2. aberon BY LIGHT
WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION
Aberon BY LIGHT: WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION
In the present-day competitive environment of supply chain management, a
company's success depends to a great extent on the timely and error-free
delivery of orders, a requirement that cannot be met by conventional order
picking systems and batch processes.
Companies that are able to fill orders quickly, without errors, and at a low cost,
so as to meet the constantly increasing demands of their customers, acquire a
significant competitive advantage in their sector.
The assignment of the correct level of automation at a distribution centre
requires a clear understanding and definition of company activities; the features
of the products handled; the frequency and size of orders filled; the working
environment within the warehouse; and the direct labor cost in the warehouse.
The new technology system aberon BY-LIGHT from VELTIONoptimum functions
by incorporating leading technologies such as Radio Frequency (RF) wireless
communications, microcomputers, microelectronics, barcode technology, and
software engineering, into a single efficient and integrated system.
At a glance
The aberon BY-LIGHT technology
processes the data from the
orders to be filled and transfers it
to the picking zones without
needing to use picking or
checking lists. The pickers, with
both hands free, pick the orders,
eliminating pointless and time-
consuming procedures such as
list reading, picking location
search, and list checking.
The aberon BY-LIGHT technology
does away with the need for
pickers to read picking lists and
make data entries in the system.
All aberon BY-LIGHT features
vastly reduce the time needed to
fill orders and decrease
drastically the number of picking
errors.
The outcome is a solution whose
performance can compete with
that of a fully automated, high-
investment facility. The main
difference however, is
installation costs are only a
fraction of the cost of a high
automated solution.
Each aberon BY-LIGHT system is
tailor-made to meet the needs of
every customer by recording and
analyzing the needs of each
company. aberon BY-LIGHT
allows you to remain competitive
in your market by using state of
the art technology.
3. 0000
Facts
Product Structure – ABC Analysis
It is fair to say that all products sold by a
company do not move at the same speed.
On the one hand, there are the fast-moving
SKUs with high circulation and on the other,
the slow-moving SKUs that handle very
small quantities of products.
According to the market sector in which a
company is active (industry, wholesale,
retail), there are various curves that define
the proportions between fast-moving and
slow-moving products. In general, for a
typical company we can assume the
relationship between fast-moving and slow-
moving products is that shown on the table:
By observing the diagram we see that:
1 % of SKUs cover 25% of the total
movement
5% of SKUs cover 50% of the total
movement
20% SKUs cover 80% of the total
movement
Based on the fact that all products do not
move at the same speed, different methods
of picking orders for each category of
products can be implemented.
With the aberon BY-LIGHT picking
technology we can efficiently pick any
category of products, whether they are fast-
moving or slow-moving.
Analysis of Order Picking Time
The total time spent by the employee during
the picking process using conventional order
picking systems can be analyzed as:
Picking Lists management 10%
Picking errors Correction 8%
Touching and Picking 16%
Packaging 3%
Order Checking 13%
Travelling 40%
Other 10%
With aberon BY-LIGHT Picking, List
management time, error correction time,
order checking time, and finally the touching
and picking time, are drastically reduced or
eliminated.
Picking Errors
Analysis of Order Picking Errors
The errors observed during preparation of
orders with conventional order picking
systems can be analyzed as:
Counting (quantity) errors 2%
Reading Picking List errors 23%
Wrong Location errors 30%
Omission of order line errors 45%
With aberon BY-LIGHT all the errors
occurring with a conventional order picking
(picking list) system are practically
eliminated.
aberon BY-LIGHT
systems
aberon BY-LIGHT is
composed of two different
systems, that are based on
microelectronic, RF
technology and software
engineering.
aberon PICK BY LIGHT
aberon PICK CART
The two systems in the
aberon BY-LIGHT family
increase productivity by up
to three times and reduce
order picking errors by up to
95%, while the payback
period on the investment
does not exceed the 12
months.
The proposed
implementation range of the
picking methods (RF picking,
pick by light, pick cart) for a
company's products can be
seen on the diagram below.
4. aberon PICK-BY-LIGHT Systems
Pick-by-Light is a lightning fast warehouse automation technique that
makes order picking many times more efficient. With the light picking
principle, you can let the process run paperless, which increases reliability
while reduces picking errors.
The aberon PICK-BY-LIGHT system is used to pick the company's fast-
moving SKUs. This is generally 5% to 30% of a company's SKUs. In the
event that the product range is small, aberon PICK-BY-LIGHT can be
applied to the entire range of products.
The aberon PICK-BY-LIGHT system is composed of microcomputers (tags)
that are smaller than a bar of chocolate. These microcomputers are
installed at the picking locations of the company's fast-moving products.
These tags have an indicator light, an illuminated digital display, as well as
control keys for the picker. There are more than 30 different tags in the
product range to cover any specific customer need. They communicate in
real-time with the company's information system (WMS, ERP, legacy
system).
aberon Pick-to-Light Hardware
5. aberon Pick-Cart
The aberon PICK CART system is mainly
used for picking medium and slow-
moving SKUs and is an alternative
solution to the conventional way of
picking using picking lists or RF portable
terminals. The main concept of the
system is based on simultaneous order
picking in the warehouse.
The aberon PICK CART is a wheeled
system with various order picking slots,
which are equipped with
microcomputers (pick by light tags). The
system communicates in real-time with
the WMS , ERP or the legacy system of
the company via wireless
communication.
The orders to be filled are assembled in
order groups, according to the number
of picking slots on the cart. Each order
corresponds to a slot on the aberon PICK
CART.qpiclcart1
The aberon PICK CART directs the picker
via the optimal route to the picking
locations, indicating for each product the
quantities required for each order linked
to the aberon PICK CART.
The picker goes to the picking location
indicated by the system and uses a
mounted scanner to read the barcode
of the SKU location, or the barcode on
the SKU stored at that location. The
tags on the aberon PICK CART light up
and indicate the quantities of the
particular item at the picking position
required for each order.
The picker places the quantities in the
slots on the aberon PICK CART
indicated by the tags and presses the
confirmation buttons. In case of a
shortage, the picker can decrease the
quantities he picks by pressing the
auxiliary keys.
With one route of aberon PICK CART
inside the warehouse, a batch of
orders can be picked simultaneously,
thus drastically reducing picking time
and consequently the direct labour
cost.
aberon VOICE PICKING
aberon VOICE PICKING is an alternative
picking method that is mostly used to pick
orders having content in cartons or pieces.
In special cases, the voice technology may
be applied to the receiving function, picking
locations replenishment and inventory
counting.
The voice picking solution consists of a PDA
equipped with a headset (earphones &
microphone) and the software for
managing picking via voice interaction.
The advantage of the Voice Picking solution
compared to the classic RF picking is that
the operator has both his hands free, which
leads to increased picking productivity.
Especially in a deep freezing environment,
where users wear gloves, using wireless
terminals incommodes the picking process.
In this case, the use of Voice Picking is an
alternative solution with competitive
advantages.
After years of research, we, in
VELTIONoptimum, have implemented an
innovative VOICE PICKING solution. This
solution based on leading edge technology
standards is fully integrated into aberon
WMS's main body. Our VOICE PICKING
solution does not require an Interface with
the aberon WMS or a separate server and
constitutes a physical extension of the
aberon Warehouse Management system
developed by OPTIMUM.
Moreover, the aberon VOICE PICKING
solution can also operate via interfaces
with other Warehouse Management
Systems or ERPs.
aberon VOICE PICKING is an expandable
application developed in .net C# which can
run in any PDA with MOBILE WINDOWS
operating system.
The main advantages of aberon VOICE
PICKING compared to other competitive
voice picking systems, are:
The natural voice quality (100%
natural voice) that does NOT create
a sense of distress and discontent
to the user
No system training by the user is
required (100% speaker
independent)
The low acquisition cost and the
investment protection
The open architecture of the
application that allows its
functioning both in voice PDA and
in normal RF terminals
Its capability to be perfectly
adapted to the particular
requirements of the client
6. North American Office
1425 Osprey Drive, Suite 204
Ancaster Ontario, L9G 4V9, Canada
Telephone: +1 905 690 7700
Fax: +1 905 689 2200
European Office
457 Acharnon & 700 Thespieon Str.
14343, Nea Chalkidona,
Athens, Greece
Telephone: +30 210 2588 100
Fax: +30 210 2588 101
www.veltion.com
info@veltion.com
About us
In a world driven by supply-chain management, it is
vital that a company have the proper IT system in
place in order to optimize profit margin and
production. VELTIONoptimum has developed
software and automation solutions which
exclusively operate in such Logistics IT Systems, and
has done so for over 20 years. Success stories can
be seen in North America, as well as all across
Europe.
The expansion of VELTIONoptimum into the global
market has allowed their customers to reap the
benefits of VELTIONoptimum’s years of experience
and success in the Logistics IT market. With more
resources available to them, VELTIONoptimum is
able to service multiple customers throughout the
globe while maintaining a customer service track
record that is second to none. The focus has been,
and always will be, to understand and meet the
unique requirements of each client.
With an increased global presence and customer
base also comes an increase in customer needs.
Companies need to have the latest in innovative
technology in order to increase profits and remain
competitive. VELTIONoptimum has managed to
remain on the cutting edge of technology by
employing more engineers and staff in order to
keep its customers efficient and profitable. We
strive to maintain your competitive edge by making
our systems work the way you want. We configure
our software, hardware, and automation
equipment to reflect the precise needs of your
business. This ensures we deliver successful
solutions tailored to your evolving circumstances.
The engine that drives VELTIONoptimum’s success
has been the development of a Supply Chain
Management software known as aberon. This
solutions package incorporates optimization
algorithms, barcode technologies, as well as RFID.
Wireless networks and wireless portable terminals,
combined with warehouse automations and other
cutting edge technologies give our customers a
wide variety of tools to help their business succeed.
If aberon is the engine of VELTIONoptimum’s
success, then aberon WMS can be considered the
key to the entire operation. This core WAREHOUSE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM accommodates the needs
of a variety of warehouses and distribution centers.
Whether you have a small warehouse in Des
Moines, Iowa, or a large distribution center in Paris,
France, aberon WMS is the ideal solution for the
management and monitoring of raw materials,
semi-finished, and finished products.
VELTIONoptimum's aberon information system has
been awarded by the European Union with the ΙST
PRIZE NOMINEE distinction, as an innovative
product of high technological standards.
VELTIONoptimum has been certified with ΕΝ ISO
9001:2008 on Development, Parameterization,
Installation and Training for Logistics Information
Systems. Moreover, VELTIONoptimum is an ORACLE
Partner Network Partner and Microsoft Certified
Partner.
