Cargo Business Techwire

Friday, August 21, 2015

Logistics firm Exel uses wearable tech to boost warehouse efficiency

The latest innovation in warehousing equipment involves wearable worker technology. Logistics operator Exel, the North American supply chain management unit of Deutsche Post DHL Group, is preparing for what it calls "vision picking" at two U.S. warehouses.

Warehouse workers will be equipped with "smart glass" eyewear which can read bar codes and show the fastest route to find products – doing away with the need for hand-held scanners and paper job orders.

DHL has already run "vision picking" tests in a warehouse in the Netherlands that showed that the technology has significant potential.

In a statement published on 26 January, DHL said:

"The pilot proved that augmented reality offers added value to logistics and resulted in a 25 percent efficiency increase during the picking process."

"Vision picking enables hands free order picking and greatly increases productivity. The technology significantly supports our staff and brings exciting value to our customers," said Jan-Willem De Jong, business unit director of technology, DHL Supply Chain Benelux. "However, this is just the first step in our innovation journey as we believe augmented reality will become relevant for even more supply chain areas."

For more of the Post and Parcel story: postandparcel.info