Together with Cisco and start-up Conduce, DHL Supply Chain is testing an Internet of Things (IoT) solution at three pilot sites in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.
The solution enables DHL to monitor operational activities in real-time through a responsive graphical visualisation of operational data aggregated from sensors on scanners and material handling equipment, and DHL’s warehouse management system. Visualising operational data with heat maps has changed the way data is analysed and used at the pilot sites, and DHL expects this to contribute to operational efficiencies and improve employee safety.
“Through our collaboration with Cisco and Conduce, we are integrating innovative solutions to build the digital supply chain of tomorrow today. This is changing the way we collect, analyse and use data, and ultimately, our ways of working at these sites. By monitoring operational activities in real-time rather than retrospectively, we can interpret data more meaningfully, and immediately re-engineer processes or warehouse layouts to boost operational efficiency and address potential safety blind spots in a warehouse,” says Markus Voss, Chief Information Officer & Chief Operating Officer, DHL Supply Chain.
So far, DHL reports that the pilots have provided insights into activity peaks, warehouse layouts and processes, by displaying concentrations of pickers and material handling equipment against a backdrop of warehouse orders in real time.
“In 2015, DHL and Cisco published a joint Trend Report on the ‘Internet of Things in Logistics‘. Continuing jointly on the topic of digital transformation, we are turning IoT into reality within the warehouse environment. This is made possible by leveraging existing Cisco Wi-Fi infrastructure within the warehouse to obtain location services together with the Conduce solution,” says Chris Dedicoat, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales & Field Operations, Cisco.
“The platform does not just display operational data, it unlocks insights on how well warehouses are running. By pulling together data of all elements in a warehouse environment into one unified, engaging interface, Conduce helps decision makers at DHL to achieve improved, measurable results in the real world,” says Kevin Parent, CEO, Conduce.
Source: Deutsche Post DHL Group
