Article from MHI Solutions Magazine...

Warehouse control systems (WCS) are a game changer for businesses aiming to increase productivity and stay competitive.

Generix Group, a global provider of collaborative SaaS Software solutions for the Supply Chain and commerce ecosystems, announces Resource Management System, its warehouse resource planning and optimization solution. Facing the growing complexity of order flows and the problems of absenteeism and turnover, companies must be able to anticipate better. Generix Group combines, in a single solution, performance analysis and resource planning services to improve warehouse productivity. Resource Management System is a powerful tool that increases employee loyalty by improving the quality of life at work, which enhance the attractiveness of warehouse jobs. Supply chain managers are dealing with several challenges in the warehouse: performance, flexibility, complexity and granularity of orders and volume variations. In addition, new parameters have emerged with e-commerce, such as customization, deadlines, and volatility, which require organizational hyperagility. RMS provides an answer combining the excellence of the customer promise and the optimization of the first cost item of the supply chain: resources, both human and material. By offering analysis and resource planning functionalities in a single solution, Resource Management System (RMS) is a new performance lever for the warehouse. The solution is available in SaaS mode and can be easily integrated with all the WMS solutions available on the market. Anticipate needs of resources to reduce the costs Increasingly erratic orders, absenteeism and difficulties in recruiting, the challenges faced by warehouses impact their productivity and costs. In addition, meeting the growing demand for new and more personalized services requires flexibility, both for operators and in production resources. Warehouse managers want to anticipate the need of resources by considering both the capacity of their staff and the volumes of work planned for each day to better manage their available resources. They must therefore better decide and anticipate the adequacy of their workloads and capacities to have a better visibility of their daily needs. With RMS, logistics managers maximize their resources by being able to measure their productivity, plan their resources and improve the commitment of their teams with a single tool. Measure productivity to optimize logistics production resources The unique combination of Labor Management and Resource Planning features allows optimal management of logistics production resources in warehouses, which are becoming larger and more automated. With the RMS solution, the forecasting and organization of human and material resources can be automated. Before investing in new equipment, site managers can be sure to get the most out of their existing resources. RMS defines and automates load plan updates as finely as necessary: by task, by day, or even by hour. It calculates the average time required to complete the workload per shift (receiving, order preparation, packaging) and considers working conditions and employee profiles to adapt standards and set objectives. Lastly, it measures the productivity of operators, considering the context of execution, to feed the HR tools. Develop operators' versatility for more flexible warehouses With more and more unitary references and preparations, site managers need to increase their flexibility to improve the ability of their resources to move easily from one task to another: an increasing requirement with variations in volumes and a growing demand for new services. With RMS, they plan the allocation of their resources, both human and material, dynamically and in real time. Artificial intelligence adds a layer of automation to the decision-making process: it anticipates the workloads to be executed and optimizes the distribution of resources, while adapting to the specificities of each warehouse, their objectives and constraints. Some warehouses have absenteeism rates of 50%: calculating real capacity and optimizing the use of the available workforce daily is a major challenge, especially for very large sites. Resource versatility is more than ever a lever to increase flexibility and productivity, considering resource planning and individual performance per shift. RMS allows operators to move from one job to another during the same shift and perform different tasks, reducing fatigue and repetitiveness. The results: increased productivity, smarter scheduling for employees, daily management of employee absences, and a 50% rise in the reliability of capacity forecasts. Better attract, recruit and retain employees, by strengthening its employer brand Salary conditions are no longer a sufficient lever to retain employees. Faced with the difficulties of recruiting and retaining employees, the attractiveness of work sites and the diversity of assignments are a major challenge for both managers and human resources, especially since the use of temporary workers and staff training are very expensive. In addition, companies must address several societal issues: managing long careers with physical tasks, preventing work-related accidents, occupational diseases, and hardship. Thanks to the RMS solution, which dynamically assigns relevant tasks to operators and measures their performance, both individual and global, in an objective and transparent manner, warehouses can reinforce their attractiveness. By considering actual performance and monitoring learning curves, site managers can reward their operators and increase their motivation and loyalty by up to 20%. Another motivator is gamification. Warehouse workers like to participate in challenges like counting their daily steps. Taking part in challenges keeps operators energized and motivated, allowing them to track their activity more accurately, the number of peaks per hour and their personal performance data compared to the group. RMS measures instantaneous productivity against a target. “Today, logistics managers face a major challenge: accurately anticipate what they will be able to produce in the next few hours, days, months. How much would it cost, for example, considering new products, customers, etc. on an existing logistics capacity, while ensuring the loyalty of the teams in place? Warehouses need to be more flexible to meet their objectives and to anticipate and plan the allocation of their resources. With its data analysis, load calculation and forecasting, planning and simulation services, RMS supports supply chain managers daily. The solution is also a way to get the most out of the existing before engaging in more complex and costly projects of integration of new means of production such as robots or automats, for example.”, explains Nicolas PICQUEREY, Chief Solutions & Services Officer for Generix Group. About Generix Group Generix Group is an expert in the Collaborative Supply Chain with presence in 60 countries thanks to its subsidiaries and network of partners. More than 6,000 companies around the world use its SaaS solutions. The group’s 800 employees provide daily assistance to clients such as Carrefour, Danone, FM Logistic, Fnac-Darty, Essilor and Ferrero in the digital transformation of their Supply Chains. Its collaborative platform, Generix Supply Chain Hub, helps companies keep their promises to their customers. It connects companies to all their partners so together they can operate physical flows, digitize information flows, and collaboratively manage processes in real time. Generix Supply Chain Hub is intended for all actors in the supply chain: manufacturers, logistic service providers (3PL/4PL), and distributors. Contact: www.generixgroup.com

Wixom, MI – August 2024 – Integrated Systems Design (ISD) announces the release of its cutting-edge Warehouse Control System (WCS) software for the UltraStore™ Mid-Load Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) and the entire warehouse. This new software represents a significant leap forward in inventory management technology, offering enhanced flexibility and cost-effectiveness for warehouse operations. The UltraStore™ WCS is a comprehensive inventory management solution that provides users with complete control over their warehouse inventory. Its sleek, user-friendly interface ensures ease of navigation, reduced training time, and operation, making it accessible to users of all technical levels. The UltraStore™ WCS software provides real-time stock levels, allowing management to eliminate stock-outs and schedule replenishment as labor becomes available. The system also boasts easily configurable options, enabling users to tailor the software's behavior to their specific needs and processes. Additionally, ISD offers round-the-clock support to ensure customers can maximize the potential of their UltraStore™ WCS software at any time. Brian Parent, Software Engineering Supervisor at ISD, emphasized the customer-centric approach behind the software's development: "We pride ourselves on using customer feedback to consistently strive to make better products. This new release combines features that many customers have requested into a single solution. These enhancements will reduce startup and development costs for our customers while improving the quality of our products and service to the standards our customers have come to expect from ISD." The new UltraStore™ WCS software is designed to evolve with customer needs, with plans for advanced services to be rolled out in the future. This forward-thinking approach ensures that the system will continue to meet the changing demands of modern warehouse management. About Integrated Systems Design - ISD Integrated Systems Design is a comprehensive systems integrator of automated solutions for warehouses, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and wholesale applications improving processes and productivity while reducing operational costs. Whether providing consulting services to meet current issues or developing future scalable plans to address industry challenges, ISD creates value for a broad range of industries tailoring systems to clients' specific requirements. ? ISD expertise ranges from handling, storing, and picking pieces (eaches), cases, pallets, build lines, and special or custom handling solutions. Products and services include: automatic storage and retrieval (ASRS), conveyor, robotics, batch stations, shuttles, pick-to-light, A-Frames, carousels, vertical lift modules (VLMs), controls, software (including inventory management, WCS, WMS, MES, and ERP). For more information about the UltraStore™ Mid-Load AS/RS system and its new WCS software, please visit www.isddd.com. Contact Ed Romaine VP Marketing & Bus. Dev. 215-512-2613 eromaine@isddd.com

New Netherlands Customer Innovation Center strengthens customer engagement, regional support, and access to AI-enabled robotic automation across EuropeAMSTERDAM–Berkshire Grey, a global leader in AI-enabled robotic automation, today announced the expansion of its European operations with the opening of its new Customer Innovation Center in Haarlem, near Amsterdam, further strengthening its presence across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).Designed to bring customers and partners closer to Berkshire Grey's solutions expertise and support resources, the facility will serve as a hub for customer engagement, solution validation, technical training, and regional support.As interest in physical AI accelerates across Europe, Berkshire Grey continues to deploy AI-powered robotic automation in real-world production environments. While much of the recent discussion around physical AI has focused on emerging technologies and future applications, Berkshire Grey has spent more than a decade helping customers apply artificial intelligence and robotics to solve complex operational challenges at enterprise scale.Demand for Berkshire Grey's solutions has increased significantly across the region as retailers, e-commerce companies, and logistics providers seek proven automation technologies capable of delivering measurable operational results. Today, Berkshire Grey's AI-powered automation solutions support leading organizations including FedEx and Walmart helping automate critical fulfillment, picking, sortation, and warehouse workflows. The new Customer Innovation Center reflects this growing momentum and expands Berkshire Grey's ability to support customers through demonstrations, solution validation, training, and technical services.Building on its established European footprint, the Customer Innovation Center provides a regional location for customers, partners, and integrators to experience Berkshire Grey's solutions firsthand and collaborate on automation solutions designed for real-world operations.For more than a decade, Berkshire Grey has developed and deployed AI-powered robotic systems capable of operating in complex, high-volume production environments. The company's technology leadership is supported by a portfolio of more than 1,000 granted and pending patents worldwide, including more than 700 granted patents across the United States and international markets, reflecting years of innovation across artificial intelligence, robotics, software, and fulfillment automation.Strategically located near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of Europe's leading transportation hubs, the facility provides convenient access for customers, partners, and Berkshire Grey teams across the region. The location also places Berkshire Grey at the center of the Benelux logistics and warehouse automation market, providing proximity to retailers, logistics providers, warehouse operators, and systems integration partners.The Customer Innovation Center will serve as a hub for: Customer demonstrations and executive briefings SKU testing and workflow validation Partner and integrator enablement Technical training and education Regional service and support operations Solution design and deployment collaboration"Physical AI is ultimately measured by performance in the real world," said Dave Paratore, Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Grey. "For more than a decade, Berkshire Grey has helped customers apply AI and robotics to solve operational challenges in live production environments at enterprise scale. As demand for intelligent automation continues to grow across Europe, we're investing in the people, facilities, and capabilities needed to bring that experience and expertise closer to our customers.”The expansion also reflects Berkshire Grey's continued investment in the region. The company plans to further expand its European capabilities across technical, engineering, service, and commercial functions to meet rising customer demand.About Berkshire GreyBerkshire Grey, a SoftBank Group wholly owned subsidiary, is a global leader in AI-driven robotics that transforms warehouse and fulfillment operations for parcels and logistics providers, 3PLs, retailers and e-commerce customers. The company provides end-to-end automation solutions at scale across critical, high-volume workflows, from picking and sortation through dock automation. Powered by deep expertise in robotics, artificial intelligence, and software, Berkshire Grey enables customers to reduce labor risk, increase throughput, and flex operations in response to rapidly changing demand.For more information about Berkshire Grey and its automation solutions, visit berkshiregrey.com.ContactAnnemarie Menellipress@berkshiregrey.com