RFID unmanned warehouse management solution

Overview

This article will combine the industry background and practice in customer projects to share the Library-self-service-borrowing-and-returning-machine-source-manufacturer-UHF-touch-screen-borrowing-and-returning-machine.html target='_blank'>self-service pick-up solution for unmanned warehousing based on rfid. It is suitable for front-end warehouses and other types of B2B offline businesses. Although the level of intelligence is not high enough and not sophisticated enough, the ideas and methods are very pragmatic and effective. The implementation cost is not high and the user experience is good. The solution can help customers effectively Reduce labor costs and improve end customer response speed and service quality.

business background

In the field of warehousing, in order to provide customers with faster delivery or closer customers to pick up goods, merchants will establish models such as front-end warehouses and Store warehouses. Many new retail front-end warehouse models, and even unmanned smart supermarkets, have a shiny appearance, but the cost is very high. Most of them are the strategic layout of large enterprises regardless of cost.

In the industry, we have all seen the super-intelligent unmanned automated warehousing of Amazon and JD.com. Relying on powerful automation and intelligent technology, they are the world's top technologies and have a cost investment that is difficult for many companies to match. Even with the investment of such a giant, the return on investment cycle is very long. According to statistics, the return on investment (ROI) in the United States is about three years, and in China it may be more than ten years. For many group companies, even a set of automated warehouse equipment will be insufficient, let alone small and medium-sized enterprises. However, it is true that customer demands and labor costs are constantly increasing. However, where is the way to improve?

In some traditional fields, small and medium-sized enterprises are also trying to find ways to improve based on their own business, and some new models and management methods will be extended. They cannot be said to be transformational, but improvement and optimization. Among some of our customers, store warehouses, front warehouses, sub-warehouses, and virtual warehouse systems are no longer a concept. Instead, they have adopted some pragmatic methods to achieve their goals, such as unmanned warehousing, self-service pick-up, store warehouses and store warehouses. System docking and tracking of circulation in customer warehouses using RFID. It's not that fancy, but it is very effective in reducing costs and improving customer service quality and satisfaction.

Case description

The example below is a simple unmanned warehousing self-pickup solution provided based on the needs of our customers. I hope it can inspire everyone. For example, one of our customers, Cheyoubang Technology Company, is a tire agency with business covering many cities in North China. In a city, it will build warehousing or third-party warehousing. For example, at its headquarters in Tianjin, in addition to its own central warehousing, it also builds We have established some so-called front warehouses so that whether it is delivery or customer pickup, we can be closer to each other, improving response speed and customer service. For example, if a dealer is temporarily out of stock for a few tires and needs them urgently, and delivery from the central warehouse cannot meet the timeliness requirements, the goods can be picked up from the nearest front warehouse. The advantage lies in the ability to meet demand in a timely manner, fast delivery and low cost. The disadvantage lies in the investment and return of front-end warehouses, mainly the high cost of building a warehouse, labor costs and management costs, uncertainty about how to replenish orders, and greater operational difficulty. However, the demand for front-end warehouses is not as high as the business volume. As more front-end warehouses are built, the investment in all aspects will be very high, so the solution of unmanned warehousing and self-service pickup is adopted.

Brief description of process

The solution is to expand the software application of self-service pickup in unmanned warehouses through our RFID smart warehousing overall solution, combined with electronic smart door locks and image monitoring technology. The main process is as follows:

l Access Control, through smart door locks, customers can be identified remotely or on-site and open the warehouse door;

l Printing, customers log in to the system with their identity, operate the touch screen, and print picking and delivery documents;

l Picking is done through paper picking lists or through PDA scanning to the warehouse location;

l Review, self-service review can be completed through scanning, which also ensures the accuracy of inventory;

l Replenishment, through safety stock, available inventory, and in-transit inventory, generate allocation or procurement forecasts and timely replenishment.

The main function

In terms of functions, mainly based on customer business and unmanned warehouse needs, based on the original professional version, the unmanned warehouse solution has been expanded and a series of functions have been developed. The main functions are as follows:

l Multi-warehouse, add the category of unmanned warehouse, and the business logic and functions of ordinary warehouses will be different;

l The outbound order and picking order are merged, so that one document can meet the requirements of picking and outbound order in the unmanned warehouse;

l Remote control can be used to push orders, print and help customers operate through remote computer terminals to tablets in unmanned warehouses. Remote control can also control the status of orders in the event of an accident, such as locking and forced review. ;

l Terminal program, place a tablet computer in the unmanned warehouse, and the picker can see his own order through the tablet computer, print, review and other operations;

l Picking can be performed through PDA or picking orders. In order to satisfy some people, the logo of the storage location has been redesigned. If the same goods are taken from different storage locations, the system can also determine and automatically subtract the inventory from the actual storage location;

l Review, review of unmanned warehouse, corresponding to the order number, bring out the customer information and document information, and then scan the SN or barcode for review. The review method can connect a touch-screen industrial tablet computer to a wired or wireless scanner, or use a PDA for review.

l Allocation forecast: Designed allocation plans for central warehouses and unmanned warehouses. Through minimum and maximum safety stocks, available inventory, and in-transit inventory, allocation forecasts or procurement and replenishment recommendations are generated.

The functions and processes are mainly as described above. There are many points that need attention and solutions to various situations. For example, what should I do if something goes wrong after the review is completed? What should I do if it is inconsistent with the picking list? In this regard, the system has designed a variety of verification mechanisms to meet issues such as order push, remote assistance, discrepancy review, partial review, pending orders, review information comparison, and how to record goods obtained from unplanned warehouse locations.

There is also a very important issue of user experience. Customer pick-ups may be people with low knowledge and literacy levels and difficulty in using smart devices or systems. We can provide remote order push and printing to assist them in completing the corresponding pick-up process. The touch screen used is larger in screen size. In our solution, 19-inch and 21-inch capacitive touch screens are used, using the latest front-end technology. The UI and page are carefully designed, and the operation logic of the page is as simple as possible. In addition, our product managers and graphic designers work together to plan the visual identity system in the warehouse for customers, including: warehouse layout, operation schematics, numbers and logos of each area, storage locations, precautions, etc. Our design here The engineer also made a special trip to IKEA to refer to IKEA's independent pickup and other related signs, and is committed to creating a first-class self-service pickup experience for customers' warehouses.

Solution summary

Based on the solutions implemented in this project, we have also envisioned other functional solutions, such as integrating RFID, image recognition, and video surveillance technology by combining mobile phone terminal software functions, and adding light picking, voice picking, AGV cargo handling, etc. . Of course these need to be applied according to each industry and customer.

The practice of the project has given us some thoughts on how to help customers achieve their business goals very effectively. If calculated based on 10 front-end warehouses, it can help customers save at least 300,000-500,000 in labor costs and operating costs every year. In fact, there are still many problems in informatization and procurement in many enterprises. Either they invest less, or they invest too much, or they pursue fashionable or large-scale functions, and the final results are often poor. The main thing is to plan and design according to the actual conditions of each industry and enterprise. Just like JD.com's WMS system, it starts from the simple functions of 1.0 and continues to expand and optimize, so as to achieve the coordinated advancement of business and informatization, and be pragmatic and solid. Think about how to reduce costs and increase efficiency to maximize the return on information investment.