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In 2018, dhl Supply Chain announced plans to deploy emerging technologies across its 350 North American facilities. Brian Gaunt, senior director of accelerated digitalization at dhl, describes dhl's warehouse digitalization journey. dhl is the world's largest logistics service provider. The best digital transformations focus on leveraging technology to better serve customers. These investments are aimed at improving service to dhl's contract logistics customers.
dhl Innovation Funnel
dhl Supply Chain has developed a clear process for reviewing and adopting warehouse technology. They conduct research, collaborate with partners (100+), and identify opportunities that best align with their goals. The most promising technologies enter the productization stage. Productization is a term used by dhl to describe technologies that have defined applications for use by dhl, supported by deployment guidelines, and established profile matches that determine the use of the technology within an organization "most suitable". For example, dhl has established parameters that enable these technologies to be used like "tools in a toolbox". dhl has defined twelve technologies with clear benefits for the company and its customers. These are classified technologies, such as "assisted picking robots" or "robots," rather than the technology of a specific technology provider.
There are currently more than 1500 technologies that have entered the commercialization and industrialization stage through the productization stage. This article will focus on some new robotics applications.
Autonomous Mobile Robots and AGVs
The collaboration between dhl and Locus Robotics is well known. Currently, dhl North America deploys more than 2,000 robots. dhl says that by using Locus Robotics, the number of picks per hour has increased by 50% to 70%. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are known to improve labor productivity by reducing walking time. Interestingly, dhl Supply Chain has also identified use cases where load size, product size and carrying capacity are critical to achieving productivity gains. In these cases, carrying capacity has a greater impact on productivity than the distance workers travel between picking activities.
WILMINGTON - FEBRUARY 17: LocusBots appears inside Locus Robotics, a Wilmington-based company that aims to ... [+]
The use of AMRs in high-volume collaborative warehouse environments has received most of the media attention over the past five years. However, if applied properly, heavy-duty AGVs also have the potential to significantly increase productivity. dhl appears to have spotted and seized one of those opportunities. dhl and Campbell Soup
Robotic Arms: Sort-to-Box and Sort-to-Bag
The use cases for robotic arms in warehouses are rapidly expanding. dhl eCommerce Solutions has successfully run a one-year pilot involving DoraBot DoraSorters. DoraBot DoraSorters were tested in two different configurations, one for Sort-to-Gaylord (a Gaylord is a large corrugated box) and one for Sort-to-Bag. Each of these configurations is capable of sorting over 1,000 parcels and parcels per hour. While this throughput level is significantly lower than the high-end high-speed sorters available, it is also significantly higher than many sorting alternatives. In short, it has a place in the middle range of throughput requirements.
Robotic arm for sorting bag applications
DoraSorters are equipped with 3D scanners to identify packages and guide robotic arms to the appropriate drop slot destination. In a Sort-to-Bag configuration, the sorting system receives packages from a conveyor line, directs the packages to an end effector, and the arm is hinged to one of a number of adjacent destination chutes, which eject the package for processing Ship to one of 80 last mile zip code destinations.
In the Sort-to-Gaylord configuration, the robotic arm is surrounded by 20 tall Gaylord containers, each 5 feet tall. The end effector on the robotic arm is a proprietary drawer-shaped conveyor that imports packages from the conveyor line, stabilizes the package on the end effector, articulates over the appropriate Gaylord, and discharges the package into the Gaylord from above.
Robotic Arm: Trailer Unloading
dhl Supply Chain is also using robotic arms in a novel application. dhl has entered into a multi-year, $15 million agreement with BD to commercialize the Stretch robot. BD has some fun videos highlighting Boston Dynamics robots, climbing stairs, opening doors, etc. in human or dog form. These are interesting, but you can't help but wonder what these robots are actually used for.
Mobile Picking Arm
dhl has been working with Boston Dynamics to perfect this trailer unloading solution. Stationary robotic pick-up arms are becoming more common in today's logistics operations - often for palletizing or depalletizing. The novelty of Stretch is its mobility. dhl is currently using Stretch for a new use case, unloading floor-loaded trailers.
Clint Reiser, director of supply chain research at ARC Advisory Group, is the lead author of this article.
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