Seegrid, the pioneer and leader in vision-based autonomous industrial vehicles, has added the Subway Platform displays to its Supervisor product. The displays are designed to reduce downtime in the supply chain by providing subway-style estimated-time-of-arrival (ETA) projections and data collection capabilities at each station where Seegrid’s vision guided vehicles (VGVs) retrieve or deliver materials. The new feature is part of Seegrid Supervisor, the fleet management tool that enables users to remotely connect, monitor, and control their fleet of VGVs.
The Subway Platform concept was developed in coordination with Whirlpool Corporation, which uses Seegrid’s vision guided pallet trucks and tow tractors to help improve safety and efficiency in its manufacturing operations. Supervisor’s ETA projections improve communication and coordination between en route VGVs and their human coworkers.
Subway Platform allows me to track our automated operations at a glance, wherever I am, without having to run a report. It displays VGV status, so assembly operators know when their materials will arrive, says Brad St. Louis, senior engineer of the materials department at Whirlpool Corporation’s Clyde division. Seegrid’s commitment to partnering with Whirlpool to create this valuable solution underscores a dedication to customers and automated solutions that work collaboratively alongside humans.
Seegrid Supervisor uses web technology inside customer facilities to fill the communication gaps created from machine automation by establishing two-way dialogue between humans and their robotic coworkers. The expansion of Supervisor with Subway Platform is the latest result of Seegrid’s collaboration with customers to develop solutions that ensure flexibility, efficiency, and safety throughout the supply chain.
Whirlpool Corporation is one of the most respected appliance manufacturers in the world, and we could not be more excited that our VGVs are operating in its manufacturing operations helping complete more orders on a daily basis, said Jim Rock, CEO of Seegrid. By using our vision guided vehicles and new tools like Subway Platform, Whirlpool is able to provide efficient deliverables to its customers while reducing overhead costs.
Seegrid has more than doubled its workforce since 2014, as more companies turn to vision-based technology to replace legacy automation that relies on lasers.
17th May 2016
