DHL Supply Chain has just launched a new „plug & play” robotics platform in collaboration with Microsoft, and leading artificial intelligence (AI) driven digital fulfilment provider Blue Yonder. The first implementation at the DHL warehouse in Madrid has already reduced integration time by 60%.
As the company announced, the robotics platform significantly reduces integration time and programming efforts to on-board new automation devices into warehouse facilities, while giving DHL customers more flexibility in selecting suitable robotics systems according to their individual business needs. The solution leverages Microsoft Azure IoT and cloud platform services.
Automation and collaborative robotics help us make operational processes more flexible, ergonomic and more attractive to our employees by replacing monotonous, repetitive and particularly strenuous activities. The aim is not to replace employees over time, but to assign the more attractive and interesting tasks to our human workforce” – says Markus Voss, Global CIO and COO at DHL Supply Chain.
Voss also added that DHL’s first implementation on the new platform with 6 River Systems at one of their Madrid sites was already showing a 60% reduction in integration times, but with subsequent deployments. The company foresees further improvements of up to 90%.
Successful first implementation in Madrid
The first implementation at a DHL Supply Chain facility in Madrid has already demonstrated that the new platform can reduce complexity and accelerate the integration of robotic systems into an existing warehouse management system, DHL explained. The robotics platform is powered by Blue Yonder’s Luminate Platform with machine-learning (ML)-driven task management capabilities that enable the highest level of warehouse operational efficiency.
Building a resilient and flexible supply chain is essential to respond to constantly changing customer needs. By digitizing their warehouse solutions, DHL is dramatically simplifying the integration of complex IoT systems and unlocking new business opportunities for the logistics industry. The result: greater advancements in speed, global scale, cost reduction, and security,” says Sam George, Corporate Vice President Azure IoT at Microsoft.