EP 52: Zebra Technolgies MODEX Sneak Peek

spk_0:   0:00
starting March 9th. Air supply chain possibilities are endless. At mode ECs 2020 you'll find 950 plus exhibits and 150 plus education sessions tailored to help you discover equipment and systems solutions for your material handling and supply chain needs with keynotes, networking, education and product booths. Mo, Texas Where manufacturing and supply chain innovation comes to life. Visit monique show dot com today and join us March 9th March 12th 2020 at Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Register today at mode show dot com. New warehouse podcast hosted by Kevin Lawton is your source for insights and ideas from the distribution, transportation and logistics industry. A new episode every Monday morning brings you the latest from industry experts and thought leaders. And now here's Kevin

spk_1:   1:10
I and Welcome to the new Warehouse podcast. I am your host, Kevin Levin Checking in with you guys this week. We are seven days away from mode ECs 2020 down in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center and then March 9 through 12. Very excited for Moto X. We have a lot going on with the new warehouse, as you guys know we have, Ah, our own booth at Moto X this year. Ah, last year pro meant I was just running around like crazy from Booth to Booth. So it'll be nice to have a place to have a brand presence and also a place to, ah, welcome guest in. And we have about 40 some gassed books. So far for the interviews, we are pretty much booked solid back to back interviews all four days. So it's gonna be really, really intense, but really exciting. I'm happy to be getting on the content and interviews together for you guys. So if you're not able to make it to motivate, you'll definitely be able to kind of experience the show in a way and hear from a lot of different solution providers and companies on what they're working on in technology space and kind of over the past week or so, I guess I have been mentioning that, you know, one of the big things that I'm seeing as I'm talking to people about what they're going to be showing at Moto X and, you know, I think I mentioned it in part water, parts of what to expect in the next last week. Ah, but you know, a big thing is visibility, and I think it's going to be kind of a huge thing. It seems a lot of companies are focusing on that, Um, and recently I had the chance, As you guys know, Ah, if you listen to Episode 48 I went to Zebra Technologies, their New York location in Long Island, and I got a chance to get a sneak peek of what they're going to be having in their booth at mode ECs and kind of what's going on and also really got a chance to see how all of their solutions kind of develop. And I think what's really amazing about them is that all there solutions are developed and innovated. Um, truth, really continuous improvement, listening to their customers. Really? And the other thing is that all there solutions begin to really work together. Um, and so I want to share some audio from my visit of when I got a chance to get a little demo of their yard management system that they're gonna be showing at mode axe amongst many, many other things. Um, so if you haven't checked out episode 48. Um, that is all about innovation and design at Zebra. Um, and that's from the visit to I got to talk to Kurt Crowley. There who was really, really great loves his job. Definitely, you can tell. So it's really interesting gives you kind of e perspective into how they work and kind of what their mindset is when they're developing thes new, um, products and devices and solutions for the customer for us, right? Um, the other thing is, I got a chance to get in a demo of the HD 4000 with that fulfillment edge platform on it. Really, really awesome. Um, if you guys didn't familiar with 84,000 go back, check out Episode 40 ago in depth, there was even talking about it. Also put together a little video as well, which is now up. You can see on the new warehouse dot com, or you could find it on YouTube. Just search for the new warehouse and check out our YouTube channel will be building out that a little more. You can see some videos up there from previous site visits have done also some videos from pro Matt last year, too, and you can be sure that there will be some more videos going up there from Mode ECs, too, So you guys can see some of this stuff as well. Um, so I didn't want to get too much into the HD 4000 this episode since we already covered in Episode 40 but I definitely didn't want Thio give you guys a chance to get a sample to hear about this yard management system and hopefully ah, what your appetite until you can see it in person. That mode axe coming up next week. So definitely check out the video. Go to the numerous dot com on to find out more information about things mentioned in this episode and also to see that video as well. Um, and so I play this clip and I probably interject a little bit here and there. But first, be sure that Ah, you are subscribed to the podcast and be sure that you're following us on instagram, especially at the new warehouse. Um, and I'll post a link on the new ass dot com as well, but make sure you're following us because we'll have a lot of clips coming out of Moto X 2020 for you to see ah, lot of visuals of what's going on and what people are showing their. So let's check out this clip. Ah, listen in and I will ah jump in a couple times and tell you kind of what's going on a little bit here

spk_0:   6:09
piece. That's what you look out here. And then we have a location technology so dependent on the customer. They may just use this offer, although also use the software and then our location technology. So the location, typically here is aware that product it's a 2.4 gigahertz. It is your great arrange right we do. Ultra wideband is location, and that's what we use in the NFL. But that gives you less range, right?

spk_1:   6:39
All right, so he's talking about the wearing that product there. So that's the first solution that's implemented in this whole system of yard management. So the where now is basically like R F I D. It's locating system, so you have your tag, which identifies, and then you have the receiver, which captures all the information I want to go first to the NFL. We had talked previously an episode 48 with Kurt, about how the zebra house ever has partnered with the NFL. The kind tracks that's a little more closely. So they're utilizing things like this where Nets you collect those stats and get positioning of players and things like that. Um, so you can kind of imagine how now imagine your players are basically year your trucks in the yard. So that's how it's being applied in this scenario,

spk_0:   7:26
that might only be like 300 feet versus a mile by putting out our location system. So we have different technology. So when we say yard, if I'm saying yard with the wear net solution, what happens is that travels get Tad. So so Charlie get tagged, and that could physically see where they are in the yard on a map. Right? Or I can drive it. Yeah, they're active. Are if I d is aware that products on there. So So what happens? Typically in the yard management is you're going to receive a trailer in, right, whether its fleet. So what, you call it up Independence coming in. So you're gonna check the trailer in the tractor in the trailer, and you're going to tell him where the drop the trailer and they may be picking up trailing right. So that's gonna be Charlie gets dropped out in the yard to this kind of, like, just shows a very simple way of saying, Hey, good slot 39. Okay, so

spk_1:   8:23
all right. So at this time, So there is a large touch screen in the office there where they do these demos, and on the touch screen itself, you can see they have, ah, mock warehouse basically there with the entire yard. So the warehouses in the middle and all of the doctors are there, they're visible. And then all of the parking spots are numbered as well. And you can see where there's a trailer. You can see where the trailer is assigned to, um and you can see where the moves are also visible as well.

spk_0:   8:55
And then what happens is the over the road, right? The non yard trucks drop it there, and then they leave. And then what happens is that when the dock doors already, you're gonna have a switch of truck so the switches go out. They could attack, so they used the mobile computers are are rugged tablets and they'll say, Hey, you're next. You gotta go pick up trailer. You want to depart? But it's going to say you pick up, do a movement, right? But they're gonna pick the Charles from one spot and we're gonna move this what you call it so like you to adore You mentioned these blue things, their trucks right? And if there's a yellow book icon around it, it's saying that there's a current move request. So this truck, it's sitting at 91 right now. There's a current move request to have a go to a doctor work.

spk_1:   9:42
So at this time, when he's saying that, um, the truck is marked right? So he basically just touches the screen and it tells you exactly what the movie is like, he said. It's going supposed to go to the door 91 very, very simple, very clear to read. Very easy, very visible. I mean, it's it's like you're It's like you take drone basically and lifted up above the warehouse and you see your entire yard. But you're seeing it from above, and obviously it's ah, it's, um, a graphic version. It's not like Riel version, but you see exactly where everything is placed and because of the wearing that system thier location of it is very exact. So when you touch it and it's gonna tell you exactly what you want, D'oh! Or you can request other moves so that's visible to the switcher. So we'll talk a little bit more about that.

spk_0:   10:35
And it's one of the dock doors that show that there's an inbound move request. Okay, so thes air. You know, this is your warehouse, these air, all the dock doors were trucks and trailers could be pulled up to, uh, if it's blue. There is currently a trailer at it. If there's a yellow icon, it's indicating that there's a move request. Either In pounder out, I guess the direction. So this pointing out is outbound again. Exactly the figure out about you

spk_1:   11:04
so important to note there I think that the visibility adds to, um, everybody seeing, and we'll talk about this a little later. But the visibility really allows for everybody that's involved in the warehousing process and moving trucks around for whatever the case may be. It's very clear on what doors are already being allocated to certain trucks. And so there's no risk of somebody saying that there Ah, they're telling a driver are put it in, Ah, 32 then somebody else just already maybe 10 minutes ago, told another driver. Put in 32. And then you run into an issue, right? And then I kind of stalled the process. So the screen that you see makes it incredibly clear and all the players that need to be aware of it they can see this. Eso Everybody knows that. Like he said, if there's ah ah, yellow arrow on door, that's indicating that there's a pending move there so that door is already spoken for. So don't touch that door basically so really, really key, I think, to improving kind of that communication invisibility overall.

spk_0:   12:16
And the way you manage these move requests is by going to the switcher view. So this is as Andy mentioned, there's gonna be a manager. There's multiple, different people using this. There's a yard manager who would be using the site view, creating these move requests and managing where trailers would move throughout the yard. And then there's a switch. Your view so idea behind this is somebody's riding around the the switch, your car. It's gonna pull these trailers from a doctor or to a parking spot, or vice versa. And he has maybe a tablet or something mounted in the vehicle that shows his orders. So these are all the current move requests. And you see this on the tablet? Yes. So this would be on the tablet screen.

spk_1:   12:57
So on this what? Ah, he's seeing and we're talking about is on tablets. Green is basically a dashboard and has every move requested there. Very clear, says Gino Teak. Ah, trailer a from spot 50 and move it to DR 30 Super clear. Um and then the switcher can actually go in select which move? They want to dio whatever makes sense to them. And then they complete the moving there. And then you can also see from the management standpoint, you know, you can see what moves are pending, and you can see what moves have been completed as well.

spk_0:   13:35
And it's a list of all the requests. Oh, this is saying move trailer five from receiving door. Be outbound or a OK, so that would be his job. And if he decides to select that move request he could select it. He could complete move, request. And when a job is completed, it's probably gonna be difficult. Pick out which one I just completed, but one of these move move requests would be completed. So that's certainly gonna take good. Move it. So in down outbound and non switching trucks would come in and typically dropping off, and they're also doing pick up. I don't say the same time. They made a couple of minutes have an hour to pick him up and go right. So dependent. How it is, then what happens is when we later on location and then they can sit there can almost do it. Look away, find it. Take a look. The important part of that is that a lot of times in these yards, if you've been summoned Zardes that congested right, there's there's no space and a lot of them because they've run out of space physical space where they parked trailers. So what happened is this really know what he's talking about earlier rat account, and it's like you can take a look and then if you could start seeing that have to pick this up over here. You also have the switcher trucks tagged as well. So now you can see a whole congestion that there's a whole bunch of trucks over in here. You might right around this way, even though this is the shortest path. So So it's things like that that starts to help you driver the management on there.

spk_1:   15:08
That's a really big key there. I think it's something that you know, with previous technology and not having this type of visibility, you wouldn't really be able to pick up on those types of little nuances like, Oh, this area is congested right now so I can actually go around this other way, um, and get the truck into the door faster. So that's really a big thing, and it may seem like maybe a small thing, but over time, those types of decisions can really speed up the process in, optimize the process, flow a little more as well.

spk_0:   15:48
And then some of the other things that we've done with this is Smart Pack is loading the trailer right. So smart pack will tell us what no trailers the doors open or we to win the doors close and then it we're in between is that I know the trials that 50%. 80%. So there's a move, right? There's a move request and this trailer, and you're gonna move political in down trailer, right? Or either outbound trailer. You're gonna pick up door, whatever. 1 16 If I know it's only up. If I know it's only at 50%. Yeah, that something should alert that. Right? Normally called me, hook up in different countries. Data here, who's on the truck, right? It's not trapped or anything. And their orders to move the truck Gonna move the truck, right? And then a ll the boxes pull over. Right. Things fall over. And the work that goes like Gumby out the back door, things like that. This what happens, Right? So So it's like we don't is because we have both pieces. We've connected to two together, so we could give you the yard to say Okay, I'm a mobile to call it. I'm a switch truck driver. I get a task like a book, and I see that trails only 40% fold in the targets, 80% full on polling system. The information from the smart packed system kind and vice versa. Right? Smart back and see what movements of being scheduled for some businesses or some of the docks. There aren't schedules. There's a one o'clock three o'clock sharp cut, seven o'clock a cut. They got to go out the door so they can actually see. You know, I got a truck that one doctor changed locations float. That's typically far, so you'll see that. But you got a lot of different cross. Doc's got all different type of warehouses with this this place having visibility in tow, all the pieces of systems from yard manager is radically different than Doc management. Right? And that communications usually don't like Hey, what do you moving door? Whatever. 1044 I got people in there, right? Yeah, that's it. Use your post conversation. So how can be proactive about it?

spk_1:   17:54
So I think important to note there. So, like I mentioned the beginning show, you know, zebra is doing all these great solutions, but I think what they're doing really well is now they're putting all those solutions together. So if we look at this right here, this yard management set up that they were demo ing, um, and that they'll be done moving at Moto X as well. So first they had wear net, which is their product. Right. Then they had they have the actual yard software, Um, that they're using for the whole touch screen interface. Ah. And then they talked about their rugged tablet that the switcher would be using as well. Right. Maybe even the yard manager would have won. Ah, and now they're talking about the smart back. And if you guys remember Smart Pack, they were demo ing that at pro Matt last year. And smart pack, actually. Ah, it's like e type of camera. Mount, I guess, is the easiest way to describe the amounts on your doctor, or it's actually visualizing Ah, the utilization of the trailer. So there's a lot of different things you can do with that. So it gives you, gives you visibility, um, as a manager, without actually having to physically walk. Each doctor writes, Well, when you get into these really big distribution centers as that's huge because, you know, we're talking 50 100 doors, 200 doors, I mean, it's hard to see all of those all the time, right? so you can access this and see it from anywhere. So it gives you that idea also gives you data on your trailer optimization. You know, Is it fully being optimized? And it also gives you an idea of, um, your labor management to as well, because it can capture, you know, how long is that gonna do a trail there? How many people are in there, all those different things. So really good visualization. And then, like he said, they're the two. Now. Bring that communication together. It solidifies it more so, like you said, typically the verbal. But now there's visibility to what's going on on the dock itself through this smart pack. And then there's visibility to what's going on with the truck movement as well. With this whole yard management set up,

spk_0:   20:03
I think it's definitely like streamlines the process in the communication through. Like you said, it makes a lot more visual. I love like the visual ballet of the whole thing, and this is just a layout I think they'll have. If I had a real yard, the real maps, right? Because I mean it looks. It looks exactly like, however it would be in your yard. And you know, it's so much easier to kind of relate that. Yeah, keep track on a clipboard or something and it's a visibility. That's good thing. The positive thing toe overall management is they could start, see the coordination talk about. Like I was saying, the warehouse that route optimization is if I understand. With the congestions are right, understand? Is a bunch of four trucks in this part of the warehouse during picks. How do I know you don't even know? Most of all they know is the What's the big time, right? What's the movement Time, right. So it's like it's like, OK, we haven't expected one cause expected time because they've done this on history and I can start seeing heat maps and right, And this is just location in our location. Technology in general is I start on the stand this 15 4 trucks down and I all that can handle three congested You you have people backed up. You got idle time sitting there, and this is where the starting look. This is independent of your heart or whatever. If this were starting, C B l E user mobile computer, that the vehicle. Computers, tablets. The director. We got the Ellie radios in that. So then we have different billy technology. I'm probably not gonna use where dead. I'm often use ultra wideband. I automatically be Ellie and that I could put up, and I can start to get idea. May now have the same resolution down two inches, right? Or for But I know there's 15. I know 15 things are in this aisle that's good enough, and you start to create heat maps and everything. So But we see this happening a lot. These places that when I got to go move something, there are people blocking the way. This is what starts going to start to have that visible view of what's going on. Then people see it differently,

spk_1:   22:06
and I think that's really important. Um, at the ending there, where he said, people start to see it differently. So you know, when you create this additional layer of visibility that you did not have before, right, so so primarily were usually, you know, we're lying on our eyes, right for visualization, and our eyes cannot be everywhere in our operation at once. So with these types of solutions and technologies, especially as operations continue to grow and get bigger. Um, and who knows if that will continue to be the case? But right now we know that things are going big, right? You know, we have two million square foot warehouse is I mean, big, big stuff. So So being able to visualize these things in a better way. Um, and you could see there how, you know, not only is this visualization now happening outside right in yard in the yard, through the yard, random and system, but now they're also looking at visualization inside the warehouse to create these different things and being able to see those scenarios in a different way through the heat map like you mentioned, um is really, really big because you can definitely take away a lot from that. And you can definitely optimize based on seeing those types of things. Because if you're getting like you said 15 4 trucks in the same ill at the same time, then you definitely have some kind of either traffic flow issue or you have product placement issue. There needs to be something that you can do to alleviate that, but you know, if you're not walking past that ill at that time and you don't have this technology in place, then you're not gonna no, that or see that And most of time, you know, the employees Probably not gonna speak up and tell you something like that because they may not even be realizing as they're going about their task that, you know, this congestion is, ah, creating a problem for them are slowing down the operation. And in a sense, so so really, really interesting stuff from zebra. Um, highly encourage you to check out their booth ah, at mode ECs 2020 and definitely encourage you to go to the new warehouse dot com and check out the video that we did for them. And really, if you ever get the chance to get a demo from them, more taxes, perfect example. But if you can't make the Moto X, I would highly recommend that they have so many amazing solutions happening and just being able to be at their location and experienced that, and you're kind of firsthand about how they're going about creating the solutions and then kind of marrying them all together like we saw in this example. I mean, in this yard management system there a four different solution that they've created and put together to make this really simplified easy and not on the cool, but, you know, really practical and usable to help you optimize. Ah, your operation with so really, really great stuff from zebra. Um and definitely, you know, be sure if you're going to be a moto X March 9 through 12 next week. Seven days from now. Ah, make sure you check out the Zebra Technologies booth. And, of course, stop by the new warehouse booth at Booth 41 94 as well.

spk_0:   25:27
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