Productivity boost promised
April 1st 2011 The Automated Order Picking lift truck solution from Toyota is innovative and proven.
It is a must-see for managers looking to slash waste from the picking process.
Toyota has refined the concept of lift truck automation
with an order picking solution that promises significant
productivity gains, as well as reduced numbers of
accidents and damage in the warehouse.
The product allows pickers to focus on the pick while the truck
automatically and independently moves to the correct location.
Toyota sees the product cutting down waste in the picking
process, which is an increasingly significant issue given the rise in
picks needed and in complexity of picks due to e-commerce. The
manufacturer estimates that 40% of the cost in the warehouse
comes from picking and of this figure 50% is caused by travel,
with search accounting for 20%.
The Automated Order Picking (AOP) solution has been
installed with some customers since 2008 and Toyota been
working on the concept since then. It is now marketing the
solution more broadly. The price premium for the automated lift
trucks is not being released but Toyota insists that productivity
gains more than balance out capital investment costs.
Andrew Elliott, executive vice president of marketing, Toyota
Material Handling Europe says: "The rise of online shopping has
created greater need for picking of individual orders, and this
places great demands on the business in terms of storage, order
picking and automation.
"AOP will cost more money to buy but customers need to take
holistic view and look at total cost. The investment in trucks will
be compensated for by savings in other areas."
Toyota is already seeing interest in the solution from big
retailers in the UK but Elliott sees a wide number of applications
for the technology.
"It is interesting that the technology can be mixed with
manual trucks. Previously it had to be a completely automated
warehouse. This gives us a greater spectrum of possibilities with
companies of different sizes in a variety of applications."
The mixed use scenario is important as not all picks are
suitable for automation, for example, if there are long distances
between picks, other options may be more efficient.
Toyota is collaborating with Swedish firm Kollmorgen on the
mapping and IT technology that is ported on to the truck. The
technology can be integrated into a number of Toyota vehicles.
Making much better use of personnel was a key driver in the
development of the product. Eliminating the wasted labour time
traditionally involved in order picking – driving trucks to and
from despatch areas and taking care of battery charging – is
allowing increases in productivity of up to 40% in pilot
installations, according to Toyota.
"When you think about it, the main contribution that the
human makes in order picking is identifying and picking the
right goods," explains Hans Larsson, who is head of the Logistic
Solutions & Development team at TMHE. "Accompanying a
truck over longer distances is a waste of human talent and we have
technology that can easily take care of that part of the process."
The concept is built on the type of guidance system launched
by Toyota some ten years ago with the laser-guided BT Autopilot
range. Laser-guided trucks avoid the upheaval and inflexibility of
wire-guided installations, and safety is assured with sensors and
careful speed management.
The integration of the guidance system with the customer's
warehouse management system (WMS) is the latest
breakthrough, with pick-by-voice delivering instructions to the
human pickers to complete the process.
Essentially the concept is based on the human picker being
instructed to go to a picking position to select certain goods,
while a truck is already sent to the same point to transport the
items picked. Ultimately the control system will calculate the
most efficient route plan.
Larsson continues: "The pilot site, installed in 2008, is the
Swedish retailer Coop, within the largest distribution centre in
northern Europe. Here they are reporting productivity gains of
40%. Other sites around Europe are showing similar gains in
productivity. This has dramatic implications for the industry
with huge potential for cost
reduction." More articles from Toyota Material Handling (UK) Ltd: | 
