Tag: logistics

Categories
Technology

Why physical keypads still exist on smart devices

There was a time when a physical keypad on a smartphone was not considered weird or a novelty: It was rather a normal, reasonable, and wanted feature. But as time went by, more and more people started wanting a bigger screen, and also touch panels have evolved enough to completely replace hard buttons with virtual ones. Today, consumer smartphone manufacturers no longer add hard keys along with the touch panel, filling the front of a device only with a display. However, for quite a few smart device markets, a full keypad right under the touch panel is considered desirable and roaming around even in 2021. Why is that?

Rugged Point Mobile devices with physical keypads (PM451, PM200, PM67)

1. Fast and accurate

Speed directly links to efficiency for workers who need to enter a lot of data every day. The physical, almost satisfying feedback that you feel by touching each hard button still has advantages over virtual keypad solutions, as it makes faster data input with fewer typos possible. Your hands just remember the position of each key better when you can feel it rather than only see.

2. Easier to multitask

Each time the virtual keypad pops up, it hides almost half of the information you are seeing, which makes task harder and downright annoying: with physical keypads, you can still enjoy the full capabilities of the entire screen while you are typing.

3. Perfect for outdoor workers

Touchscreens, no matter how great they have become nowadays, still don’t work perfectly well if you are wearing gloves or your hands are wet as they rely on the teeny tiny bit of electricity that comes from the fingers. While the rugged mobile device manufacturers often support wet-touch and glove-touch that come in handy, any obstruction between your hands and touch panel makes it just not 100% reliable. Physical keypad, which relies on pressure, is free from this inconvenience – Workers may go outside in the rain and still make full use of a keypad device, without being forced to take off the gloves or dry their hands.

  • Assigning functions or apps to F-keys is a great advantage
  • PM66 with illuminated keys
    Illuminated keys make data entry at night or in dimly-lit areas no problem
  • One device, two keypad options: Some devices give you the choice

4. Easily customizable with F-keys

Another great benefit of a physical keypad is the integration of function, or F-keys. You all know them from your computer keyboard: Typically next to the ESC-key is where the F-keys start. On mobile computers, those keys are fully programmable. You have to take a lot of pictures? Simply assign F1 to your camera application. There’s an app you use every day? Put it on F2. For recurring tasks, this is a great shortcut and makes life a whole lot easier.

So for the above reasons, the demand for physical keypad on rugged mobile devices remain still very strong and manufacturers are living up to the expectation. Our portfolio consists of a variety of devices with hard keys, such as PM451 or PM550, and we are still designing new products with real keys, such as the upcoming PM67. Depending on the device, keypads are even available in different options, such as full numeric, alpha numeric or function numeric. Those devices are extremely important for industries among warehouse management, logistics, and delivery service industries, and help workers around the world to get their tasks done.

Discover Point Mobile devices with physical keypads

PM451

Three keypad options, three barcode scanner options, optional LTE modem, and detachable gun handle, Android 9 operating system.

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PM550

Alpha-numeric and numeric keypad option, 6,300mAh battery in gun-handle for outstanding ergonomics, various charging options.

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PM67

Android 11 operating system, compact form factor, big numeric keys & wide screen. Backwards compatible to predecessor, PM66.

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Categories
Industries News Technology

Automated storage and retrieval system for small urban warehouses

AutoStore overview
How AutoStore save the valuable space for your warehouse

All around the world, the pandemic has made people more likely to buy things online, and the demand for fast and free shipping is only getting bigger. In the process of providing a consistently fast delivery service to the increasing volume of customers, a major change is happening.

New fulfillment centers are being built closer to the major city centers for easy access to the final destination. Due to the high land price, naturally, they are in a much smaller size than conventional ones, which poses challenges to businesses who need to store thousands of different kinds of products in a limited space. This new type of tiny warehouse in urban areas is called a micro-fulfillment center.

Amazon is planning the construction of around 1,000 new micro-fulfillment centers in cities and suburbs all across America, and Korean e-commerce giant Coupang went public with similar future plans. Also eager to catch up with this trend is SoftBank Group, which invested $2.8 trillion USD in AutoStore taking up 40 percent of its share last April.

AutoStore is a robot manufacturer that also provides a total solution for Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS). Its robots are built to maximize the small space of the micro-fulfillment center.

AutoStore differs itself from other automated warehouse system providers as it designs robots and systems to prevent extra space from being wasted: No room for air, just for products. Thanks to its extremely efficient use of space, small warehouses, once thought is impossible to be fully automated, are now being filled with robots. On average, AutoStore saves 20 to 50 percent of land-use costs by increasing the maximum storage capacity up to 3 to 4 times, resulting in an astronomical cost saving when you combine the real estate market of major cities and the sheer number of micro-fulfillment centers.

¼ footprint for same capacity compared to conventional storage system.

AutoStore also uses an algorithm that optimizes the box placement – the automated system will put products that come and go more often on top, and others below. This “queuing” algorithm aligns products in the most time- and space-efficient order.

Description: Modular design makes it fit into various layouts

The modular design makes it easy to expand in any size. When necessary, the business can easily add new space and integrate it into the existing system, making it possible to increase capacity without re-designing the whole system. Plus, newly added space does not have to follow the cube shape as each module can be ever so small.

Robots designed by AutoStore are now working in around 300 businesses across 35 different countries, including Walmart, Pfizer, Intel, Siemens, IKEA, etc.

E-commerce businesses are going through bloody competition and constantly innovating themselves. Same day and even three-hour delivery which seemed impossible once are now making our life comfortable, and I think it is worth noting the behind-the-scene innovation of the logistics industry.

Sources:
Parcel Industry: The Competitive Advantage of Omnichannel Strategies
Bloomberg – Amazon plans to put 1,000 warehouses-in-neighborhoods
CNBC – SoftBank invests $2.8 billion in Norwegian robotics firm AutoStore
Business Insider – Watch Masayoshi Son get in the groove as Softbank’s ‘golden goose eggs’ followed his famous unicorn slide
AutoStore website – brochure

Categories
Industries Software

Crucial part of the delivery process: The Last Mile

Last mile delivery Aventeon with PM90
Last Mile delivery plays an important role in the entire delivery process

It is a long way until a delivery reaches its intended recipient. Once loaded on the truck, the last step of the delivery has begun: The Last Mile Delivery. We call it the Last Mile Delivery because it is figuratively the “last mile” right before knocking on the recipients’ door. In other words, it is that part of the transport process where goods are delivered to the end customer. What seems trivial at first is actually an important part of the whole customer experience, with delivery often being the only physical contact moment between a customer and a supplier.

These days, companies must adapt to changing customer demands in both B2C and B2B (and even C2C) markets, as the arisen expectations have created new possibilities for deliveries that go much further than shipping a box from A to B. We are taking home deliveries, same day deliveries, time windows, delayed deliveries, alternative locations, unmanned pack-stations at offices, neighborhood stores and in-public transport stations, customer centric return processes for products and packaging and just-in-time deliveries to service-engineers and building sites. But how to manage and keep track of all these services?

Software as the key to a successful Last Mile and happy customers

To understand the how companies ensure positive customer experiences while completing their Last Mile Delivery, we take Aventeon’s Logistics.ONE solution as a prime example: It acts as a central system and provides drivers with all the necessary information, presents a logical workflow, guarantees uniform capturing of data, offers monitoring and feeds the central systems with all the necessary data. The user interface is intuitive and simple, and lets the driver focus on the task. As a modern application, it runs on mobile devices with the Android operating system, taking advantage of device-specific modules such as cameras and integrated barcode scanners.

  • Action overview: Unloading, collecting signature and additional services in one screen
  • Doorstep Plus service: Setting desired delivery location and check list for successful delivery
  • Collecting the signature from the customer, including company name, email address and service feedback
  • Every tour has an Options menu for further information, or when a problem with a shipment occurs

So, back to our box that is about to be handed over to the recipient. When the driver arrived at the desired delivery location (For example, front of the door, unmanned pack station, neighbor, and so on), the right shipment will be identified and unloaded from the truck. At the same time, in the Logistics.ONE application, the driver chooses “Unload” from the open task list. In case additional services have been booked, the next window will give the driver further instructions, such as to verify with the client if there is any damage. Last but not least, the proof of delivery has to be collected, or in other words, the signature of the customer. After completing all these tasks, the driver is off heading towards the next location.

Driver relies on precise and up-to-date information

Of course the software alone is not the only factor that plays a role when deliveries are fulfilled. The ability to adapt quickly to changing customer demands is another very important aspect that companies in this business have to keep in mind. Also, having up-to-date information and constantly informing all those involved in the supply chain is decisive for being successfully active in the Last Mile. Adapting new processes, good staff training and professional resources must not be missed either.  

Learn more about Aventeon’s Logistics.ONE ?