Autonomous Mobile Robots Drive Operations Productivity

In these days of labor shortages and rising expenses, warehouses and fulfillment centers are seeking technologies which can address these problems as well as the challenge of rising operating volumes. The Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR), or warehouse robot, is the perfect technology to address supply chain pain points. Warehouse automation augments your human staff, enabling them to focus on higher-value activities, and reducing the amount of manned travel in your facility.

So what is an Autonomous Mobile Robot? Autonomous Mobile Robots are freely operating material handling devices which can be quickly trained to perform a broad variety of material movement tasks. The AMR uses a sophisticated mix of sensors and cameras to ‘see’, and powerful obstacle detection artificial intelligence enables it to safely operate independent of human guidance. The AMR’s action can be triggered by user input (a barcode, button press, or RFID signal), and will proceed to perform the task as directed. Examples of tasks for warehouse robotics might include pallet movement, warehouse case or rack movement, support for human workers in picking and order fulfillment, material handling, ‘virtual conveyor belt’ functionality, or removal of trash/recycling.

How Do AMRs Differ from AGVs?

An Autonomous Robot navigates its way through your facility using a mix of sensors and cameras. This is different than the older Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV), which travels along pre-defined routes typically demarked by wires, magnetic strips, or sensors. Autonomous Guided Vehicles can be effective, but they are less ‘smart’. AGVs take more effort to setup because of the infrastructure requirements, which also means that they are less flexible and versatile – changing functions or routes can mean remarking the facility to accommodate.

Autonomous Mobile Robots, on the other hand, do not require wires or magnetic strips to be installed in the facility. Truly autonomous, the AMR provides flexible industrial automation of critical supply chain workflows. If its preferred path is blocked by obstacles, the AMR can find a new path. Also, AMRs can quickly be assigned new tasks and routes without modifications to the physical infrastructure of the plant. AMRs will also meet safety requirements – they are able to safely work alongside people, maintaining a situational awareness which enables the robots to avoid hazards.

When To Consider Autonomous Mobile Robots

The Autonomous Mobile Robot market is growing very fast as companies seek gains through warehouse automation. AMR deployments aren’t the solution in every case, but they can be extremely impactful in situations where:

• Labor shortages and rising costs for material handling are concerning to you
• You have frequently repeated movements of items or materials
• The beginning and ending locations for the material movement is well defined
• Your people lose meaningful amounts of time by transporting items around your facility
• You are burdened with a stationery and inflexible conveyor system, and would prefer flexibility

Consult With CSSI On Autonomous Mobile Robots

The Pennsylvania-based team at CSSI is available to discuss your challenges and potential use cases for industrial mobile robots. Please contact us to discuss an AMR solution today.

Are Your Mobile Scanner Batteries Ready For the Workday?

Proactive maintenance, rather than reactive crisis management, is the key to a successful operating environment. Batteries, in particular, are a frequent point of failure. When it comes to managing growing fleets of mobile computers and rugged tablets, it gets harder and harder to stay ahead of battery power problems. Luckily, CSSI has smart battery management system solutions which allow you to quickly identify rechargeable battery issues before they become a crisis and interrupt a work shift.

The Shocking High Cost of Warehouse Downtime

Several Root Causes of Mobile Device Battery Failures

Process Failures

Most commonly, devices are not able to function as required during the work day simplyl because procedures were not followed:

• Mobile units were not properly connected to chargers
• Mobile units have gone missing and have not been returned to the correct location

Equipment Failures

Less frequently, devices are not able to function due to problems or deterioration with the equipment itself:

• Battery life is nearing its end, and remaining battery capacity is insufficient – charge can no longer be accepted due to poor battery health
• Battery charging units have gone bad and are no longer capable of charging
• Mobile devices themselves have some issue which impacts rate of battery drain or charge

Smart Mobile Device Battery Management

Whether battery pack problems are due to process or equipment failure, smart mobile device battery management software can help.

• Smart battery software provides notice of charging status across the entire device fleet – quickly identifying devices with low battery level
• Proactively notify teams of units with poor rechargeable battery health and low charge capacity, indicating that batteries need to be replaced or retired
• Provide notice of devices which have gone missing and are not properly accounted for
• Produce metrics which allow you to predict battery power life cycles and proactively mitigate downtime so you can reallocate time spent searching for uncharged batteries to more important tasks.

Contact CSSI For Mobile Device Battery Management

To discuss mobile battery monitor options with CSSI, please contact us . We would be glad to work with you to discussy battery performance tools to improve your mobile device uptime.

Mobile Device Charging Cabinets From CSSI

Warehouse activity moves faster every day. To ensure that your fleet of Zebra rugged mobile computers are reliably charged and ready to go when the work shift starts, CSSI is pleased to offer you Zebra Intelligent Cabinets, a comprehensive multi device charging station solution to maintaining and getting the most out of your technology investment. This is both a charging solution to ensure that your electronic devices are ready to begin each shiftwith a full charge as well as a device management tool which presents critical metrics and warnings to you.

What are Zebra Intelligent Cabinets?

• Standard modular cabinets. Use one cabinet, or use multiple units.
• Adjustable capacity can store up to 100 devices
• Automate battery charging for multiple devices – use your existing charger fleet if desired
• Combine with Zebra’s powerful Operational Intelligence to gain insights into connected device usage and battery
• Secure: charging locker secures your devices with access only for authorized individuals
• Be aware if a mobile device has gone missing; create accountability for users who check out devices

Are Your Devices Ready To Go For the Entire Shift?

If your mobile devices are not ready to last an entire shift, it can get expensive: every hour of downtime can cost thousands of dollars. Did your handhelds make it back to their charging stations at the end of the prior shift? Are batteries nearing end-of-life and increasingly prone to failure? Zebra’s Intelligent Cabinets can help, tapping smart intelligence and device metrics to keep you a step ahead of problems.

Inquire About Zebra Intelligent Cabinets

To learn more about Intelligent Cabinets for mobile computer storage and charging, please contact CSSI today.

Mobile powered carts dramatically boost productivity and reduce errors in your warehouse or manufacturing facility by eliminating wasted travel. Also, a computer cart or battery powered cart for a label printer reduces the opportunities for mistakes and omissions that result when workers can not immediately access labels and information… improving your customer service and inventory accuracy.

Top 5 Reasons Companies Love a Mobile Powered Printer Cart

1. Faster dock-to-stock – reduce cycle times during material handling
2. Trimmed payroll – get more done with fewer people in the distribution center with an industrial powered printer carts
3. Reduce mislabeling – accuracy is improved when labels can be printed and applied cart-side via a mobile printer, reducing expensive customer returns
4. Mobile workstation – reduce employee travel waste and boost time-on-task with portable power
5. Minimal infrastructure footprint – mobile powered carts are easy to implement and don’t require software changes and infrastructure upgrades

CSSI Offers Industrial Powered Printer Carts for Distribution and Manufacturing

CSSI offers durable powered cart solutions from Newcastle Systems, a leader in the mobile cart industry. Newcastle mobile carts are built for flexibility and customization to your specific needs, and accommodate a variety of configurations and workstation accessories. Powered by long-lasting and easy to use battery packs, these mobile workstation solutions can be the backbone your workflow needs. Contact us to learn more.

Traditionally, the focal depth of industrial barcode scanners was optimized and somewhat limited. Warehouse users would be equipped with a scanner with a scan range judged to be appropriate for their typical tasks. Unfortunately, that meant that when users were confronted with a scan distance outside of ‘normal’ range, they would have to take additional steps in order to make the scan. In a fast-paced warehouse environment, every disruption translates into lower productivity… but that was the typical reality, and thus was expected.

Fortunately, continuing development in the technology used in scanners has resulted in a new breed of extended range scanners, which immediately create a new warehouse standard. Why choose extended range barcode scanners?

What The Terms Mean

• Short range scanner: typically offers a close range barcode label scan distance — mere inches or a few feet
• Long range scanner: refers to scanners working best at a distance of 30 feet or more
• Extended range scanner: Refers to scanners able to accommodate both short-range and long range barcode scan distances.

Benefits of Choosing An Extended Range Barcode Scanner

Short-range and long range barcode scanners are very good at their specific tasks. However, they are suboptimal if your warehouse operators need to scan inventory at a variety of distances. Users will lose valuable time and productivity will suffer. For example, they may have to dismount from a fork truck in order to get within scan range of some barcode labels. Or, they may be faced with a nearby object which won’t scan until they back up – again, losing productivity and increasing frustration.

Extended range rugged barcode scanners are a ‘best of both worlds’ solution for inventory management. Benefits include:

• Saves time and enables faster, more consistent scanning
• Allows warehouses to standardize on a specific device instead of needing to keep a variety of scanner types available. Consolidating to an extended range scanner simplifies procurement, deployment, and device management
• Simplifies training – the warehouse team no longer needs to learn which device to use in which situation

Modern scanners offer advanced capture technology and can accommodate a variety of barcode symbologies (1d barcode, 2d barcode, QR code, data matrix, and more). Please note that the realized barcode reader scan distance will be impacted by the barcode label size and resolution of your thermal printer.

Interested in 5 more reasons to invest in an extended range scanner?

Need Guidance On Barcode Scanner Selection?

The experienced team at CSSI is ready to guide you in the selection of the optimal data capture hardware for your specific inventory management and data capture needs. Contact CSSI to speak to a knowledgeable industrial barcode scanner professional.

For many years, CSSI Technologies has provided custom programming solutions and mobile app development for a broad variety of customers and applications. We are regularly asked to consult with customers evaluating whether custom software development makes sense. With this in mind, we’ve drafted some thoughts that a company might consider when contemplating a software project.

Identifying Attractive Opportunities for Custom Software Solutions

Every business has unique workflows or a certain critical business process. These might be competitive advantages, or particular challenges to be overcome. Your ability to strengthen and refine these areas can become the source of unique competitive advantage:

• Faster, more efficient performance of key workflows
• Superior accuracy and lack of mistakes
• Better availability of information to those who need it

Does the software which you use to operate your business work for you or against you? Does it make your daily tasks and information flow easier, or is it a continual hurdle to be overcome? Further, are there manual or paper-based processes which consume time and are prone to errors? These are areas where custom application development can be of benefit to you. Out-of-the-box software, by nature, caters to the ‘average’ customer. As a result, it often can often not accommodate the unique aspects of your business.

Things to think about when considering custom software development:

• Find pain points – repetitive work, sources of errors and lost time, poor information
• Define scope – is this a freestanding solution, or will it be integrated with other systems? Is this a modification of existing software, or an entirely new custom solution?
• How will the software be used? PC, tablet, or handheld computer?
• Time frame for implementation

A Broad Variety of Custom Development Solutions

We have done application development for the business need of a wide variety of customers. Just a few of these include:

• WMS – warehouse management system
• Proof of delivery – enabling the shipping and delivery process to work with higher accuracy, and enabling faster billing
• Lab sample tracking software – a custom solution enabling a lab to move faster, with historical record keeping
• Database design and refinement; report migration and modernization
• Native application development or web application development
• Microsoft Access migration and modernization

CSSI Offers Custom Programming Services

CSSI’s team of software developers has extensive experience in a variety of custom programming frameworks and languages – we believe that it is advantageous to our customers for us to be able to select from a number of different languages. The right choice for your project will depend upon your unique situation.

Some of the many custom programming languages and tools which we use include:

• C#, JavaScript, Python, Java
• React, Xamarin Android, HTML, CSS
• Mobile application development tools from several leading mobile hardware vendors
• Databases such as SQL, SQL Express, NoSQL, and Access
• Sharepoint
• Reporting tools such as Power BI, Crystal Reports

Next Steps: Learn How We Can Help With Custom Programming Service

To discuss custom software development services with the CSSI professional services or development team, please contact us . We look forward to speaking with you about a custom software solution or custom programming project.

CSSI Offers Mobile Computers for Public Safety and First Responders

CSSI is pleased to offer the latest rugged tablets for police, fire, and rescue. Zebra Technologies offers a complete line of tough-and-ready tablets, including the new ET80/ET85 enterprise tablet.

Zebra Tablets Are Tough, & Tailored for Public Safety

PA COSTARS

CSSI participates in the Pennsylvania COSTARS program. To discuss a project, please contact us.

Empower High Productivity With CSSI’s Wearable Technology Solutions

The modern warehouse must brave through a myriad of challenging demands. From shorter delivery timeframes to real-time order tracking, meet every demand with a modernization solution that adapts to the individual worker for maximized productivity and ergonomics. Wearable technology solutions provide an instant productivity boost for your team… faster scanning, improved ergonomics, less fatigue.

What Is Wearable Technology?

There are a number of wearable tech devices. These would include:

• Hand- or finger-mounted barcode scanners and mobile computers (as an example, the Zebra WS50 Android Wearable Device)
• Smart glasses (many people are familiar with wearables such as the Google Glass head mounted display)
• VR Headsets – virtual reality and augmented reality may play a growing role in professional environments
• Wearable electronics (examples might include the Fitbit smart watch, the Apple watch, or activity tracker devices)
• Wearable sensors and smart clothing used for personal safety or individual metrics, for example, in hazardous environments where intrinsically safe technology is required.
• Portable label printers

CSSI is focused primarily on wearable technologies which support activities in warehouse, distribution, and manufacturing environments.

Benefits of Wearable Computers

There are many advantages to well-implemented modern wearable technology solutions:

• Faster order fulfillment / higher worker productivity
• Improved order accuracy due to the scanner’s visual reinforcement
• Workers benefit from the improved ergonomics of wearable devices
• Team communication improves with push-to-talk capabilities

Zebra’s new WS50 wearable computer integrates a scanner and color screen.

CSSI can guide you in the selection, configuration, deployment, and support of wearable computers and ring scanners.

Learn More About Wearable Technology Options

Contact CSSI to learn more about the possibilities which wearable tech can unlock for your organization.

Warehouse Operations Leaders Provide Insights on Trends & Future Plans

Zebra Technologies is back with a timely update to its 2019 Warehouse Vision Study ! The new 2027 Zebra Warehouse Vision Study is the result of survey of warehouse operators and decision makers worldwide, who were asked about their investment plans and expectations between 2022 and 2027. We are happy to present the Vision Study as a free download (see below).

2027 Zebra Warehouse Vision Study Key Takeaways

1. Challenges in the marketplace have created a catalyst for positive change: Covid, supply chain shortages, difficult in attracting staff. These have all created major headaches for business. However, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, and thus these crises have pushed warehouses to adapt and improve… adopting technology, creating more flexible work environments, and rethinking supply chains for more future robustness.
2. Clarity on the most significant warehouse challenges: Shipping volumes are up (>20%), rising e-commerce activity creates unpredictable customer demand and faster delivery expectations, and returns management and fulfillment are challenging execs. At the same time, it’s harder to hire workers and retain warehouse associates.
3. Presentation of the 5-year warehouse operations outlook: Eliminating unnecessary tasks is a priority, and there is an intention to improve labor optimization with mobile technology and warehouse automation solutions such as robotics and the autonomous mobile robot. There is a strong trend towards facility automation (over 30% intend to be fully or partially automated in 5 years).

Some of the Zebra Technologies Warehouse Vision Study Revelations

• What are the top 3 challenges referenced by respondents due to increased e-commerce?
• How are labor constraints impacting warehouses?
• What are the common outbound fulfillment challenges?
• Where are your warehouse peers planning to invest next?
• What are the expectations around automation & robotics?
• What is the outlook for the warehouse automation market? What are the adoption timelines for robotics automation and autonomous mobile robot solutions such as those from Fetch Robotics?

Complete the form below to immediately receive your free copy of Zebra’s Warehouse Vision Study, a survey of warehouse trends for 2022-2027

Complete the form below to immediately receive your free copy of Zebra’s Warehouse Vision Study, a survey of warehouse trends for 2022-2027

As mobile computing devices proliferate throughout your operations, tremendous benefits accrue: improved productivity, inventory accuracy, and employee satisfaction. However, the introduction of technology also allows for the introduction of risks and threats due to:

• misconfigurations
• poor cybersecurity training
• missed manual updates
• inadequate data sharing

Cost of Average Cyberattack: $133,000

CSSI can help to keep you secure with the leading edge security of Zebra devices, protected by Zebra’s Lifeguard, mobility extensions, and regular patches.

Further, CSSI can take the burden of mobile device maintenance off your team with our Device Lifecycle Management service – we manage your device fleet, from configuration to deployment to patches and troubleshooting. To learn more, please complete contact us.