Peeking through a different lens.
Cryptic title, I know but very fitting. Last week we didn’t have a Fuzzy Friday because it was Good Friday. The only thing that went ahead last week was our Virtual Pub, which will be open this afternoon from 4pm if anyone’s interested. The link is: https://zoom.us/j/4055332052
This Fuzzy Friday continues from the previous one where I talked about Put Walls and their revival. There are so many variations of put walls, but the one I want to talk about today stood out above all the others. The company is called #Logistiview and I was introduced to them through our partner #Slot3D.
Logistiview have developed Augmented Reality software that can be bolted on to any host system whether it be a WMS, inventory management, ERP or WES.
In a nutshell, what their solution provides is visuals for any process and the choice to switch between Voice, RF or Visual on the fly or per operator preference. The added benefit of their solution is that it’s completely device independent, you could even run it on your smartphone, provided it’s an #Android device of course.
I took a video of their picking process, which you can watch here: https://vimeo.com/408669915
So how does it work and what other benefits does it provide?
Imagine a “standard” warehouse where you pick orders using either a Voice or RF device. Both have their pros and cons. Voice doesn’t provide any visual information and requires quite a bit of set up for operators to be trained but it provides complete hands-free operation. RF only provides visual information but requires constant interaction with the screen to operate. Now I can hear the experts saying that Voice devices can also provide visual information and they are correct, but I have yet to find a software supplier who has a Voice application with a visual component.
This is where Logistiview comes in. Their application runs on an Android device and provides Voice support, RF support and barcode scanning. Now, if that were the only benefit of their solution, I wouldn’t be writing this article about them.
What sets them apart are their #AR visuals, the options for operators to customise their own operating process and the ease of implementing their solution.
Imagine being directed by Voice to a certain location to pick something and having a visual on your screen guiding you to the correct location. If you look closely at the video mentioned above, you’ll see what I mean. The Logistiview solution provides Pick/Put To Light visuals either on an Android screen or, if you’re keen, using Augmented Reality smart glasses. And because the solution is completely device agnostic you can simply choose what you want to use. You can have 1 operator using smart glasses, another using an Android rugged device and in times like now with #COVID19 requiring some businesses to upscale massively in staffing have them use their own phone or some of your old phones that you have lying around your office.
The visuals can provide anything from product photos to the description which can greatly reduce the error rate of any process. The lights guide operators to the correct location and will even provide guidance whether their next location is to the Left, Right, Up or Down from where they are. It uses simple QR codes at each location, which are automatically scanned by the camera of any device you choose to use, to support this. All it needs is the mapping of where each location is in 3D.
Have a look at this video for some more info on the visuals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5c-dQgjdZ0
Process wise they have a workbench solution where you can “build your own” process. So from an integration point of view you wouldn’t even have to provide their solution individual tasks. Simply dump all your orders, replenishments, receipts, etc. and let their solution execute the process you’ve defined. Once the process has been completed, the Logistiview solution will send the confirmations back to the host system to allow it to finish the process.
How does this relate back to the put walls article from 2 weeks ago? With the Logistiview solution you can build as many put walls as you want with no other investment than purchasing the physical “pigeon holes”, printing of the QR codes for each slot and the time required to update the Logistiview software with these new locations. The same applies to extending your picking area or re-configuring an area.
We deal with many different customers and the complaint we hear most about their operation is that their warehouse related software systems are very rigid in their processes. It’s their way or the customisation highway. The Logistiview solution breaks that mould, and then some, providing custom processes that you can setup yourself, any way you like.
If you want to know more about them, their website is: https://www.logistiview.com/
If you would like to understand how this could benefit your operation, give us a call.
Bas Schilders is the principal consultant at Fuzzy LogX who are the leading warehouse, logistics, and process improvement consultants in Australia. With a career spanning 2 continents and 20 years in warehouse improvements and solution implementations, Bas is one of the most experienced consultants in the country when it comes to logistics improvements and implementing warehouse automation solutions.
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