Kiva Systems Warehouse Automation at Quiet Logistics

Summary

This video showcases Quiet Logistics' operations at their Northeast facility in Andover, Massachusetts, where they work six days a week across two shifts. It highlights the flexibility of their system, which handles various products using common infrastructure, including guitar picks, garments, and home goods. Robots navigate the warehouse using 2x2 stickers as guides. Workers pick and pack items with the help of lasers and screens, ensuring accuracy. The process includes custom packaging for high-end products, branded boxes, and care for fragile items. Orders are completed with logoed packing lists and labels before shipping.

Takeaways

• 🚚 The facility in Andover, Massachusetts operates six days a week with flexible shifts to handle fluctuating volume.
• 🤖 Robots navigate the warehouse using 2x2 stickers on the floor, creating a map for efficient movement.
• 📦 Workstations are designed to handle both outbound pick-pack functions and inbound replenishment.
• 🔄 The facility manages a variety of products, from small items like guitar picks to garments on hangers, using a common infrastructure.
• 👷 Flexibility in workstation functions is important, as workers can pick and replenish from the same stations.
• 🚦 Lasers guide workers to the correct bins for picking, and lights on the station indicate where to place items for different orders.
• 🎯 Workers can pick multiple items for multiple orders at the same time, with each cubby representing a different order.
• 👕 Garments on hangers, t-shirts, and small items like guitar picks are handled using the same pick process.
• 🎁 High-end packaging requirements, such as branded boxes and additional packaging steps like tissue paper, are common for many customers.
• 📦 After packing, orders receive branded packing lists and shipping labels before being loaded onto trucks for delivery.

Q & A

What is the location and working schedule of the facility discussed in the video?

The facility is located in Andover, Massachusetts, and operates six days a week with two shifts, often flexing to accommodate fluctuations in volume.

What is the purpose of the KE workstations in the facility?

The KE workstations are used for both outbound pick-pack functions and inbound replenishment functions, providing flexibility in operations.

How do the robots in the warehouse navigate?

The robots navigate using 2x2 stickers on the floor, which act as guides, creating a map of the warehouse.

What types of products are handled in the facility?

The facility handles a wide variety of products, including guitar picks, jewelry, garments on hangers, home goods, shoes, and more, all across a common infrastructure.

How does the order-picking process work at the facility?

Orders drop into the station when the worker signs in to pick, and the system sends robots to bring pods containing the needed items. The worker picks, scans the items, and places them in designated bins for each order.

How does the system ensure efficiency during order picking?

The system provides a continuous stream of pods, so the worker is never starved for items to pick. A laser points to the specific bin, and a light on the station indicates where to place the item.

How does the packing process work in the facility?

For many KE customers, pick and pack is one step, but at this facility, the high-end packing process is separate. It involves branded packaging, adding tissue paper or stickers, and ensuring proper handling for fragile items.

What kind of packaging requirements do the facility's customers have?

Many customers have high-end packaging requirements, including branded boxes, the use of tissue paper, and logoed packing lists and shipping labels.

How does the facility handle fragile items?

The facility takes special steps to ensure safe delivery of fragile items through various parcel carrier services.

What happens after an order is packed?

Once an order is packed, a logoed packing list and shipping label are added. The box is then taped and organized for loading onto a parcel carrier truck for delivery.