Smarter warehouse automation driven by data: New TGW application aids optimization

(Marchtrenk, 17 April 2023) The TGW Logistics Group is offering new and existing customers innovative visualization dashboards for optimizing the performance of their warehouse automation systems. Dashboards can be implemented in just a few days, assimilate data quickly, and help carry out improvements.

The Data Analysis and Reporting Dashboards afford a comprehensive view of a system's performance, and do so within a fraction of a second. With this application, data from many different software sources can be combined, analyzed, and processed graphically: from goods-in monitoring all the way through to outbound labelers, sorters, and scanners.

Increase the overall system performance

This allows data-based identification and resolution of errors, which in turn increases the performance of the overall system. The application can be implemented in both new and existing projects. In the case of the former, TGW specialists generally install the dashboards within a few days. Implementation in existing systems may take more time, depending on the age of the software and hardware. Upon request, the dashboards can even be set up in fulfillment centers without automation by TGW.

Customers benefit from several advantages: they don't have to invest their own resources in the development and operation of a tool, but rather can rely on TGW’s experience and expertise. TGW has been using the dashboards internally for three years now before making it available to customers. Moreover, Remote Expert Support is available to answer questions around the clock, 365 days a year.

Data as the key

"When employees think they can optimize a system based on their gut instincts, they are usually wrong. Only with a solid data basis can you get a good and efficient view of highly automated, and therefore complex, warehouse automation systems. With our Data Analysis and Reporting Dashboards, we tap data from numerous sources in different systems. Thanks to the user-friendly visualization and thorough training, users are in a position to put the dashboards to a variety of uses," affirms Georg Katzlinger-Söllradl, Director of Global Lifetime Services at TGW.

The dashboards are designed in such a way that they can depict the entire material flow:

1. Decanting/Receiving: the dashboards compute goods-in data from pallets and overseas cartons, as well as repacking in totes or on trays.
2. ASRS: the current storage and retrieval performance and the available potential of storage and retrieval machines, shuttles, etc. are depicted graphically.
3. Workstations: the dashboards visualize active work areas and pick rates. This makes it possible to quickly react to adverse order structures or problematic packaging and take corrective action.
4. Value-Added Services (VAS): the dashboards also display the performance in the area of value-added services.
5. Labeler/Sorter/Scanner: users can see the performance of the individual components at a glance.
6. Reject Items: Totes that get diverted out of the system require a great deal of manual effort. The ability to track load carriers precisely for structured analysis lightens the administrative burden.