Smart Industry 2/2018

Smart Communications IoT & Supply Chain
decrease in overall water loss and has
increased profitability. The system has
also improved labor efficiency, with
sensors taking data collection that
was previously conducted manually.
This has generated substantial cost
savings.
Looking at warehouse
logistics
Warehouses have always served as vital
hubs in the flow of goods within any
supply chain. But in today’s economic
climate, they also serve as a key source
of competitive advantage for logistics
providers who can deliver fast, cost-efficient,
and increasingly flexible warehousing
operations for their customers.
With thousands of different types and
forms of goods being stored in the average
warehouse today, every square
meter of warehousing space must be
optimally utilized to ensure specific
goods can be retrieved, processed,
and delivered as fast as possible. The
result is a high-speed, technologydriven
environment that is ideal for
IoT applications. From pallets and
forklifts to the building infrastructure
itself, modern warehouses contain
many “dark assets” that can be
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photo ©: DPDHL
Go with the flow
Flexible warehousing
operations are a key
source of competitive
advantage for logistics
providers and
their customers.
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connected and optimized through
IoT. IoT allows for the “dark assets” in
warehouses – including equipment
and pallets – to be “lit up,” generating
value from every square meter.
In a city manager’s world, consider
these public-sector use cases:
• Pallet and item-level tagging for
smart inventory management, realtime
visibility, accurate inventory
control
• Video cameras for damage and
theft detection, pile-ups
• Equipment and machinery tagging
and central management for
optimal asset utilization, predictive
maintenance, worker safety
• Connected wearables for safety,
workforce efficiency, and work experience
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• Connected HVAC, lighting for smart
warehouse energy management.
Swisslog’s “SmartLIFT” technology
combines forklift sensors with directional
barcodes placed on the ceiling
of the warehouse. With the help
of WMS data, these create an indoor
GPS system that provides the forklift
driver with accurate location and
direction information of pallets. A
dashboard for managers shows the
real-time speed, location, and productivity
of all forklift drivers and inventory.
Ravas’ “smart forks” technology incorporates
weight scales and loadcenter
measurement technology for
pallet trucks. An alert is sent to the
driver when load capacity has been
exceeded or when the load center is
uneven.
Locoslab’s “connected workforce” is
another case in point. Precise localization
of mobile devices in indoor
environments using active and passive
RFID technology monitors the
movement of people and objects
within an indoor environment and
applies location analytics to understand
where mundane processes can
be improved.
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photo ©: DPDHL
IoT Connects Up Warehouse Assets
1 2 3 Tags on each pallet transmit
package data at the inbound gateways,
while in inventory, and during outbound
delivery.
4 Sensors on a sorting machine detect
levels of physical stress by measuring
throughput or temperature
5 6 7 Sensors, actuators, and radar/
cameras on forklifts and other objects
communicate with each other and scan the
environment for dangers
8 Sensor-embedded wearables allow
workers to share information and interact
with machines
9 10 Sensors connecting HVAC and utility
networks optimize energy consumption
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