Tech helping to address the logistical challenge

The term logistics has long been in use. It’s said to date back to 1846 and is from the French logistique. It was popularised by military officer and writer Antoine-Henri Jomini, who defined it in his Summary of the Art of War (Précis de l'Art de la Guerre). Today, the industry has a much more practical description for its business purpose and calls it the 7 Rules of the Logistics: Getting the right product, in the right quantity, in the right condition, at the right place, at the right time, to the right customer, all at the right price!

With this plethora of challenges, no wonder the logistics’ solution area at the Panasonic Connect Europe Customer Experience Centre, in Munich, is packed full of integrated technologies to see. During a visit, you effectively get to follow the path of goods as they are received, processed and sent on their way - with technology solutions to optimise the process at every stage: from inbound to intralogistics and outbound.

Keeping both hands free 

First on show is an ImageID inbound logistics demonstration from Zetes, Panasonic’s partnered specialist in supply chain and logistics solutions. ImageID can instantly read hundreds of barcodes simultaneously to verify all items loaded on a vehicle, a pallet, or arriving in a warehouse area. If an item is incorrect or missing, the tool immediately identifies the issue and alerts the operator. This unique tool provides customers with 100% accuracy in a fraction of the time. The data captured enables complete evidence-based traceability that is essential for compliance, which helps to also avoid things like costly shipping penalties.

Next on the tour is a camera barcode solution designed for inbound or outbound goods. Here customers can see why it might be more beneficial to have fixed cameras scanning parcels as they pass through on a conveyer belt instead of a handheld barcode scanner. In short, this solution allows for more flexibility, especially when working with heavier packages. Additionally, the barcode camera reduces the risk of accidents as staff have both hands free to manoeuvre heavy parcels. Lastly, by using this system at each checkpoint to read the barcode of the parcels, the customer can easily manage the traceability of the parcels in the warehouse or facility.

For sorting packages, Panasonic’s Visual Sort Assist (VSA) is a solution already in use by some of the most recognised manufacturers, such as Continental in the automotive industry. During a standard manual sorting process, staff pick up packages coming along the line, read the location on the label, and then manually sort the boxes. This process is not only time-consuming but is also prone to error. Instead VSA scans and reads the barcode on the package, then simultaneously projects instructions clearly onto the package for the sorting team. Staff no longer need to read the label; they simply move the parcel to the respective stack. This effective use of technology significantly speeds up the sorting process while minimising human errors. Continental reported that sorting times had been reduced by 80%.