The state of the Supply Chain
Order preparation is a crucial step in the field of intralogistics. Indeed, the advent of e-commerce and consumer demand for ever shorter delivery times require ever greater flexibility and responsiveness in the warehouse.
In BtoB activities (for example the preparation of spare parts), the argument prevails in the customer/supplier relationship. Put to the test over the last 18 months, the Supply Chain has shown us to what extent it is becoming essential.
Faced with the challenges of recruiting staff, and especially the exponential growth of e-commerce, companies have never had such a need to continuously adapt and make their supply chain more flexible.
Intra-logistics automation
Traditional order preparation automation solutions exist (Miniload, shuttle, picking at stations, etc.), but they require reconfiguring warehouses and flows. Of course, these solutions can be scalable, but the equipment to be installed from the start is heavy, and developments cannot be implemented without disrupting the tool and production. As for the level of investment, it is heavy and important from the start, with a distant ROI that is difficult to measure.
The premise of iFollow preparation solutions
Listening to the market and based on this observation, the iFollow team, a member of French Tech and La French Lab, set out to reconcile the objectives and wishes of intra-logistics players:
- Increase the volume of order preparation,
- Not having to rethink and redesign the configuration of a warehouse,
- Substitute your solutions, gradually, gently, without disturbing the existing
- Be flexible to adapt to future needs not yet identified
- Contribute to improving the working conditions of preparers.
Universal intra-logistics cobotics
To meet these human, technical and operational challenges, the founding managers of iFollow have formed a multi-technical team with unique talents in hardware, robotic software, artificial intelligence, etc. Thus was born iLogistics, a new standard of cognitive, autonomous and collaborative robot (1) intended to assist order pickers in warehouses.
More concretely, iLogistics, through its interaction with the order picker, can either guide him or move forward in a concerted manner with the latter on the preparation of several orders. The preparer is freed from pulling his preparation supports, which frees up time for high value-added tasks. In addition to reducing the risks of MSDs (²), this less arduousness makes it possible to feminize the profession and build loyalty among operators.
iFollow robots quickly established themselves on the market due to their unrivaled technical attributes: capacity to transport from 300 to 1000 kg while being one of the thinnest on the market at this load level, adaptable to any existing preparation support ( pallets, rolls, trolleys, etc.). It advances and docks either forward or backward, which gives it the ability to move in cramped and cluttered environments.
Note also that the trolley also works in refrigerated environments. It is even the only robot capable of moving from an area at -25°C (a cold storage room) to an area with a positive temperature (a shipping dock for example) without being disturbed by frost or condensation.
The purpose of the robot being to work in collaboration with a picker, the detection and security equipment, lidars, 360° camera, combined with efficient on-board computing, powered by AI and deep learning, increases the volumes collected. In terms of operational performance, this translates into an observed increase from 28 to 42.5% in volumes prepared per hour and per picker at iso-perimeter.
On the promise of integrating quickly, easily and without modifications to the existing system, the latest deployments carried out by iFollow took place in 4 to 5 months, including product manufacturing. Indeed, since operation does not require infrastructure (beacons, marking, etc.), the iLogistics robot uses its cameras and lidars to map the customer's environment, updating the map dynamically. The robot constantly adapts to it, avoids obstacles, recognizes operators and carries out missions according to an optimal trajectory while respecting defined highway codes.
Why do iFollow solutions work?
The AMR iL-300, iL-600, iL-1000 and iL-Conv, very easily integrated into an existing warehouse, are reliable, agile and efficient individually. But that is not enough !
The user will get the most out of their robots if the following key points are respected: The ability to manage the robot fleet, the use of innovative order preparation processes and perfect integration into the activity's IT environment.
iFollow has patented no less than 5 innovations (international patents) which contribute to performance:
Its Mycélium fleet management software, efficient regardless of the size of the fleet (150 mobile units for example), based on clustering, guarantees the optimization of operator travel. Also, an iLogistics fleet can move independently, in a dynamic environment and optimize the movement of each AMR.
In terms of productivity, where hitherto known principles have plateaued, iFollow drastically increases them through a multi-command, multi-robot, multi-operator process. Concretely, an operator is not only assisted by one AMR, but by at least two, which boosts the picking/travel ratios.
The solution has been designed to integrate and complement the client's tool environment (WMS, WCS 3), allowing Mycélium to intelligently prioritize the next rolling or order preparation operations to be carried out. The integrator and publisher of IT solutions for warehouses WIIO (4) made no mistake. He has developed a preparation module using robots and processes created by iFollow that can be used in its IRIIS software suite.
A proven solution to support the growth of different industries
iFollow was first interested in critical environments, particularly in the refrigeration sector. In this sector, preparation operations are becoming more complex because of the negative temperatures which until now prevented any robotic solution from operating there to relieve operators.
iLogistics' ability to operate natively in extreme conditions and the productivity gains observed, quickly convinced one of the leaders in the delivery of frozen food products. Since then, large logisticians operating in frozen foods have followed suit.
In addition to the refrigerated logistics market, iFollow has attracted the food industry, e-commerce, and supermarket chain logistics (5), for example for dispatch on distribution platforms that were until now exclusively manual.
Industry is also a user, for example at a global manufacturer of handling stackers which uses AMR iFollow for its flexible production workshop.
So many perspectives that allow iFollow to intensify and democratize its approach to cobotics.
(1) iLogistics robots fall into the AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) category.
(2) MSD: Musculoskeletal disorders whose average cost can represent up to €24,000 per accident and employee according to certain studies
(3) WMS: Warehouse Management System, WCS: Warehouse Control System
(4) WIIO: https://www.wiio.fr/
(5) GMS: Large and Medium Surfaces
