Eliminating errors in Picking processes
Picking processes are defined as all activities of picking, sorting and distributing material from one load unit to several others. The efficiency of picking procedures can affect both the speed of component assembly in Production departments and the speed of order fulfillment in Warehouse and Logistics departments. Errors in the Picking phase can compromise production quality or correct order fulfillment. Picking is an activity that within the plant can employ various resources and spaces and consequently also impacts personnel safety. The need to safeguard health by maintaining correct posture and avoiding “path accidents” in goods transport makes Picking operations today the subject of study and improvement within technologies useful for optimizing processes in Production, Warehouse and Logistics departments. In particular, there are two applications widely used today in Picking process management:
- Voice Picking: through voice-pick systems the picking operator receives instructions via headset through audio messages. Technology widely used in warehouses where there is high personnel turnover due to sales seasonality and training time for new staff is very limited.
- Pick-to-light: This technology uses LED displays to indicate to the operator the shelf, SKU and quantity of items to pick. Technology widespread in E-Commerce Logistics and Manufacturing Industry in material preparation areas for assembly.
FasThink, an Italian company specialized in consulting and technological support to Large Industry, in the Digital Transformation journey has introduced to the market a new wireless system for Picking process management.We talk about it with Marco Marella General Manager of FasThink:
FasThink, an Italian company specialized in consulting and technological support to Large Industry, in the Digital Transformation journey has introduced to the market a new wireless system for Picking process management.We talk about it with Marco Marella General Manager of FasThink:
P2Light is a picking system that through light signals guides the operator to the locations from which to pick the material. P2Light touchless is the smart and innovative evolution, unique in its kind, thanks to bidirectional RF communication that simplifies system integration without cabling costs.
Particularly suitable for e-commerce logistics, automotive and manufacturing applications where speed and precision are fundamental requirements for maximum efficiency in production processes. P2Light touchless represents an incredible step forward toward the future of logistics, thanks to a system that ensures absolute performance in warehouse picking.
With the new touchless version, material picking and validation occur simultaneously, without the need to press keys, avoiding contact with keypads or handheld devices.
The significant reduction of errors in kit preparation phase and downtime from manual errors make P2Light touchless a perfect system that also guarantees maximum flexibility for any modification of light signal positioning without any structural changes. Fast, intuitive and sustainable, it does not require paper supports and this also represents a step forward toward dematerialization to accelerate the transition to full sustainable digital. The device has a 70 mt range, touchless detection photocell, e-ink graphic display, high-efficiency LED and additional functions such as battery monitoring (which can thus last up to five years). P2Light touchless is a reliable and low-consumption tool that can operate for a long time.
A case study concerns Garnet company that chose to rely on FasThink to innovate its logistics and production processes.
A case study concerns Garnet company that chose to rely on FasThink to innovate its logistics and production processes.
Garnet, importer and distributor of electrical and electromechanical components for automation, robotics and automotive markets, present in Italy since 1997 and headquartered in Concorezzo (MB), decided to innovate its logistics and production processes, relying on FasThink. Garnet’s goal was to reduce risks related to product management errors, while optimizing and improving the picking process dedicated to preparing kits for production.
“To respond to the request to move goods from the kit preparation station to production, avoiding manual errors, we developed a custom application, combining the P2Light picking system with Omron’s mobile robot and Garnet’s management software acting as director”, explains Marco Marella, “Being an Omron Solution Partner allows us to extend our solutions also to the rapidly growing mobile robotics sector and position our company in high-level integration of innovative technologies as happened with this application designed for Garnet.”
The application developed by FasThink enabled real-time monitoring of data related to logistics and production processes, generating significant improvement and reduction of production and logistics management times.
Re-Labeling: how to best manage variable data printing
In various sectors from Retail to Manufacturing through Logistics, re-labeling of products or packaging is a process that requires long times and is often subject to errors or inaccuracies.
In the Retail sector, re-labeling products in the presence of sales and special offers is still often done today with manual operations that require a “forced” passage through the management system to modify the variable data of each product and re-apply the updated label.
In the Manufacturing and Logistics sectors, the need to re-label products is linked to the arrival of goods that are naturally labeled with the supplier code and need to be re-adapted to plant processes with the assignment of internally readable codes. Procedures that keep operators busy causing inefficiencies and a consequent increase in costs.
Letizia May, SPS Business Developer at Brother Italia explains how it is now possible to speed up and optimize re-labeling processes:
Letizia May, SPS Business Developer at Brother Italia explains how it is now possible to speed up and optimize re-labeling processes:
“By pairing a barcode reader with our RJ series portable printers, it is possible to reprint labels near the product, optimizing the process in terms of time and errors. Brother’s RJ portable printers can store both label layouts and a database in Excel or CSV format, which must report the product code and the variable data to be shown on the label associated with that product code. In this way, the operator simply needs to scan the barcode of the product to be re-labeled and the printer will automatically match the read code with the code in the stored database, printing the label that will show the variable data. This process is really very simple also because it is not tied to the customer’s management system: just create an Excel or CSV file and transfer it to the printer via a Brother App”
