Anuga FoodTec announced a focus on challenges and solutions related to logistics will be featured for the first time in April. Higher warehouse turnover rates will be analyzed, as well as smaller order volumes, high delivery speeds and the short-term increases in delivery quantities, which demand flexible and scalable solutions for the optimization of the internal material flows. Related solutions will be presented from April 26 to 29 in Cologne: “Driverless transport vehicles, automated warehousing systems with seamless, integrated warehouse management and efficient conveyor and sorting systems are just part of the spectrum that will be presented. It hereby becomes evident that ‘Intralogistics 4.0’ only becomes possible if a combination of perfectly coordinated technologies is available,” the organizers anticipate.
Software that supports warehouse management is vital to logistics. Fully-automated transport management systems convey the raw materials and the finished products to the production area, the picking and packing station, or the outgoing goods department, thanks to dedicated software. Machine modules with a decentralized control logic make this possible. They transfer the intelligence directly to the chain and roller conveyors. At the end of the conveyor belt, a robot then places the foodstuffs on palettes before they are loaded using a forklift truck. Programmable logic controllers (PLC) are the centerpiece of the high-performance warehousing and conveying technology, which communicate with the material flows computer via TCP/IP. This connects all components and parameters and thus coordinates the movements of the palettes in a high-bay warehouse for example.
For the goal of self-organizing Intralogistics 4.0, a host of further technologies have been developed over the past years, including driverless transport systems (DTS). The exhibitors coming to Anuga FoodTec encompass a multitude of solutions for small and heavy load carriers, to ensure material flows around the clock.
Digitalization also opens up new perspectives in the communication between machines and operators. These include pick-by-voice technologies and wearables, for example. “The employees communicate directly with the warehouse management system using a headset, ring scanner and a mobile data recording device, so that they always have two free hands for storing and loading,” Koelnmesse illustrates.
Augmented reality using data glasses is one of these tools, which several suppliers have already developed. A display on the rim of the glasses’ field of vision informs the operator in real-time about important data such as the storage position, item number and number of picks. At the same time, such a pick-by-vision solution replaces the handheld scanner because barcodes can also be read easily using the data glasses. A Wi-Fi throughout the warehouse is the only prerequisite for such a system.
Special events
Intralogistics is also addressed in the congress and event program:
April 26, 11:50 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Intralogistics 4.0
Organizer: DLG
Main Stage Smart Solutions – Higher Flexibility, Hall 6, D 90 F 109
April 27, 11:50 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Intralogistics 4.0
Organizer: DLG
Main Stage Smart Solutions – Higher Flexibility, Hall 6, D 90 F 109
The event and congress program will also be available via Anuga FoodTec @home, in part, including also these events, which will be streamed on the online platform and which will subsequently be available on-demand until June 30.
Photo credit: Anuga FoodTec (2018)
