Ryder has created three showcase warehouse sites that deliver advanced automation including robotics, autonomous vehicles and drones; sensors and automatic identification tools; and wearable technology, like smart glasses and ring scanners.
“We are evaluating advanced technology and automation solutions that require minimum investment but deliver maximum return,” said Steve Sensing, president of Global Supply Chain Solutions.
“We focus on technologies that are mobile, flexible, and scalable, so they can flex with changing demands. As Ryder customers continue to face increasing omni-channel fulfilment demands, rising consumer expectations, and a nationwide warehouse labour shortage, we will continue to innovate and automate the parts of the process that make sense.”
The company said the implementation of robotics throughout a Ryder-managed warehouse produced a 25-per cent increase in productivity and 20-per cent operating savings, simply by reducing travel time in the warehouse, which can account for 30 per cent of an employee’s shift.
On drones, it said that at a Ryder customer warehouse, drones successfully scanned pallets and locations in 20 minutes, compared to a manual scan which took 90 minutes. “Additionally, a cycle count on the entire warehouse took just three hours versus two days. The drone can also identify available pallet locations and verify product placement.”
It said that the use of sensors had resulted in a 25 per increase in productivity and cost savings at one of its sites. And the use of smart glasses resulted in an efficiency improvement of 33 per cent in the time it took to pick and scan inventory.
