Introduction to DHL’s Innovative Project
DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, has successfully carried out a pilot project testing smart glasses and augmented reality in a warehouse within the Netherlands. The project was done in cooperation with DHL customer Ricoh and wearable computing solutions expert Ubimax. The technology was used to implement ‘vision picking’ in warehousing operations, which guides staff through the warehouse using graphics displayed on smart glasses to hurry up the picking process and reduce errors.
How the Technology Works
The pilot proved that augmented reality offers added value to logistics and resulted in a 25 percent efficiency increase through the picking process. "Vision picking enables hands-free order picking and greatly increases productivity. The technology significantly supports our staff and brings exciting value to our customers," says Jan-Willem De Jong, Business Unit Director Technology, DHL Supply Chain, Benelux. This technology is a game-changer for the logistics industry, making it faster and more efficient.
Benefits and Limitations of the Technology
The pilot’s objective was to achieve insights on the technology’s advantages and limitations. For three weeks, warehouse staff in Bergen op Zoom was equipped with head-mounted displays similar to Google Glass and VuzixM100. The displays showed the respective task information through the picking process, including aisle, product location, and quantity. Overall, 10 order pickers used the equipment and picked greater than 20,000 items, fulfilling 9,000 orders throughout the given timeframe. As a result, staff was in a position to operate much faster and error-free.
Real-World Applications
Currently, DHL and Ricoh are jointly evaluating the roll-out of the answer. "We are at all times trying to further improve our processes with latest technologies and we were comfortable to have DHL as our innovation partner for the pilot project," says Pieter-Jelle van Dijk, Director Operations, Ricoh EMEA. The potential applications of augmented reality in logistics are vast, and DHL is worked up to explore them further.
Future Plans
In June 2014, DHL’s Trend Research team issued a trend report called "Augmented Reality in Logistics", which describes best practices and promising use cases. In addition to vision picking in warehousing operations, the report also illustrates how operations during transportation, last-mile delivery, and value-added services might be improved by augmented reality applications. For the near future, DHL is looking forward to exploring the economic feasibility of augmented reality in additional areas and is open for collaboration with further partners.
Conclusion
The success of DHL’s pilot project is a major step forward in using augmented reality in logistics. With its potential to extend efficiency, reduce errors, and improve productivity, this technology is prone to revolutionize the industry. As DHL continues to explore and develop latest applications for augmented reality, we are able to expect to see much more revolutionary solutions in the longer term. The way forward for logistics is exciting, and DHL is leading the best way.
