Digital recording of truck delivery and standing times, FIFO, and productivity monitoring to ensure production supply

At the ramp entrance or also in the truck line, the goods unloading and receipt times are very tight. Each truck supplier is given various time slots in which the goods must be delivered and removed. If these slots are exceeded, so-called penalties (contractual penalties in transport law) are applied, as the further delivery process is blocked. This is particularly negative for companies with connected production, as they are dependent on “just-in-time” deliveries. The company to which the delivery is made is responsible for providing proof. An inconsistent time recording system can lead to unwanted costs, causing the supplied company to be at a disadvantage.

The factor “time” continues to run through the entire intralogistics process; if the incoming goods times are not recorded correctly, FIFO (first in first out) tracks cannot be occupied correctly either, which is relevant for production supply.

Large plants, such as our customer’s, have a high turnover rate. If the number of containers handled is not monitored and there are fluctuations in the material flow, production can be delayed.

Read about the solution INTRANAV, an Inpixon company, implemented to optimize incoming goods and monitor the KPIs of the container turnovers in real-time at our customer, one of the leading companies in supply chain management and logistics solutions.

For a leading international company
for supply chain management and logistics solutions

The corporate group, with over 2,000 locations worldwide, is one of the world’s leading providers of global logistics services, supporting industry and commerce in the international exchange of goods through land transportation, air and sea freight, contract logistics and supply chain management.

Customer requirements

• 1

  Digital forklift support according to FIFO principle

  For automated and seamless recording of incoming goods during the truck unloading process

• 2

  Digital truck delivery and standing time logging

  Complete and correct truck delivery and standing time logging

• 3

  Digital coordination at the FIFO tracks

  Correct allocation of goods receipts according to FIFO principle at the FIFO tracks/buffer zone

• 4

  Digital productivity monitoring: control of container handling frequency

  Control tool for the frequency of container handling, measured according to the container transport of the forklift and route train fleet (from the warehouse to the supply of the goods to the production line).

Solution from INTRANAV, an Inpixon company

Process illustration: Intelligent material flow and store floor management

Goods receipt – goods intake & material supply – production supply

1. Goods receipt

Digital forklift support according to FIFO principle

• Delivery and unloading of goods is carried out via a truck line (trucks are lined up one after the other).
• Each forklift truck (“unloading forklift”) is equipped with a tablet and INTRANAV.RTLS Vehicle TAG+. Via the INTRANAV.APP Transport Driver, forklift drivers receive information and instructions which truck has to be unloaded next. The instruction of the trucks to be processed takes place according to the prioritization principle.
• At the same time, the app shows the real-time progress of the truck unloading process. It counts and displays how many units per container have already been unloaded.

Digital real-time system logging of truck standing times

• According to the delivery bill, the number of containers to be unloaded from the truck is recorded. The INTRANAV.APP calculates the estimated unloading and transport time for the unloading forklift respectively.
• The INTRANAV.APP records how long the actual unloading process took by tracking real-time location of the forklift.
• The real-time unloading information serves as digital proof of the actual truck standing times in the tube. If a truck stands in the tube for too long, this can cause costs and the actual unloading time can be proven to the forwarding company accordingly.

2. Buffer Zone

• During the truck unloading process, the INTRANAV.APP Transport Driver indicates to the forklift driver which FIFO lane has to be occupied with the incoming goods according to the first in-first out principle.
• In addition, there is a monitor placed in the goods receiving (buffer) zone, which shows which container occupies which goods receiving lane according to the first in-first out principle.

3. Goods storage in the warehouse and material supply for the production line

• The goods are then stored in the warehouse.
• There is a continuous request for goods from the production line (JIS/JIT): Route trains are loaded and bring the requested material to the production line.

Digital shopfloor management

• Tracking boards are located in various areas of the warehouse to measure productivity and compliance with handling targets. The overview helps shift supervisors keep track of material units handled. Real-time numbers, data and facts enable team leaders to efficiently coordinate the forklift and route train fleet. If the fleet is overloaded or underloaded, it can be managed accordingly.

• The digital shopfloor management system is automatically supplied with real-time information.
  
  The number of containers handled per hour is displayed and monitored: target value per hour in relation to the actual number of containers handled X per hour.

These INTRANAV RTLS products are used:

Result

True value of this case through the use of INTRANAV.APP´s and -RTLS

1. 1. Automated and seamless recording during the inbound process saved 0.5 personnel costs on the resource side.
   2. Reconciliation with truck standing time logs could avoid annual penalties.
   3. Measurable increase in efficiency in ramp management (inbound) through digital forklift support (application according to FIFO).
   4. Optimization of production supply through real-time recording of transport and container handling data into the digital tracking board. Shift supervisors can react faster and more efficiently to deviations and fluctuations in target values. The resources required for compliance can be optimally allocated and coordinated. Fluctuations can be compensated more quickly and the “source of disruption” can be identified immediately through the process mapping.