Seeking Solution to Increase Efficiency and Effectiveness of Warehouse Operations

Manpower cost attributes a substantial portion of the operational cost in warehouse logistics. It is therefore essential to automate warehouse processes/tasks where possible at reasonable costs to reduce manpower requirements and improve productivity. Though technology such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV), Drone and Augment/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) have been implemented, some tedious tasks e.g. goods picking remain manual as there are challenges in automating them completely.

One example of a specific tedious task, which we are focusing to address is MRO parts supply and goods picking for loose items. Servicing of aircraft, machinery, trains, ships and cars are often complex servicing and supply chain processes. MRO service providers face standard servicing, repairs and overhaul tasks which involve parts from different models and makes. The complexity of the market servicing makes it impossible for MRO service providers to stock up every part and they also do not have visibility of parts from their upstream distributors or market. The 2nd challenge is that most of the parts that MRO handle are small precision items such as bolts, nuts, screws and specially manufactured components. ASRS and traditional goods to man systems may solve carton or item pick but loose picking is still a very manual task dependent on highly trained and specialised staff.