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Month: January 2024

Digital Twin for French Warehouses

Posted on by David Priestman

Dexory, a leading provider of cutting-edge AI and robotics solutions, and ID Logistics have announced their collaboration as part of the ID Logistics’ ASTRID program, deploying Autonomous Stock Taking Robots for high-speed inventory management. The collaboration aims to increase warehouse accuracy and enhance overall efficiency to improve the service provided to their customers. Deployments have commenced at sites in France and look to expand to additional geographies in 2024.

The cornerstone of this collaboration is the state-of-the-art robot named Astrid. Operating seamlessly within the daily operations, Astrid conducts live, wall-to-wall inventory checks, flagging inaccuracies in real-time. This innovative approach saves countless hours, allowing the inventory team to promptly address discrepancies and prevent the knock-on effects of errors. Impressively, Astrid can process up to 10,000 pallets per hour, significantly boosting efficiency.

The implementation of this cutting-edge technology has been met with enthusiasm from site teams, becoming an integral part of day-to-day operations. The system has elevated accuracy levels to over 99.9%, nearly achieving perfection in operations. The robots operate during normal working hours, navigating around colleagues and machinery without the need to close aisles, ensuring uninterrupted workflow.

Key features of the collaboration include the utilisation of a digital twin, providing instant access to data with just a click. This allows teams to make informed decisions and enhances overall visibility into inventory management processes, resource allocation and beyond. The solution caters to all sizes of pallets and goods, demonstrating its versatility and adaptability to diverse operational needs.

Beniot Boiron, Group Innovation Manager at ID Logistics, added, “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of inventory management and warehouse data acquisition. Astrid’s precision and real-time monitoring capabilities have transformed our day-to-day operations, bringing accuracy to new heights”.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with ID Logistics to support the elimination of inventory visibility gaps in their warehouses using real-time data. This partnership represents a significant leap forward in enhancing operational efficiency, accuracy, and overall productivity,” said Oana Jinga, Chief Operating and Product Officer at Dexory.

The success of Astrid in France has set the stage for further expansion into new geographies, promising to revolutionise inventory management practices on a global scale.

Digital Twin for French Warehouses

Posted on by David Priestman

Dexory, a leading provider of cutting-edge AI and robotics solutions, and ID Logistics have announced their collaboration as part of the ID Logistics’ ASTRID program, deploying Autonomous Stock Taking Robots for high-speed inventory management. The collaboration aims to increase warehouse accuracy and enhance overall efficiency to improve the service provided to their customers. Deployments have commenced at sites in France and look to expand to additional geographies in 2024.

The cornerstone of this collaboration is the state-of-the-art robot named Astrid. Operating seamlessly within the daily operations, Astrid conducts live, wall-to-wall inventory checks, flagging inaccuracies in real-time. This innovative approach saves countless hours, allowing the inventory team to promptly address discrepancies and prevent the knock-on effects of errors. Impressively, Astrid can process up to 10,000 pallets per hour, significantly boosting efficiency.

The implementation of this cutting-edge technology has been met with enthusiasm from site teams, becoming an integral part of day-to-day operations. The system has elevated accuracy levels to over 99.9%, nearly achieving perfection in operations. The robots operate during normal working hours, navigating around colleagues and machinery without the need to close aisles, ensuring uninterrupted workflow.

Key features of the collaboration include the utilisation of a digital twin, providing instant access to data with just a click. This allows teams to make informed decisions and enhances overall visibility into inventory management processes, resource allocation and beyond. The solution caters to all sizes of pallets and goods, demonstrating its versatility and adaptability to diverse operational needs.

Beniot Boiron, Group Innovation Manager at ID Logistics, added, “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of inventory management and warehouse data acquisition. Astrid’s precision and real-time monitoring capabilities have transformed our day-to-day operations, bringing accuracy to new heights”.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with ID Logistics to support the elimination of inventory visibility gaps in their warehouses using real-time data. This partnership represents a significant leap forward in enhancing operational efficiency, accuracy, and overall productivity,” said Oana Jinga, Chief Operating and Product Officer at Dexory.

The success of Astrid in France has set the stage for further expansion into new geographies, promising to revolutionise inventory management practices on a global scale.

Enter the Eco-Digital Era

Posted on by David Priestman

New research by Capgemini reveals that the eco-digital economy is expected to double in the next five years to almost $33 trillion (€30.5 trillion), but that the UK is lagging behind.

The untapped potential of digital technologies is vast, and the eco-digital economy, driven by digital and sustainability, is expected to double by 2028. That’s according to the Capgemini Research Institute’s latest report, ‘The Eco-Digital Era: The dual transition to a sustainable and digital economy’ developed in collaboration with the Digital Value Lab at the Digital Data and Design Institute at Harvard. Implementing digital technologies has enabled organisations to reduce their energy consumption by almost a quarter and delivered a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the past five years, cites the report.

In this new era of a dual transition to an eco-digital economy that delivers not only economic value, but also environmental and social value, the scaling up of digital adoption will propel economic growth with sustainability at its core.

More collaborative and platform-driven than ever before, this eco-digital era is giving rise to new business models and revenue streams, as well as enhanced cost efficiencies, all driven by data utilisation, cloud technology, collaborative ecosystems, and connected products and services. According to the report, seven in 10 organisations agree that digitally-driven business models will become a key contributor of revenue growth in the next three to five years. Furthermore, 60% expect digitally driven business models to generate more revenue than their traditional business models.

“In the eco-digital era, there is greater exploration of digital technologies’ value to business – for instance by the scaling of data and cloud, and by having digital technologies play a crucial role in achieving sustainability goals,” comments Dr. Suraj Srinivasan, Philip J. Stomberg, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and Head of the Digital Value Lab at the Digital Data and Design Institute at Harvard. “There is also a fast evolution of emerging tech such as generative AI and synthetic biology, and greater collaboration giving rise to digital ecosystems. This shift is truly fundamental, cross-sectoral and global in nature. One of the biggest questions that organisations have to address and manage, as they scale, is knowing what to centralise and what to decentralise in terms of platform architecture, and most importantly, data governance.”

UK Lagging Behind

While global organisations are prioritising investment into evolving technologies such as generative AI or edge computing, to decrease costs and increase efficiencies, the UK landscape paints a different picture for some of its technologies – one that is lagging behind the rest of society.

The UK findings suggest UK organisations shows similarities with the global average for GenAI and edge computing implementations (13% vs. 15%, 13% vs. 14%), but only 6% of organisations in the UK are currently implementing digital twin technologies (vs. 13% globally), and only 8% even have a roadmap to do so. Instead, as many as 43% say they are only currently thinking about it (vs. 25% globally).

The picture is similar with blockchain technology, with only 4% implementing this technology, and AR/VR/Metaverse technologies (5%) – again, the difference appearing to be that the UK is far more likely to be stuck in the ‘thinking about it’ stage. Given the worldwide focus on sustainability, the low implementation number for climate/clean tech is particularly concerning – with only 5% of UK organisations currently implementing such technologies (vs. 13%), and as many as 37% still in the planning stage.“

The eco-digital economy is unlike anything that has come before it, and society has harnessed only a fraction of the overarching potential that mainstream technologies such as cloud, AI, and automation hold,” said Fernando Alvarez, Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Capgemini and Group Executive Board member. “Organisations will need to leverage focused efficiencies in their core business, enabled by digital, in order to free up investment to support their dual transition. We are at the dawn of a new transformative era and we have only scratched the surface of how digital technologies can help expedite the delivery of substantial economic, environmental, and societal benefits.”

Enter the Eco-Digital Era

Posted on by Keith McKinley

New research by Capgemini reveals that the eco-digital economy is expected to double in the next five years to almost $33 trillion (€30.5 trillion), but that the UK is lagging behind.

The untapped potential of digital technologies is vast, and the eco-digital economy, driven by digital and sustainability, is expected to double by 2028. That’s according to the Capgemini Research Institute’s latest report, ‘The Eco-Digital Era: The dual transition to a sustainable and digital economy’ developed in collaboration with the Digital Value Lab at the Digital Data and Design Institute at Harvard. Implementing digital technologies has enabled organisations to reduce their energy consumption by almost a quarter and delivered a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the past five years, cites the report.

In this new era of a dual transition to an eco-digital economy that delivers not only economic value, but also environmental and social value, the scaling up of digital adoption will propel economic growth with sustainability at its core.

More collaborative and platform-driven than ever before, this eco-digital era is giving rise to new business models and revenue streams, as well as enhanced cost efficiencies, all driven by data utilisation, cloud technology, collaborative ecosystems, and connected products and services. According to the report, seven in 10 organisations agree that digitally-driven business models will become a key contributor of revenue growth in the next three to five years. Furthermore, 60% expect digitally driven business models to generate more revenue than their traditional business models.

“In the eco-digital era, there is greater exploration of digital technologies’ value to business – for instance by the scaling of data and cloud, and by having digital technologies play a crucial role in achieving sustainability goals,” comments Dr. Suraj Srinivasan, Philip J. Stomberg, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and Head of the Digital Value Lab at the Digital Data and Design Institute at Harvard. “There is also a fast evolution of emerging tech such as generative AI and synthetic biology, and greater collaboration giving rise to digital ecosystems. This shift is truly fundamental, cross-sectoral and global in nature. One of the biggest questions that organisations have to address and manage, as they scale, is knowing what to centralise and what to decentralise in terms of platform architecture, and most importantly, data governance.”

UK Lagging Behind

While global organisations are prioritising investment into evolving technologies such as generative AI or edge computing, to decrease costs and increase efficiencies, the UK landscape paints a different picture for some of its technologies – one that is lagging behind the rest of society.

The UK findings suggest UK organisations shows similarities with the global average for GenAI and edge computing implementations (13% vs. 15%, 13% vs. 14%), but only 6% of organisations in the UK are currently implementing digital twin technologies (vs. 13% globally), and only 8% even have a roadmap to do so. Instead, as many as 43% say they are only currently thinking about it (vs. 25% globally).

The picture is similar with blockchain technology, with only 4% implementing this technology, and AR/VR/Metaverse technologies (5%) – again, the difference appearing to be that the UK is far more likely to be stuck in the ‘thinking about it’ stage. Given the worldwide focus on sustainability, the low implementation number for climate/clean tech is particularly concerning – with only 5% of UK organisations currently implementing such technologies (vs. 13%), and as many as 37% still in the planning stage.“

The eco-digital economy is unlike anything that has come before it, and society has harnessed only a fraction of the overarching potential that mainstream technologies such as cloud, AI, and automation hold,” said Fernando Alvarez, Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Capgemini and Group Executive Board member. “Organisations will need to leverage focused efficiencies in their core business, enabled by digital, in order to free up investment to support their dual transition. We are at the dawn of a new transformative era and we have only scratched the surface of how digital technologies can help expedite the delivery of substantial economic, environmental, and societal benefits.”

Podcast: Fleet Insurance: Strategies to Control Costs

Posted on by David Priestman

Episode 1 of the second season of our Podcast series, ‘Logistics Business Conversations’, is now available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Acast, Amazon Audible, YouTube, and other podcast distribution platforms – just search for ‘Logistics Business Conversations’.

Peter MacLeod hosts two experts on fleet safety to discuss fleet insurance costs and risk management. Jack Burton of Samsara and Daniel King from QBE detail the factors contributing to rises in insurance costs and what is driving market conditions. With claims cost inflation, parts shortages and rising costs of vehicle technology it is crucial to have a robust risk management strategy. How can data help achieve and support this? Advice from these experts on enablement, the use of dashcams and sensors, risk management programs and use case examples.

Jack Burton, Samsara
Daniel King, QBE

In the logistics industry, fleet insurance is one of the major costs for any organisation. With claims cost inflation, parts shortages and rising costs of vehicle technology, this cost is rising meaning it is evermore crucial to have a robust risk management strategy to help to control costs.

Fleet insurance

Hear answers to key questions, including: How can fleet management improve operations and reduce costs? What is driving market conditions? What data is valuable, and can help to support risk management teams? How can data be shared? How can the data be put into practice?

Listen to any of our Podcast episodes here.

Read more:

Podcast: Transport Management: Data & Delivery

 

 

Maritime Safety Enhanced for NZ Port

Posted on by David Priestman

RightShip, a leading global environmental, social and governance (ESG) focused digital maritime platform, has today announced a partnership with Napier Port to implement RightShip’s innovative RightPort risk solution at the New Zealand port. This agreement will make Napier the first port in the region to adopt the cutting-edge technology, which aims to enhance maritime safety and sustainability.

RightPort is a transformative digital solution that screens inbound vessels against risk-based criteria tailored to a port’s requirements. It enables ports and terminals to streamline their pre-arrival processes, reduce administrative workload, and improve communication with vessels. RightPort also connects users to a global network of ports, allowing them to access feedback reports and vessel insights from other ports and terminals.

Todd Dawson, Chief Executive of Napier Port, said: “We are delighted to partner with RightShip and leverage their expertise and experience in maritime risk management. RightPort will help us to further improve our operational efficiency, safety standards, and environmental performance. It will also support our vision to be a long-term partner for our customers and our community, by providing a reliable, resilient, and sustainable port service.”

Andy Symonds, Head of APAC at RightShip, said: “We are excited to welcome Napier Port as the first port in the region to adopt RightPort. This partnership demonstrates Napier’s commitment to enhancing maritime safety and sustainability, and aligns with RightShip’s mission to create a safer and greener maritime industry. We look forward to working with Napier Port and supporting them with our data-driven solutions and global network.”

Napier Port is New Zealand’s fourth largest port by container volume. We are the gateway for Hawke’s Bay and lower North Island’s exports and operate a long-term regional infrastructure asset that supports the regional economy. Its strategic purpose is to collaborate with the people and organisations that have a stake in helping the region grow.

Maritime Safety Enhanced for NZ Port

Posted on by David Priestman

RightShip, a leading global environmental, social and governance (ESG) focused digital maritime platform, has today announced a partnership with Napier Port to implement RightShip’s innovative RightPort risk solution at the New Zealand port. This agreement will make Napier the first port in the region to adopt the cutting-edge technology, which aims to enhance maritime safety and sustainability.

RightPort is a transformative digital solution that screens inbound vessels against risk-based criteria tailored to a port’s requirements. It enables ports and terminals to streamline their pre-arrival processes, reduce administrative workload, and improve communication with vessels. RightPort also connects users to a global network of ports, allowing them to access feedback reports and vessel insights from other ports and terminals.

Todd Dawson, Chief Executive of Napier Port, said: “We are delighted to partner with RightShip and leverage their expertise and experience in maritime risk management. RightPort will help us to further improve our operational efficiency, safety standards, and environmental performance. It will also support our vision to be a long-term partner for our customers and our community, by providing a reliable, resilient, and sustainable port service.”

Andy Symonds, Head of APAC at RightShip, said: “We are excited to welcome Napier Port as the first port in the region to adopt RightPort. This partnership demonstrates Napier’s commitment to enhancing maritime safety and sustainability, and aligns with RightShip’s mission to create a safer and greener maritime industry. We look forward to working with Napier Port and supporting them with our data-driven solutions and global network.”

Napier Port is New Zealand’s fourth largest port by container volume. We are the gateway for Hawke’s Bay and lower North Island’s exports and operate a long-term regional infrastructure asset that supports the regional economy. Its strategic purpose is to collaborate with the people and organisations that have a stake in helping the region grow.

Witron Customers Rely on Quality

Posted on by David Priestman

Despite a difficult geopolitical situation worldwide, WITRON succeeded in increasing its record sales of 2022 by a further 8.34 percent to 1.3 billion EUR in 2023. The number of employees across the Group grew from 5,900 to 7,000 staff members. According to WITRON founder and owner Walter Winkler, this clearly demonstrates the trust of customers in the quality and cost-efficiency of the automated solutions from the Parkstein-based logistics lifetime partner, as well as the trust of employees in the exceptional corporate culture of the family-owned enterprise.

With customer orders worth almost two billion EUR, the WITRON Group recorded an excellent order entry in the past fiscal year. This is primarily due to the fact that almost all leading food retailers in Europe, North America, and Australia are now part of the WITRON customer base. “We are immensely proud of the fact that our top ten existing customers already order an average of seven distribution centers from us and that it doesn’t stop at one project. Our order pipeline is well-filled, which gives both our customers and our employees enormous security. Looking at the global crises, the WITRON Group is operating in a kind of “special boom”, which we have worked hard to achieve in recent years thanks to our holistic implementation, service, and operator concepts”, says WITRON Managing Director Helmut Prieschenk.

Anniversary: 20 years of OPM

The core element of many projects is the Order Picking Machinery (OPM), which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023. The solution is considered the most successful fully automated storage and picking system in food retail logistics worldwide and is now being used in its 5th generation. “We have solved the automated piece and case picking in all temperature zones, perfected flow-through logistics centers, implemented ugly products into the automated process, optimized consolidation, and are now thinking beyond the distribution center as the next step – into the horizontal and vertical supply chain of our customers’ omni-channel networks,” explains Prieschenk. “The key to a long-term partnership is not only to develop innovations and concepts, but also to successfully implement these ideas in practice. That is exactly WITRON’s strength. We get projects up and running.”

Further expansion of logistics capacities at the headquarters

After production capacity was expanded by 120,000 sq m with the opening of ‘Plant II North’ in 2021, the next new building at the Parkstein headquarters is already scheduled for completion in 2024. This will include a multi-level automated dispatch center with a size of approx. 40,000 sq m, where the completed conveyor system elements will be stored and assembled into shipping units for on-time delivery to national and international sites. The dispatch center is directly connected to the production areas.

Need for personnel grows continuously

Due to the company’s constant expansion, the need for additional employees is also growing. For this reason, 1100 additional staff members were hired both nationally and internationally in the past year, including more than 100 apprentices in various technical and commercial professions as well as for the gastronomy sector. WITRON Parkstein also hired 14 apprentices from the USA, Canada, England, El Salvador, and Morocco who are completing an apprenticeship as IT specialists and industrial electricians far away from home.

In order to remain successful in a demanding recruitment market, it is important to be creative in terms of employees. At WITRON, this is reflected in numerous monetary and social benefits, including the construction of employee apartments located close to the company. “The decisive factor for the impressive loyalty of the employees is the unique corporate culture as well as the great opportunities and possibilities that WITRON offers,” says Winkler. “Because good employees have to be earned.”

Witron Customers Rely on Quality

Posted on by David Priestman

Despite a difficult geopolitical situation worldwide, WITRON succeeded in increasing its record sales of 2022 by a further 8.34 percent to 1.3 billion EUR in 2023. The number of employees across the Group grew from 5,900 to 7,000 staff members. According to WITRON founder and owner Walter Winkler, this clearly demonstrates the trust of customers in the quality and cost-efficiency of the automated solutions from the Parkstein-based logistics lifetime partner, as well as the trust of employees in the exceptional corporate culture of the family-owned enterprise.

With customer orders worth almost two billion EUR, the WITRON Group recorded an excellent order entry in the past fiscal year. This is primarily due to the fact that almost all leading food retailers in Europe, North America, and Australia are now part of the WITRON customer base. “We are immensely proud of the fact that our top ten existing customers already order an average of seven distribution centers from us and that it doesn’t stop at one project. Our order pipeline is well-filled, which gives both our customers and our employees enormous security. Looking at the global crises, the WITRON Group is operating in a kind of “special boom”, which we have worked hard to achieve in recent years thanks to our holistic implementation, service, and operator concepts”, says WITRON Managing Director Helmut Prieschenk.

Anniversary: 20 years of OPM

The core element of many projects is the Order Picking Machinery (OPM), which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023. The solution is considered the most successful fully automated storage and picking system in food retail logistics worldwide and is now being used in its 5th generation. “We have solved the automated piece and case picking in all temperature zones, perfected flow-through logistics centers, implemented ugly products into the automated process, optimized consolidation, and are now thinking beyond the distribution center as the next step – into the horizontal and vertical supply chain of our customers’ omni-channel networks,” explains Prieschenk. “The key to a long-term partnership is not only to develop innovations and concepts, but also to successfully implement these ideas in practice. That is exactly WITRON’s strength. We get projects up and running.”

Further expansion of logistics capacities at the headquarters

After production capacity was expanded by 120,000 sq m with the opening of ‘Plant II North’ in 2021, the next new building at the Parkstein headquarters is already scheduled for completion in 2024. This will include a multi-level automated dispatch center with a size of approx. 40,000 sq m, where the completed conveyor system elements will be stored and assembled into shipping units for on-time delivery to national and international sites. The dispatch center is directly connected to the production areas.

Need for personnel grows continuously

Due to the company’s constant expansion, the need for additional employees is also growing. For this reason, 1100 additional staff members were hired both nationally and internationally in the past year, including more than 100 apprentices in various technical and commercial professions as well as for the gastronomy sector. WITRON Parkstein also hired 14 apprentices from the USA, Canada, England, El Salvador, and Morocco who are completing an apprenticeship as IT specialists and industrial electricians far away from home.

In order to remain successful in a demanding recruitment market, it is important to be creative in terms of employees. At WITRON, this is reflected in numerous monetary and social benefits, including the construction of employee apartments located close to the company. “The decisive factor for the impressive loyalty of the employees is the unique corporate culture as well as the great opportunities and possibilities that WITRON offers,” says Winkler. “Because good employees have to be earned.”

Cold Chain Operations’ Safety Elevated

Posted on by David Priestman

Igloo Thermo Logistics, a temperature-controlled logistics company in the UK, has partnered with AddSecure to optimise its transport operations. With a fleet of 130 temperature-controlled vehicles that cover up to 90,000 miles per week, Igloo required a comprehensive telematics and temperature monitoring solution, as well as a vehicle camera safety system.

After evaluating multiple providers, Igloo selected AddSecure as the only supplier to offer telematics, remote temperature monitoring, and vehicle camera systems from one user-friendly platform. Each vehicle is equipped with live vehicle tracking and an EN12830 certified Transcan data logger. The transport team can monitor the fleet in real-time and proactively address any issues that may arise. Additionally, customers can access a full audit trail of each journey, complete with easy-to-interpret temperature graphs, and end-of-journey printouts for compliance with cold chain distribution regulations.

Igloo has also installed an integrated dual-camera dashcam system (forward-facing and driver-facing) in all its vehicles to reduce accident rates and lower insurance premiums. The cameras act as a deterrent for dangerous driving behaviours and provide evidence to support First Notification of Loss to Igloo’s insurance provider, expediting the claims process.

“Since implementing AddSecure‘s connected fleet management and temperature monitoring solutions we have experienced a significant reduction in accident rates and insurance premiums. The improvements in safety, efficiency, compliance, and sustainability of our overall transport operations have given us a competitive edge in the industry,” explained Kuljinder Gossal, Operations and Group Fleet Manager at Igloo.

Reduction in accident rates

Igloo is committed to continued improvement and are currently working with AddSecure to upgrade its vehicle tracking units for enhanced driving behaviour monitoring, allowing for improved driver feedback and training. Additionally, the company is also looking to upgrade its camera systems to a multi-camera setup, including rear and side cameras and an in-cab monitor, for safer city driving and slow speed manoeuvrings.

Paul Lawrence, Managing Director at AddSecure UK commented, “The AddSecure solution has once again proven to be a valuable investment for Igloo Thermo-Logistics, allowing the company to provide safe, efficient, and eco-friendly nationwide next-day delivery of temperature-sensitive goods.”

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