STORAGE OPTIMISATION u PRIME VISION
areas, ensuring staff aren’t subject to undue strain. Onboard light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems allow robots to identify obstacles and personnel, safely avoiding any collisions.
Stop buttons situated on the robots themselves and small devices featuring a big red stop button on operator’s wristbands offer exceptional redundancy and the ability to halt the entire system when needed. Whether segregated from staff or working in the same areas, robots actively improve safety levels and reduce the burden on staff. Collaboration between robots and humans has been another key factor in improving the relationship with technology. There are multiple handovers in the warehouse sorting process, for example, unloading items from a delivery truck. These interactions are pivotal as they take time, incur cost and introduce risk. However, by creating an environment where humans and robots can seamlessly interface, these difficult tasks can be simplified and expedited, all while reducing risk. Prime Vision specialises in creating
environments where humans and robots can act together. These environments are invariably influenced by customer processes, local legislation and safety. Improved efficiency and greater job satisfaction are often the result of successful implementation. To some users, robots are still scary, but with proper training comes confidence and even humanisation. The staff at one of Prime Vision’s American customers has given their robots name badges, while another in the Netherlands named them after the employee of the month. This shows how employees have accepted robots as part of the crew and appreciate the benefits they offer.
SEE IT, SORT IT Computer vision is also playing a crucial role in alleviating staff shortages and other challenges. A number of Prime Vision’s customers admit that one of the largest challenges in logistics currently is overcoming language barriers. A lot of sorting work is conducted visually, and with multinational staff communicating in different languages, it can be difficult to train them effectively. The Flow Projector simplifies this process
by reading labels and barcodes and projecting a number onto the parcel that corresponds to an action or chute. This makes it much simpler for workers to sort parcels with minimal training. As well as being 30-40% more effective than existing processes, the system also improves working conditions.
Reading or scanning labels is mind-numbing,
manual work, and can be eliminated by the Flow Projector. Furthermore, the system can remove the need for problematic glasses or sweaty hand scanners for scanning items. This is important to employees. One customer reported that people clock in early to ensure they work at a chute where the Flow Projector is operational. There is a satisfaction in doing a job well, and this system incentivises and motivates staff in what would traditionally be an unengaging process.
BEYOND THE HARD FACTORS Automation has the proven potential to improve the hard factors that help meet growing demand: efficiency, throughput and profitability. However, in the context of labour shortages, automation is also enhancing soft factors such as employee satisfaction, staff retention and working conditions. Prime Vision’s robots and computer vision solutions are not about replacing warehouse
26 September 2023 Irish Manufacturing
workers. Rather, they are designed to move laborious, boring jobs to machines so that people can focus on more engaging tasks. Where machines and humans interface, work is simplified and safety improved. Would a person rather work in an old
warehouse relying on manual labour, or a modern facility featuring advanced technology and helpful robots?
A NEW NARRATIVE OF AUTOMATION IN THE WORKPLACE Moving past the trope of achieving more with the same human resources, automation is making warehouse work more fulfilling, more meaningful and better rewarded. Ultimately, this makes it attractive to people, either keeping them in the industry or helping to recruit them for a logistics role. From a narrative where automation would cost people their livelihoods, the real story is how automation is providing people with new opportunities. Technical, supervisory or managerial roles that would’ve been inaccessible in a traditional warehouse are now more readily available. People are needed to supervise and service
warehouse automation systems, and these are far more safe, skilled and fulfilling jobs than moving heavy items from A to B. Existing warehouse employees are beginning
to show this change in attitudes. A global study recently found that 60% of warehouse workers thought that the adoption of new technology is a change for the good. More than improving efficiency and meeting higher volumes with less resource, automation is revolutionising warehouse work to the point where fulfilment goes beyond the orders.
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