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Since Herma, a German adhesive label manufacturer, implemented a real-time positioning system in June last year, the daily volume of pallets has increased by 67%, 500 pallets can be transported a day, and monthly customer reports have also been reduced. Errors, reduced from 50 errors to 7. The solution was provided by Ubisense and implemented by tracking a forklift that transports pallets.
Herma is located in Filderstadt, Germany. It is one of the largest label manufacturers in the world, and the output of the company’s self-adhesive products continues to increase, used in offices, schools, printing houses and homes. This company sells its products in large rolls to customers all over the world. When transporting the product, these rolls (note: usually a few feet in size) are packed into a pallet for stretch packaging. Next, a barcode label is affixed to the stretch wrap around each pallet, and then scanned to match the pallet with the specific product and the order to be filled. This pallet has to be moved several times in the warehouse until the truck comes to deliver the goods.
In order to ensure the correctness of the pallet and ensure that the pallet is loaded on the correct truck, the forklift driver uses a handheld scanner to read the barcode label of the pallet, and then the driver compares this number with the number printed on the order (Note: For backup , The same readable serial number is also printed on each barcode label).
According to Holger Hartweg, account manager of Herma, in 2009, Ubisense and Herma discussed an automated solution that uses Ubisense’s battery-powered RFID tags to help Herma’s staff locate the loaded pallets and ensure the correct The product was loaded on the correct truck. He explained: “We think that we put a label on each pallet, and every time the pallet is shipped from the manufacturing plant, we can read the label.” However, it is expensive to install Ubisense battery-powered labels on each pallet. Yes, and the label cannot be returned after shipping. He said: “We need a good way to return the label on the pallet, but we didn’t think of a way.”
As a result, Ubisense and Herma came up with a new plan: use Ubisense’s RFID tags and readers to track the position of the forklift with the pallet, so as to record the position of the pallet in the warehouse where it is picked up and put down. So you can know the location of the product. The final solution includes installing 24 Ubisense readers on the ceiling of a 500 square meter warehouse, and installing 4 Ubisense tags on each of the 7 forklifts and a terminal with a display screen, which is provided to the driver Instructions for use and location data. Ubisense software handles the flow of information between forklift readers, while Herma’s SAP-based back-end software manages the company’s order data and the location and identity of each pallet.
Using this new system, the forklift driver receives the order information on the Ubisense touch screen terminal on the forklift. The touch screen displays the list of required trays and the approximate location of the trays.
When the forklift reaches the front of the designated pallet, the driver uses a handheld barcode scanner to read the label of the pallet and forwards the information to the Ubisense software running on the Herma back-end ERP system through a Wi-Fi connection. The barcode serial number on the pallet will be compared with the serial number on the order. If it can be matched, the Ubisense software will indicate the driver’s arrival location for the pallet. If it fails, an alert will be displayed on the screen and the driver will continue to look for the correct tray.
After picking up the pallet, the driver pressed the prompt to indicate that he had begun to transport the pallet to its destination. The Ubisense ultra-wideband (UWB) RFID tag of each forklift transmits a 6 to 8 GHz ultra-wideband RF signal with a unique ID number, which is connected to the vehicle ID number in the Ubisense software.
Once the driver gets the designated pallet, put it in the designated location (for example, in the standby area waiting for loading). After placing the pallet at the designated location, the driver presses a prompt on the screen to indicate that he has transported the pallet as instructed, and the tag transmits the signal to a nearby reader. Ubisense software calculates the position of the pallet based on the reader’s data. Location, and then this information is connected with Herma’s SAP software. Because the forklift is equipped with 4 tags (RFID radio frequency newsletter: installed on each corner of the forklift), it can be positioned within about 30 cm, and the position can be determined, so that the direction of the forklift can be known, and the exact direction of the forklift can also be known. Know the location of the tray.
When the pallet is ready to be loaded on the truck, the process is the same. When the driver puts the pallet into the truck, he presses the prompt on the screen. At the same time, the software calculates the location of the forklift to determine which truck the pallet is loaded on.
The tags of the forklifts transmit signals at different time intervals. If the tags do not move within the preset time interval, they will become dormant and stop transmitting signals. When the forklift moves again, the tag starts to transmit signals again. If the forklift is located at the sorting point of the pallet, the signal transmission rate is higher than when the forklift is located in an unimportant area.
Frank Baude, logistics and customs manager of Herma, said: “Using this system, with the same number of workers, we can deliver more pallets, because now it doesn’t take so much time to check ID numbers and compare ID numbers. This efficiency The improvement is crucial. The company and customers are very satisfied.”
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