, manual order picking processes were time-consuming and prone to error. RangePlus began looking at automation solutions to boost warehouse capacity and throughput. After comparing different order picking options, Geek+’s cost-effective, flexible, automated warehouse picking system was the best choice to help them handle a 25% increase in order volumes and 40% in SKUs.

Marcus Uprichard, Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Breathe Technologies, said: “Working closely with RangePlus and Geek+, we’ve created an automated warehouse picking system that’s incredibly flexible, modular, and perfectly suited to high-growth e-commerce environments.”

The Geek+ goods-to-person solution is running 24/7 in RangePlus’s fulfilment centre with 243,000 SKUs and handles over 250,000 orders per year. After automating its picking process, RangePlus achieved a 300% improvement in picking rate and order picking time, as well as a 25% reduction in operating costs. They also maximised their warehouse capacity by stocking 50% more SKUs in the same space while reducing error rates and minimising waste. Their ROI is 100% under two years, proving that investing in AMRs is a sound investment.

Shabbab Al-Ghamdi, co-founder of RangePlus, said: “This automated warehouse picking system has been a wise financial decision. We can now significantly increase the amount we pick, pack, and ship… the system is paying for itself.”

Geek+ picking AMRs automate the picking process by bringing the inventory shelves to the warehouse operator at the picking station. The solution reduces the time spent finding and moving goods around manually and improves not only picking accuracy but also employee productivity and comfort. Empowered by artificial intelligence, inventory shelves are arranged according to demand in real time; the most in-demand items are close to the operator to ensure a fast and efficient picking process.

Geek+’s solutions offer valuable flexibility to companies navigating the rapid changes inherent to e-commerce. The sudden rises in demand that accompany peak seasons like Black Friday and Christmas can be met by quickly adding AMRs to the system. Geek+ will continue creating and applying smart logistics technology to support independent e-commerce merchants’ transition to smart logistics operations.

 

 

Inmarsat launches initiative to harness industrial IoT

Posted on by David Priestman

With more businesses recognising the impact of IoT technologies on their operations and on the world, and the number of global satellite IoT connections set to continue growing at a 25% CAGR in the coming years, the need for a ‘one stop shop’ for IoT solutions has never been greater.

To accelerate these IoT opportunities for businesses around the world, Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, is announcing Inmarsat ELEVATE, a new partner programme offering three key pillars to support businesses throughout the IoT ecosystem and to cement the industry’s future growth.

The first pillar is a development programme for IoT solution providers, system integrators, machinery manufacturers, and OEMs looking to scale, who will be able to take advantage of Inmarsat’s ELERA satellite network and footprint.

The second pillar is a partner ecosystem, enabling organisations to access each other’s knowledge and collaborate with other organisations within the satellite IoT sector.

The third pillar is an online marketplace to promote IoT solutions that work seamlessly anywhere in the world, no matter how remote – to ensure every business can benefit.

In the next five years, the goal of Inmarsat ELEVATE is to help partners achieve double digit growth – as well as establishing Inmarsat ELEVATE as the leading IoT marketplace for solutions that work anywhere in the world.

Mike Carter, President at Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “The satellite IoT market has been steadily growing for years – and now is the time to up the ante and kickstart its next stage of more rapid growth. Inmarsat ELEVATE will help our customers realise the promise of IoT anywhere, while empowering the wider satellite IoT ecosystem to make it a reality. The ELEVATE community will play an active role in addressing the planet’s really big challenges, helping build a more sustainable, efficient and safe global supply chain.

“Inmarsat’s ELERA network provides an essential backbone to IoT innovation, so our development partners will be able to scale and grow their operations backed by its reliability and seamless global connectivity. Our partner ecosystem will enable knowledge-sharing and collaboration at an unprecedented scale, between parties of all sizes, in all geographies and industries, while our online marketplace will promote IoT solutions for any and every business need.

“Launching a programme like Inmarsat ELEVATE is about using our expertise and technological strength for the good of our customers – and we’re confident that it will have a huge impact on the organisations that need it most. We’re excited to work with as many new partners as possible, and to see what we can achieve together – as individual businesses, and as an innovative, game-changing industry.”

Partners will benefit from Inmarsat’s global footprint, empowering them to take advantage of opportunities beyond their existing operational regions. Inmarsat will also support building customised growth plans for each partner, and help businesses make sense of global regulations and market access.

ELEVATE partners will be able to harness these new commercial opportunities and scale faster than ever thanks to Inmarsat’s ELERA network, the world’s most reliable satellite network for IoT and secure narrowband connectivity. ELERA offers more global spectrum than any L-band provider, with Inmarsat’s recently launched I-6 F1 satellite (and I-6 F2 launching in Q1 2023) making the best use of the available spectrum and providing 50% more capacity per beam.

What’s more, dedicated technical teams will be on hand to help new partners test, integrate and optimise their satellite connectivity investments, to ensure their success. For those struggling to access the capital they need to support this growth, the ecosystem will also offer smaller companies new opportunities to access funding through its financial community – further strengthening the industry’s growth.

Inmarsat launches initiative to harness industrial IoT

Posted on by Keith McKinley

With more businesses recognising the impact of IoT technologies on their operations and on the world, and the number of global satellite IoT connections set to continue growing at a 25% CAGR in the coming years, the need for a ‘one stop shop’ for IoT solutions has never been greater.

To accelerate these IoT opportunities for businesses around the world, Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, is announcing Inmarsat ELEVATE, a new partner programme offering three key pillars to support businesses throughout the IoT ecosystem and to cement the industry’s future growth.

The first pillar is a development programme for IoT solution providers, system integrators, machinery manufacturers, and OEMs looking to scale, who will be able to take advantage of Inmarsat’s ELERA satellite network and footprint.

The second pillar is a partner ecosystem, enabling organisations to access each other’s knowledge and collaborate with other organisations within the satellite IoT sector.

The third pillar is an online marketplace to promote IoT solutions that work seamlessly anywhere in the world, no matter how remote – to ensure every business can benefit.

In the next five years, the goal of Inmarsat ELEVATE is to help partners achieve double digit growth – as well as establishing Inmarsat ELEVATE as the leading IoT marketplace for solutions that work anywhere in the world.

Mike Carter, President at Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “The satellite IoT market has been steadily growing for years – and now is the time to up the ante and kickstart its next stage of more rapid growth. Inmarsat ELEVATE will help our customers realise the promise of IoT anywhere, while empowering the wider satellite IoT ecosystem to make it a reality. The ELEVATE community will play an active role in addressing the planet’s really big challenges, helping build a more sustainable, efficient and safe global supply chain.

“Inmarsat’s ELERA network provides an essential backbone to IoT innovation, so our development partners will be able to scale and grow their operations backed by its reliability and seamless global connectivity. Our partner ecosystem will enable knowledge-sharing and collaboration at an unprecedented scale, between parties of all sizes, in all geographies and industries, while our online marketplace will promote IoT solutions for any and every business need.

“Launching a programme like Inmarsat ELEVATE is about using our expertise and technological strength for the good of our customers – and we’re confident that it will have a huge impact on the organisations that need it most. We’re excited to work with as many new partners as possible, and to see what we can achieve together – as individual businesses, and as an innovative, game-changing industry.”

Partners will benefit from Inmarsat’s global footprint, empowering them to take advantage of opportunities beyond their existing operational regions. Inmarsat will also support building customised growth plans for each partner, and help businesses make sense of global regulations and market access.

ELEVATE partners will be able to harness these new commercial opportunities and scale faster than ever thanks to Inmarsat’s ELERA network, the world’s most reliable satellite network for IoT and secure narrowband connectivity. ELERA offers more global spectrum than any L-band provider, with Inmarsat’s recently launched I-6 F1 satellite (and I-6 F2 launching in Q1 2023) making the best use of the available spectrum and providing 50% more capacity per beam.

What’s more, dedicated technical teams will be on hand to help new partners test, integrate and optimise their satellite connectivity investments, to ensure their success. For those struggling to access the capital they need to support this growth, the ecosystem will also offer smaller companies new opportunities to access funding through its financial community – further strengthening the industry’s growth.

Space-saving packaging system at LogiMAT

Posted on by David Priestman

Maximum freedom at the end of the packaging line despite limited space: MOSCA is showing what flexible end-of-line solutions can look like at its LogiMAT stand (A31 Hall 4) from 31 May to 1 June 2022. The fully automated end-of-line scenario consists of a KZV-321 pallet strapping machine and autonomous guided vehicles (AGV) from GEBHARDT Intralogistics. This system can be easily adapted to production conditions and optimises the use of available space – an ideal solution for fast-growing companies with size-limited production environments.

Predefined pathways and bulky conveyors – the end of a production line is often inflexible. This makes it difficult for companies to grow in tight production spaces. MOSCA is tackling this challenge with a flexible solution presented at LogiMAT in cooperation with GEBHARDT Intralogistics. The live simulation links the MOSCA KZV-321 pallet strapping machine with a Gebhardt KARIS autonomous guided vehicle system.

Johannes Wieder, Sales Manager Logistics at MOSCA, explains: “We are presenting just one of numerous set-up options. Thanks to the many possible combinations of AGVs with our strapping machines, applications can be easily adapted to different requirements and used, for example, to secure packages for transport in the food or construction industries.”

The application shown at the company’s exhibition stand illustrates the savings potential of this machine combination. Since the self-propelled vehicles from Gebhardt can flexibly approach various machines, strapping machines with a higher throughput do not have to adapt to the slower speed of upstream machines. Instead, they can utilise their full performance potential and strap products from several lines at the same time.

Efficiently securing double-stacked pallets

In the application, autonomous guided vehicles transport loaded pallets to the KZV-321. These AGVs can reach speeds of up to 1.2m/s and transport loads weighing up to 120kg. The KZV-321 then straps the pallets using MOSCA SoniXs ultrasonic technology with zero emissions and no warm-up phase. The machine can also efficiently secure stacked pallets for transport.

After the pallets have been strapped and the second pallet has been placed on top, for example, by a pallet doubler, the strap lances of the KZV-321 pass through the deck boards of both pallets again to ensure a bond that protects the goods and saves resources. If necessary, the stack can be separated quickly and easily without loosening the straps on the individual pallets.

The high-performance KZV-321 machine is ideal for strapping a variety of packages ranging from plastic containers to cartons, sacks or other soft packaging. Thanks to the machine’s compact design and its ability to adjust strapping to the product height with six strap lances, the KZV-321 is suitable for use in many different sectors, including the agricultural industry or intralogistics. The strapping machine enables users to maximise available space – horizontally and vertically.

Bringing digitalisation to strapping

The MOSCA EVOLUTION SoniXs TR-6 Pro is also on display at the company’s exhibition stand. This high-performance strapping machine processes up to 45 packages per minute and can keep up with fast production speeds at the end of the packaging line.

In addition to high throughput, the SoniXs TR-6 Pro scores points with a wide range of control options. Various parameters and strapping programs can be manually adjusted using an HMI touch panel on the machine. Thanks to an integrated network communication interface, the machine can also be controlled via a WebHMI.

Additionally, machine-relevant information like availability, performance and quality can be monitored in real time. This enables operators to check the machine status regardless of time and location and to respond quickly if necessary. It also avoids malfunctions and expensive interruptions – and ensures the uncomplicated optimisation of packaging processes.

Space-saving packaging system at LogiMAT

Posted on by David Priestman

Maximum freedom at the end of the packaging line despite limited space: MOSCA is showing what flexible end-of-line solutions can look like at its LogiMAT stand (A31 Hall 4) from 31 May to 1 June 2022. The fully automated end-of-line scenario consists of a KZV-321 pallet strapping machine and autonomous guided vehicles (AGV) from GEBHARDT Intralogistics. This system can be easily adapted to production conditions and optimises the use of available space – an ideal solution for fast-growing companies with size-limited production environments.

Predefined pathways and bulky conveyors – the end of a production line is often inflexible. This makes it difficult for companies to grow in tight production spaces. MOSCA is tackling this challenge with a flexible solution presented at LogiMAT in cooperation with GEBHARDT Intralogistics. The live simulation links the MOSCA KZV-321 pallet strapping machine with a Gebhardt KARIS autonomous guided vehicle system.

Johannes Wieder, Sales Manager Logistics at MOSCA, explains: “We are presenting just one of numerous set-up options. Thanks to the many possible combinations of AGVs with our strapping machines, applications can be easily adapted to different requirements and used, for example, to secure packages for transport in the food or construction industries.”

The application shown at the company’s exhibition stand illustrates the savings potential of this machine combination. Since the self-propelled vehicles from Gebhardt can flexibly approach various machines, strapping machines with a higher throughput do not have to adapt to the slower speed of upstream machines. Instead, they can utilise their full performance potential and strap products from several lines at the same time.

Efficiently securing double-stacked pallets

In the application, autonomous guided vehicles transport loaded pallets to the KZV-321. These AGVs can reach speeds of up to 1.2m/s and transport loads weighing up to 120kg. The KZV-321 then straps the pallets using MOSCA SoniXs ultrasonic technology with zero emissions and no warm-up phase. The machine can also efficiently secure stacked pallets for transport.

After the pallets have been strapped and the second pallet has been placed on top, for example, by a pallet doubler, the strap lances of the KZV-321 pass through the deck boards of both pallets again to ensure a bond that protects the goods and saves resources. If necessary, the stack can be separated quickly and easily without loosening the straps on the individual pallets.

The high-performance KZV-321 machine is ideal for strapping a variety of packages ranging from plastic containers to cartons, sacks or other soft packaging. Thanks to the machine’s compact design and its ability to adjust strapping to the product height with six strap lances, the KZV-321 is suitable for use in many different sectors, including the agricultural industry or intralogistics. The strapping machine enables users to maximise available space – horizontally and vertically.

Bringing digitalisation to strapping

The MOSCA EVOLUTION SoniXs TR-6 Pro is also on display at the company’s exhibition stand. This high-performance strapping machine processes up to 45 packages per minute and can keep up with fast production speeds at the end of the packaging line.

In addition to high throughput, the SoniXs TR-6 Pro scores points with a wide range of control options. Various parameters and strapping programs can be manually adjusted using an HMI touch panel on the machine. Thanks to an integrated network communication interface, the machine can also be controlled via a WebHMI.

Additionally, machine-relevant information like availability, performance and quality can be monitored in real time. This enables operators to check the machine status regardless of time and location and to respond quickly if necessary. It also avoids malfunctions and expensive interruptions – and ensures the uncomplicated optimisation of packaging processes.

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