FetchCore™ is cloud-based robotics software that gives you complete control of your robots and automation by deploying and fully integrating a wide range of automated workflows into your warehouse and manufacturing operations.
In this paper we discuss which automation options including fixed automation like conveyors, G2P systems, and flexible automation, are most suitable for 3PLs.
Our Cloud Robotics Platform is the only solution that deploys safe, reliable, and versatile Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) in manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution environments within hours.
Compare the cost of manually transporting goods versus the efficiency of using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from Zebra’s Robotics Automation. The savings will surprise you.
Major fashion manufacturer, Bespoke Manufacturing Company, transcends customer experience and triples production capacity with AMRs and fixed industrial scanning automation.
Increase the rate you track and audit your inventory, and all in less time.
Lost or misplaced inventory can cost millions of dollars in expedites, re-orders, and write-offs, as well as wasted hours searching for inventory. Physical counts require hours of manual work and are often done very infrequently. Tagging assets with RFID immediately improves inventory tracking, increases accuracy, and saves time. With TagSurveyor, you can increase inventory counts and checks from once-a-month to multiple times per day, even in the largest warehouses. Warehouse and manufacturing facilities, including those operated by the U.S. Government, deploy TagSurveyor to help keep track of assets.
Key BENEFITS
Continuous cycle counting & inventory tracking
Powerful data visualization to locate misplaced inventory
Reporting tools to highlight discrepant inventory counts
Verify inbound & outbound activity at docks
24/7 automated data gathering with autonomous charging
Product Features
Three RFID antennas for full single pass coverage
Precise path and positioning for consistent and maximum tag discovery
82 degrees of sensor coverage* to reach tagged items even on tall shelving
Up to 7.6m (25ft) of read range*
*Read range, coverage and sensitivity will vary based on environment, tag placement, and tag density.
Powerful RFID Visualization with FetchCore Enterprise Software
BETTER DATA
The DataSurvey TagSurveyor RFID solution moves steadily and precisely through your warehouse to provide consistent and reliable results. This eliminates human error and missing data from poorly placed, fixed readers or handhelds.
FASTER DATA
TagSurveyor operates autonomously and multiple TagSurveyor AMRs can be setup to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Discover inventory shortfalls faster and locate misplaced items. Conduct full physical inventory across millions of square feet multiple times a day instead of manual cycle counting at quarterly intervals.
CHEAPER DATA
Free people from cycle counting to do higher-value work. TagSurveyor is a dedicated three-shift-per-day, cycle count and inventory location resource. Busy warehouse staff no longer need to spend time on urgent hunts for lost material. TagSurveyor shows you where all your tagged assets are based on your warehouse map.
DataSurvey
RFID Tag Details & Location
The DataSurvey app in FetchCore allows you to view RFID tags on live facility maps after each autonomous survey conducted by the AMR.
Quickly view and identify inventory by drilling down into tag clusters to view individual SKUs. You can also view tag details and information for each item.
Once surveys are completed, the results report can be downloaded from FetchCore, which also includes the EPC of each tag.
DataSurvey provides three user-defined fields for reporting, including a Tag Identifier (TID), an item description, and a custom identifier (such as an internal part number).
DataSurvey
Undetected & Unexpected Tags
DataSurvey reports on the differences between the current survey and either an uploaded inventory file or the last completed survey. By understanding the different tag types, you can make real-time inventory decisions and audit records as needed.
Detected tags are tags that were detected in the survey. Undetected tags were included in the uploaded inventory file or detected in the previous survey but were not detected in the latest survey.
Unexpected tags were not included in the uploaded inventory file or not detected in the previous survey but were detected in the latest survey.
SAFETY features
Uncompromising Safety
Collaborative, autonomous mobile robots were designed to work around people, and safety should not be compromised at the expense of efficiency.
All Fetch Robotics AMRs comes equipped with some of the most advanced safety features in the industry. 2D LiDAR scanners with 25m range enable mapping, localization, obstacle avoidance, as well as object detection. Multiple 3D depth cameras allow for superior robot vision to avoid both ground-based and overhanging dynamic obstacles, including forklifts, pallet jacks, and people.
When these sensors are combined with our onboard safety software, the result is the first industrial AMR systems, (inclusive of both the robot base and top module) that conform to both the newly released ANSI / RIA R15.08 safety standard for mobile robots as well as as CE mark requirements.
View a Digital Map of Your Warehouse and Inventory with TagSurveyor, Now with Data Visualization
Today’s most successful 3PLs, manufacturers and retailers understand that inaccurate data and misplaced items can affect a facility’s bottom line – from labor costs required to perform physical inventory counts, to lost revenue spent on closing down operations to reconcile inventory, to thousands of dollars spent to correct errors. Despite these efforts, physical inventory counts are labor-intensive, error-prone, and often fail to provide location-specific information when items need to be moved or shipped. Being unable to physically pinpoint misplaced inventory and the source of the issue can prove to be a major challenge especially during busy seasons that occur throughout the year. During peak season, the last thing you’d want as a manager are stock-outs and missing items, which are frustrating for everyone involved.
Surveys conducted by researchers in the retail supply chain have shown that inventory records are inaccurate for a whopping 65% of retailers. According to these studies, utilizing RFID technology is a key solution to misplaced inventory and reduced lead-time. By solving for poor inventory management practices and reducing lead times by 50-80%, many retailers and manufacturers have increased their profitability and market share and is considered to be key factors in achieving a world-class operation.
As a response to this, we are very excited to announce key improvements to TagSurveyor, the cycle counting robot that autonomously and continuously scans RFID data in fulfillment centers, DCs and warehouses. With built-in localization capabilities coupled with cloud-based software, customers can now create a comprehensive digital map of their entire facility and track all changes made since the last survey. What’s more, TagSurveyor can autonomously and continuously run with self-charging capabilities, which allows customers to do multiple cycle counts per day, or through the weekend when the facility is closed to avoid overtime work for staff.
This allows customers to visually locate missing inventory, highlight any changes in the counts, and view movements within the warehouse, with data available in real-time 24/7 on their warehouse’s digitized map. To-date, customers utilizing TagSurveyor have read over 200 Million tags, saved thousands of hours from physical inventory counts, and increased accuracy and lead times, while allowing warehouse staff to focus on higher-value tasks.
Key features and enhancements to TagSurveyor include:
Data Visualization tools. TagSurveyor customers can now create a digital map of their facility with inventory information displayed directly on our FetchCore Cloud Platform.
24/7 data gathering. TagSurveyor can continuously gather data for 20 days with autonomous charging capabilities.
Improved reporting tools. Customers can download their survey results with any discrepant inventory counts highlighted.
Search functionality. Warehouse managers can now search for and locate specific EPCs on the digital map.
Enhanced RFID coverage. TagSurveyor’s three RFID antennas can reach up to 80+ degrees of sensor coverage and up to 25ft+ of read range to reach tall shelving.
The ability to continuously cycle count and geo-tag data throughout the entire facility allows TagSurveyor customers to be more data-driven than ever, which helps keep them agile in an ever-changing industry. Plus, this data can also be used as a process improvement tool to gain insight on what the warehouse can do better – which items need to be checked more regularly? Does the facility have too much of one item at a time? If there’s a discrepancy, is the issue with the vendor, location efficiency, or the workflow? Being able to visually pinpoint these changes and errors allows for better purchasing decisions and peace of mind for the facility as it evolves into the future.
Current customers with mapped facilities can seamlessly deploy TagSurveyor with data visualization capabilities in just a few hours. With real-time updates sent on the cloud, 3PLs, manufacturers, and retailers that only need to do a few cycle counts throughout the year may also deploy TagSurveyor so on an as-needed basis with our Robotics-as-a-Service offering.
For customers interested in purchasing TagSurveyor, please contact your Strategic Account Manager.
For warehouses interested in automating your warehouse, click here to get started.
