There is a future-center form in designing of these warehouses by focusing on correct combination of automation and personnel. Such a connection includes automatic robots, Warehouse Executive System (WES), Delivery guidelines to people, Robotic packing and other automation technologies in UPS Innovation Centers.
We will explain in details complete UPS Ordering System in this paper.
What is the help of technology for UPS in reaching to its goals?
Warehouse Executive System (WES) is the base of modern designing of warehouses. UPS is cooperating with Softeon for this purpose. It does not mean that WES may replace Warehouse Management System (WMS), but it may optimize all activities and equipment in any levels and on momentum basis. Such as optimization includes various factors such as optimization chances, capacity and limitation. It is possible to say that WMS has more sight limitations with little application in automation management.
Clements explains: “When we speak about order performance, WMS will perform a planning based upon accident and sees all accidents and makes the best decision according to the final occurrence”.
By the way, WMS has no more vision about any accidents occurred among scans. Then WES may compensate such a shortage. This system could perform WMS timely in each level and organize the activities of ordering centers. According to the Clements, WES may enable us to integrate various guidelines such as automation of robots, transmitter systems and walls”.
Since this system is able to integrate Transportation Management System (TPMS) and WMS system in a specific decision- making process, then it is able t simultaneous both entrance/exit currencies as well. This will enable UPS to make better decisions about manner of receipt & warehousing of entrance goods and also good decisions for prioritization of orders according to the on-time criteria. Briefly speaking, this system could connect order-management centers to UPS intelligent logistic network.
Automatic robots may provide UPS with new facilities for selection & packing. Clements comments about robots that: “These robots are able to move in corridors and among selected locations”.
UPS was witness of reduction of mistakes and increase of output rate from the beginning of the application of these robots. The other important item is increase of job satisfaction in warehouses. Clements comments: “Our workers at warehouses do not consider robots as a threat for themselves. At present, they could perform various jobs through 8-hour shifts which needed more time in the past”.
UPS at Europe has implemented the AutoStore application in which all goods would be delivered to receiver by a robot. According to the Clements: “We have understood the volume of warehouses and betterment of output. But still we have a long-way to pass”.
Next steps
Reflexive and scaling of new technologies and also high level of access are the advances of UPS in applying of Warehouse Executive System (WES) and automatic robots. Clements has explained something about the mentioned advances as: “The mentioned progress in the field of cloud processing and business models like “Robotic as a service” means that we may apply and promote them more economically. In the past, we need millions of dollars for reserve & revise a job. But it is possible to use and evaluate robots in a real environment by benefiting from cloud technology. Also, upon implementation of technology, we may pay monthly salaries”.
What is the next step in UPS Supply Chain?
Clements has pointed out to two special innovation in this regard:
Data-based ecosystem: “Our real goal is to lead the case in supply chain space. For reaching to this ideal, we should be able to register all data throughout the supply chain. This is out map”.
Betterment of transparency: “We are working on a clear reporting platform which may enable our customers to visit all operations of supply chain on head-to-head basis and then make ensured decisions”. He has also pointed out that the mentioned platform will illustrate the realities in transportation and this is possible just by using collected data in UPS Intelligent Network”.
Finally, we should say that Artificial Intelligence will provide the automation of processes inside/outside of order-management centers. Regarding Artificial Intelligence, Clements said: “By benefiting from Artificial Intelligence, we will be able to make a more intelligence supply chain and make automatic decisions which are making manually right now”.