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Month: November 2022

Black Friday: “Automate to overcome warehouse strains”

Posted on by David Priestman

With Black Friday fast approaching, logistics companies and warehouse operators are bracing themselves for higher order volumes and demands for fast delivery. Despite predicted cuts in Britons’ holiday spending due to the rise in cost of living, there will still be a spike in demand and expectation of rapid delivery that will put strain on warehouses.

On top of this, businesses are struggling to hire workers so they can keep up with sales. However, this is no longer a problem solely caused by peak sales season, but an issue warehouses face year-round that is exacerbated during this period.

Keith Fisher, President of Honeywell Warehouse Automation, comments on what is causing the strain on warehouses and what they can do to cope:

“According to recent research, it is now common for warehouses to be faced with labour challenges year-round rather than just the holiday season – from dealing with an aging workforce to attracting, training and retaining the right talent to address both ongoing and wildly variable seasonal requirements. This is leading to a consistent shortfall of workers in warehouses to help keep up with demand. Furthermore, the expectations of the consumer for faster delivery, and the rise of e-commerce and flash sales only add to the pressures on warehouse workers throughout the year – creating a situation where any day or week can see similar demand to a holiday period.

“Due to these pressures, warehouse operators are looking for new ways of operating efficiently. If they are yet to do so, warehouses will have to automate processes not only to thrive, but endure the strains put on warehouses during the holiday season. By automating processes, warehouse operators can hope to alleviate the pressures of staffing shortages both year-round and during the holiday period. We are increasingly seeing automation and digital technologies expand into new warehouse operations, from voice-integrated picking robots to automated guided vehicles moving goods between warehouse zones.

“The goal of warehouse automation systems shouldn’t necessarily be to just shift tasks from workers to automated systems as much as it is to scale capacity by augmenting human talent. This includes upskilling and refocusing employees towards higher-level, more challenging tasks, while leaving time consuming tasks to automated devices. In this way, businesses can hope to mitigate the challenges of staffing shortages in the holiday season, and in the peaks in demand experienced year-round.”

Black Friday: “Automate to overcome warehouse strains”

Posted on by David Priestman

With Black Friday fast approaching, logistics companies and warehouse operators are bracing themselves for higher order volumes and demands for fast delivery. Despite predicted cuts in Britons’ holiday spending due to the rise in cost of living, there will still be a spike in demand and expectation of rapid delivery that will put strain on warehouses.

On top of this, businesses are struggling to hire workers so they can keep up with sales. However, this is no longer a problem solely caused by peak sales season, but an issue warehouses face year-round that is exacerbated during this period.

Keith Fisher, President of Honeywell Warehouse Automation, comments on what is causing the strain on warehouses and what they can do to cope:

“According to recent research, it is now common for warehouses to be faced with labour challenges year-round rather than just the holiday season – from dealing with an aging workforce to attracting, training and retaining the right talent to address both ongoing and wildly variable seasonal requirements. This is leading to a consistent shortfall of workers in warehouses to help keep up with demand. Furthermore, the expectations of the consumer for faster delivery, and the rise of e-commerce and flash sales only add to the pressures on warehouse workers throughout the year – creating a situation where any day or week can see similar demand to a holiday period.

“Due to these pressures, warehouse operators are looking for new ways of operating efficiently. If they are yet to do so, warehouses will have to automate processes not only to thrive, but endure the strains put on warehouses during the holiday season. By automating processes, warehouse operators can hope to alleviate the pressures of staffing shortages both year-round and during the holiday period. We are increasingly seeing automation and digital technologies expand into new warehouse operations, from voice-integrated picking robots to automated guided vehicles moving goods between warehouse zones.

“The goal of warehouse automation systems shouldn’t necessarily be to just shift tasks from workers to automated systems as much as it is to scale capacity by augmenting human talent. This includes upskilling and refocusing employees towards higher-level, more challenging tasks, while leaving time consuming tasks to automated devices. In this way, businesses can hope to mitigate the challenges of staffing shortages in the holiday season, and in the peaks in demand experienced year-round.”

BotsAndUs rebrands as Dexory

Posted on by David Priestman

The cutting-edge intelligence and robotics company previously known as BotsAndUs will from hereon be known as Dexory. The new name, taken from the words ‘dexterity’ and ‘echolocation’ – a nod to the company’s vision of enhancing human ability with the help of robotics – and its new visual identity supports its expansion and strategic vision as it moves from start-up to scale-up. Dexory is the provider of real-time data insights using autonomous robots that measure, track and find goods across warehouses without manual intervention.

“The natural evolution to Dexory is a new and thrilling chapter of our company,” says Andrei Danescu, CEO, Dexory. “As we focus on data-led insight technology for the logistics and supply chain industry, we believe the timing was right for this transition. This allows us to capture the essence of who we are as a business and as a team. This is an exciting stage in our journey. We have grown steadily, seeing a staff increase of over 50% in 6 months, and our plan is to double that number again in 2023.”

The company raised $13m in seed funding in June, led by Lakestar, along with Maersk Growth, Kinded Capital and Capnamic, taking its total funding to $20m, and spurring rapid growth aligning with an increasing market demand. According to a recent study by the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA), the well documented paradigm shift towards omni-channel retailing is placing demands on the warehousing sector that have not been seen in the past.

“Efficient warehousing has never been more important in global supply chains. Over 80% of warehouses worldwide have no automation whatsoever and rely entirely on manual methods. With the warehousing industry predicted to grow over 50% by 2025, streamlined functionality and processes that enable optimised operations is the need of the hour,” Danescu adds.

 

Artificial Intelligence Key

 

Dexory is paving the way for AI and robotics to completely transform the world of logistics, automating data collection and building digital twin technology that unlocks insights across all levels of warehouse operations. Dexory is the only platform that delivers real-time information for the receiving, storing, and dispatch stages, allowing companies unprecedented access to their operations from anywhere and at any time.

“We deliver an end-to-end solution to our clients. Right from building bespoke hardware, i.e. the robots, to creating the software to gather and make the data they’re collecting accessible and useful,” Danescu explains. “Our robots-as-a-service model makes automation more widely accessible as companies don’t have to pay large up-front sums.”

In its new form, Dexory continues its work with important partners such as Menzies Aviation, Maersk, Huboo and several other logistics and warehousing organisations in the UK and across Europe.

Rory Fidler, Vice President Cargo Technology, Menzies Aviation, comments: “In February this year, Menzies introduced the autonomous robot Mimi, which was developed with BotsAndUs now Dexory. It was important for us to use the technology to add real-time value to the operation. It is safe to say Mimi is delivering this, as on a daily basis we are achieving high accuracy levels across bond checking in a fraction of the time it has historically taken to do it manually. The team at Dexory have been fantastic to work with and we have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline with them.”

The funds raised earlier this year have been used to expand Dexory’s pioneering solutions globally, building up strong partnerships with industry leaders to accelerate growth and product development, and grow its team.

 

BotsAndUs rebrands as Dexory

Posted on by David Priestman

The cutting-edge intelligence and robotics company previously known as BotsAndUs will from hereon be known as Dexory. The new name, taken from the words ‘dexterity’ and ‘echolocation’ – a nod to the company’s vision of enhancing human ability with the help of robotics – and its new visual identity supports its expansion and strategic vision as it moves from start-up to scale-up. Dexory is the provider of real-time data insights using autonomous robots that measure, track and find goods across warehouses without manual intervention.

“The natural evolution to Dexory is a new and thrilling chapter of our company,” says Andrei Danescu, CEO, Dexory. “As we focus on data-led insight technology for the logistics and supply chain industry, we believe the timing was right for this transition. This allows us to capture the essence of who we are as a business and as a team. This is an exciting stage in our journey. We have grown steadily, seeing a staff increase of over 50% in 6 months, and our plan is to double that number again in 2023.”

The company raised $13m in seed funding in June, led by Lakestar, along with Maersk Growth, Kinded Capital and Capnamic, taking its total funding to $20m, and spurring rapid growth aligning with an increasing market demand. According to a recent study by the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA), the well documented paradigm shift towards omni-channel retailing is placing demands on the warehousing sector that have not been seen in the past.

“Efficient warehousing has never been more important in global supply chains. Over 80% of warehouses worldwide have no automation whatsoever and rely entirely on manual methods. With the warehousing industry predicted to grow over 50% by 2025, streamlined functionality and processes that enable optimised operations is the need of the hour,” Danescu adds.

 

Artificial Intelligence Key

 

Dexory is paving the way for AI and robotics to completely transform the world of logistics, automating data collection and building digital twin technology that unlocks insights across all levels of warehouse operations. Dexory is the only platform that delivers real-time information for the receiving, storing, and dispatch stages, allowing companies unprecedented access to their operations from anywhere and at any time.

“We deliver an end-to-end solution to our clients. Right from building bespoke hardware, i.e. the robots, to creating the software to gather and make the data they’re collecting accessible and useful,” Danescu explains. “Our robots-as-a-service model makes automation more widely accessible as companies don’t have to pay large up-front sums.”

In its new form, Dexory continues its work with important partners such as Menzies Aviation, Maersk, Huboo and several other logistics and warehousing organisations in the UK and across Europe.

Rory Fidler, Vice President Cargo Technology, Menzies Aviation, comments: “In February this year, Menzies introduced the autonomous robot Mimi, which was developed with BotsAndUs now Dexory. It was important for us to use the technology to add real-time value to the operation. It is safe to say Mimi is delivering this, as on a daily basis we are achieving high accuracy levels across bond checking in a fraction of the time it has historically taken to do it manually. The team at Dexory have been fantastic to work with and we have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline with them.”

The funds raised earlier this year have been used to expand Dexory’s pioneering solutions globally, building up strong partnerships with industry leaders to accelerate growth and product development, and grow its team.

 

Survey: AGV & AMR technology. Take part now

Posted on by David Priestman

Logistics Business, in conjunction with BlueBotics, is carrying out a market research survey of our readers. The exclusive survey focuses on automated warehouse vehicles, specifically AGVs and AMRs and automated forklifts. It covers their usage, navigation technology, tasks, challenges and purchasing. Warehouse Managers: We need you to complete our survey! Complete the survey now for the chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher. The prize draw will be made in December. Click here to enter

Panattoni leases Warsaw DC to TSL client

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Panattoni, a European industrial real estate market leader, has its first development for DTW Logistics – a rapidly developing company from the TSL sector. The tenant is to occupy over 25,000 sqm in Panattoni Park Warsaw West located in Błonie, and is to start using the leased space from April 2023.

The operations of DTW Logistics are based on delivering professional national and international shipping services for the road transportation of  normal, refrigerated and hazardous (ADR) goods. The company also provides logistics services. Błonie, where the company started its operations in Poland, remains a key location for the company. With the new space provided by Panattoni, once again the company will be able to increase the scale of its fulfilment and contract logistics operations.

DTW Logistics has leased over 25,000 sq m in Panattoni Park Warsaw West and, as part of the project, it is to consolidate its operations in the region under one roof. The company is to make use of an illuminated co-packing area, a bonded warehouse and large parking areas. Moreover, the development is to be equipped with a host of sustainability solutions that will allow the building to acquire BREEAM environmental certification with a rating of ‘Excellent’.

“Once again, Panattoni’s intensive work in the Warsaw region opens up new development opportunities for our clients,” says Olga Wałkiewicz, Senior Development Manager at Panattoni. “This attractive location will allow DTW Logistics to further develop in what is a strategic market for the company and the tenant will also transfer its operations to more modern space, allowing them to optimise many of their operations. It’s a wonderful feeling to add another company from the TSL sector to Panattoni’s clients. We hope that we will have many more joint developments together in the future.”

Panattoni Park Warsaw West  is located next to National Road 92, with the A2 motorway being under half-an-hour’s drive away. This connects it to the most important logistics centres in Central and Eastern Europe including Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań and Berlin. The development is around 40 minutes from the centre of Warsaw and just over half an hour away from Chopin International Airport. Eventually, Panattoni Park Warsaw West will have a full build out area of 91,000 sq m in three buildings. Currently, the first of these with an area of 31,190 sq m has been completed and has already been fully leased out. The modern facilities are suitable for a varied range of operations including warehousing, production, logistics and servicing e-commerce.

 

Panattoni leases Warsaw DC to TSL client

Posted on by David Priestman

Panattoni, a European industrial real estate market leader, has its first development for DTW Logistics – a rapidly developing company from the TSL sector. The tenant is to occupy over 25,000 sqm in Panattoni Park Warsaw West located in Błonie, and is to start using the leased space from April 2023.

The operations of DTW Logistics are based on delivering professional national and international shipping services for the road transportation of  normal, refrigerated and hazardous (ADR) goods. The company also provides logistics services. Błonie, where the company started its operations in Poland, remains a key location for the company. With the new space provided by Panattoni, once again the company will be able to increase the scale of its fulfilment and contract logistics operations.

DTW Logistics has leased over 25,000 sq m in Panattoni Park Warsaw West and, as part of the project, it is to consolidate its operations in the region under one roof. The company is to make use of an illuminated co-packing area, a bonded warehouse and large parking areas. Moreover, the development is to be equipped with a host of sustainability solutions that will allow the building to acquire BREEAM environmental certification with a rating of ‘Excellent’.

“Once again, Panattoni’s intensive work in the Warsaw region opens up new development opportunities for our clients,” says Olga Wałkiewicz, Senior Development Manager at Panattoni. “This attractive location will allow DTW Logistics to further develop in what is a strategic market for the company and the tenant will also transfer its operations to more modern space, allowing them to optimise many of their operations. It’s a wonderful feeling to add another company from the TSL sector to Panattoni’s clients. We hope that we will have many more joint developments together in the future.”

Panattoni Park Warsaw West  is located next to National Road 92, with the A2 motorway being under half-an-hour’s drive away. This connects it to the most important logistics centres in Central and Eastern Europe including Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań and Berlin. The development is around 40 minutes from the centre of Warsaw and just over half an hour away from Chopin International Airport. Eventually, Panattoni Park Warsaw West will have a full build out area of 91,000 sq m in three buildings. Currently, the first of these with an area of 31,190 sq m has been completed and has already been fully leased out. The modern facilities are suitable for a varied range of operations including warehousing, production, logistics and servicing e-commerce.

 

LED Showcases Warehouse Lighting

Posted on by David Priestman

Ledvance is showcasing a range of lighting solutions to satisfy the unique requirements of production and storage facilities. Visual performance, comfort and ambience are key to such environments, and are impacted by the illumination level, quality of glare and brightness distribution of their lighting installations.

The requirements for a lighting system in a storage environment are diverse and a flexible system that can be easily adapted to changes in working processes is essential. The TruSys Flex Dali system is an ideal lighting control for an entire building that can manage over 1,000 individually addressed luminaires across rooms and floors, operated by simply using a pushbutton or app for smartphones/tablets. Energy-saving LED technology provides continuous operation and homogenous light distribution, with tool-free click into place solutions for an easy installation. Flexible application is possible due to a range of different lumen packages and beam angles.

A typical high-bay warehouse is characterised by high ceilings, narrow aisles and hardly any natural daylight. In addition, the large difference in brightness between indoor and outdoor areas produces a high risk of accidents in entrances and exits. Even from an exceptional ceiling height of nine metres, the Ledvance High Bay Dali LED luminaires provide uniformly good illumination, and the daylight control of the Dali-2 drivers enables additional potential for energy savings.

The luminaires can be combined with Vivares Dali light management, including presence and daylight control, for ultimate efficiency. For harsh industrial environments, the luminaires carry increased shock resistance (IK08), dust-proof design and protection against water jets (IP65).

In a production environment, the demands for a lighting system are varied: from rough manual work to fine assembly activities and visual inspections. The Ledvance Damp Proof Gen 2 Dali meets all these requirements with its high protection against shock, dust and water. It is fitted with easy to open/close stainless-steel fasteners without sharp edges, and holes for anti-vandalism screws. In a recent installation by Ledvance, a production facility measured an increase in illuminance of 20%, coupled with an impressive 68% reduction in energy costs. The luminaires can additionally be combined with Vivares Dali light management for further energy savings.

Loading areas are often particularly busy at night. With large trucks manoeuvring and goods being loaded and unloaded, the area quickly becomes crowded and difficult to keep track of. This makes lighting that provides orientation and safety all the more important. The Ledvance Floodlight performance is ideal for loading zones, as well as for facade illumination and lighting close to buildings. Energy savings of up to 90% can be achieved, compared to lighting with conventional technology, and the floodlight offers illuminance of at least 50 lux on average for busier areas. The floodlight also features strong robustness, including protection against moisture.

For facilities looking to retrofit LED lamps into an existing lighting solution, the Ledvance LED Tube range is an ideal first step. A stand-out product for production and storage environments is the LED Tube T8EM PRO, which has a full-glass portfolio to protect against bending and a shatterproof protection sheet. The product is VDE certified according to IEC62776 and low flicker according to EU 2019/2020 (SVM ≤0,4 / PstLM ≤ 1). The instant-on light operates in combination with sensor technology and the lamp also works at low temperatures.

 

LED Showcases Warehouse Lighting

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Ledvance is showcasing a range of lighting solutions to satisfy the unique requirements of production and storage facilities. Visual performance, comfort and ambience are key to such environments, and are impacted by the illumination level, quality of glare and brightness distribution of their lighting installations.

The requirements for a lighting system in a storage environment are diverse and a flexible system that can be easily adapted to changes in working processes is essential. The TruSys Flex Dali system is an ideal lighting control for an entire building that can manage over 1,000 individually addressed luminaires across rooms and floors, operated by simply using a pushbutton or app for smartphones/tablets. Energy-saving LED technology provides continuous operation and homogenous light distribution, with tool-free click into place solutions for an easy installation. Flexible application is possible due to a range of different lumen packages and beam angles.

A typical high-bay warehouse is characterised by high ceilings, narrow aisles and hardly any natural daylight. In addition, the large difference in brightness between indoor and outdoor areas produces a high risk of accidents in entrances and exits. Even from an exceptional ceiling height of nine metres, the Ledvance High Bay Dali LED luminaires provide uniformly good illumination, and the daylight control of the Dali-2 drivers enables additional potential for energy savings.

The luminaires can be combined with Vivares Dali light management, including presence and daylight control, for ultimate efficiency. For harsh industrial environments, the luminaires carry increased shock resistance (IK08), dust-proof design and protection against water jets (IP65).

In a production environment, the demands for a lighting system are varied: from rough manual work to fine assembly activities and visual inspections. The Ledvance Damp Proof Gen 2 Dali meets all these requirements with its high protection against shock, dust and water. It is fitted with easy to open/close stainless-steel fasteners without sharp edges, and holes for anti-vandalism screws. In a recent installation by Ledvance, a production facility measured an increase in illuminance of 20%, coupled with an impressive 68% reduction in energy costs. The luminaires can additionally be combined with Vivares Dali light management for further energy savings.

Loading areas are often particularly busy at night. With large trucks manoeuvring and goods being loaded and unloaded, the area quickly becomes crowded and difficult to keep track of. This makes lighting that provides orientation and safety all the more important. The Ledvance Floodlight performance is ideal for loading zones, as well as for facade illumination and lighting close to buildings. Energy savings of up to 90% can be achieved, compared to lighting with conventional technology, and the floodlight offers illuminance of at least 50 lux on average for busier areas. The floodlight also features strong robustness, including protection against moisture.

For facilities looking to retrofit LED lamps into an existing lighting solution, the Ledvance LED Tube range is an ideal first step. A stand-out product for production and storage environments is the LED Tube T8EM PRO, which has a full-glass portfolio to protect against bending and a shatterproof protection sheet. The product is VDE certified according to IEC62776 and low flicker according to EU 2019/2020 (SVM ≤0,4 / PstLM ≤ 1). The instant-on light operates in combination with sensor technology and the lamp also works at low temperatures.

 

Case study: efficient labelling for packages

Posted on by David Priestman

Etra Oy wanted to optimise labelling in its huge logistical centre in Finland, specifically for packages of bolts and screws it offers in all available sizes. Its huge stock of pre-printed labels kept growing along with its offering, and increased labelling efficiency became a necessity. In response, Brady helped Etra to optimise a huge stock of pre-printed labels.

Integrated high volume full colour label printer

Brady proposed the VP750 Label Printer that can quickly print huge volumes of high definition full-colour paper labels. The capabilities of the printer enable many on-site package label design options, both to identify and trace the contents of the package, and for marketing and branding purposes. Pictures, logos, barcodes, serial numbers and colours can easily be included.

Brady also supplied a number of rolls with custom-sized labels that fit any of Etra’s screw and bolt packages. These are easily recognised by the printer and the software Etra uses to avoid label design errors.

In addition, Brady technical experts supported the installation of the VP750 Label Printer and integrated it with Etra’s ERP-system and existing workflow. When bolts or screws are repackaged, their number and type per box are entered in the system, along with the number of boxes, and these data can be reused to print the labels on the VP750. A label rewinder was added to the printer and neatly printed label rolls can easily be inserted in Etra’s existing label applicator.

Racks of labels replaced by a few blank rolls

A small number of custom-sized labels on rolls, perfectly fit for the VP750 Label Printer, now replace huge stocks of labels with different pre-prints in Etra’s logistical centre. Operators no longer need to search for the right label.

After checking label size, any pre-designed data is easily and quickly printed with great accuracy on full-colour labels with the VP750 Label Printer. Adding colours and changing the look of a label is much easier and faster than before. The VP750 Label Printer brings highly practical flexibility in label design and implementation to the workspace.

 

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