Pick by vision saves time in food logistics

By using smart glasses from Picavi, Belgian contract logistics provider Weerts achieves flowing processes and significant time savings in order picking.

Warehouse logistics needs to run quickly when goods rotation is high, especially when it comes to perishable food products. Belgian contract logistics provider Weerts Supply Chain S. A. therefore relies on the pick by vision solution from logistics IT developer Picavi, Herzogenrath/Germany. In its central warehouse near Liege, Weerts currently uses 15 pairs of smart glasses to pick orders for American snack giant Mondelez International.
Picavi’s order picking system allows the warehouse pickers to work hands free. It also helps them to work faster by visually guiding them through all processes. This has helped Weerts to achieve a time saving of eight to twelve percent compared to the PDC handhelds that were previously used. The new system also ensures that Milka chocolate bars and other Mondelez products are delivered on schedule around the entire Benelux region.
The system is very simple. The warehouse employees scan the barcode by looking at it. This action also verifies the process. The order status is transmitted in real time to the warehouse man­agement system. Weerts uses the smart glasses in combination with small ring scan­ners attached to the index finger. This makes it easy to scan difficult-to-reach areas like the foot of a pallet. The smart glasses and ring scanner are connected via Bluetooth to ensure continuous communication.
Picavi‘s pick by vision system was quickly integrated in the work process at Weerts, thanks in no small part to the simple connection to the existing warehouse management system JDA RedPrairie. “The system‘s scalability allowed us to deploy it flexibly and expand it to other processes,” explains Roger Kusters, Director of the Weerts distribution center. Alongside order picking with forklifts, the smart glasses are also used in goods receipt and the supply of pre-assembled goods units. The company is ­also planning to use the technology
in inventory and goods storage. Lightweight and always connected, the smart glasses are a convenient tool in intralogistics. The new technology can be easily incorporated into existing IT systems, and has gained acceptance among users at the Belgian warehouse thanks to its intuitive operation and clear user ­interface. Roger Kusters offers more praise: “Our warehouse employees like the way the information is presented in their upper field of ­vision. It's practical and guides them to where they need to be.”    •