New advances in industrial automation - sorting robots

It is reported that Rochester Pharmaceuticals has a mobile sorting robot named "Adam" in the center of the sorting module of the distribution center sorting the goods. New market demands, especially those related to e-commerce, place greater emphasis on the accuracy and completeness of each order, and the shorter the time to complete the order, the better. Therefore, only new automation products can solve the problem of sorting and packaging.

Rochester Pharmaceuticals Inc. is demonstrating that AGV robots can perform sorting in the right applications and provide hands-on experience for full automation for retailers and dealers.

Rochester Pharmaceuticals (RDC) has an 1800-square-meter distribution center. In the center of the sorting module in the distribution center, there is a mobile sorting robot called "Adam" that is being stored in four channels and has a capacity of 1200 stock units. The sorting distinguishes between picking goods.

When the sorting bin for a pharmacy drug order is transferred to Adam's work area, robot operator Mike Collins scans the bar code and sends an order to Adam. Later, Adam will automatically pass through the work area and use the arm with the suction cup to sort the goods into the sorting box. After the order is completed, Adam will return to Colin. When asked if the cooperation with the robot was accurate and reliable, Colin smiled and replied: "My job is to supervise it to execute the order, although it does not often make mistakes."

The robot was put into use in January 2017 and completed the sort order test by March. At present, the accuracy of the robot is 95% to 98%, and the accuracy of the voice control assistant is 99.9%. "If we can put the products on the shelf neatly, then the robot can avoid most mistakes when operating," he added. "If you can integrate the robot into the automation system, the RDC plans to expand to 4 robots, I am sure it will work."

Difficult to work

While automation is commonplace for manufacturers, retailers and distributors such as Rochester Pharmaceuticals have long been adding more people to complete more sorting modules. After all, workers are more flexible and less costly than automation.

However, the old working mode is outdated. New market demands, especially those related to e-commerce, place greater emphasis on the accuracy and completeness of each order, and the shorter the time to complete the order, the better. In addition, it is more difficult than ever to find a reliable workforce in two shifts or three shifts. Therefore, only new automation products can solve the problem of sorting and packaging.

RDC did not intend to use robots in the early days. Just five or six years ago, the Rochester factory was relatively less automated, with only conveyor belts and voice technology. But as the business grows, the workforce becomes a problem, especially in the second shift, working hours from 17:30 to 02:00. At the time, the distribution center handled about 30,000 jobs per night, requiring 45 workers, and the slow moving goods on the middle floor were the most difficult to sort.

“This is a busy job, and the flow of people is large.” John Brunan said, “Many times, the work is arranged, but the workers are not working according to regulations. This human error rate is as high as 40% per year.” With this in mind, RDC plans to expand Rochester's operations and choose to build a highly automated distribution center in Fairfield, New Jersey.

Assist in the sorting of goods

What happened next was the same as the well-designed plot. RDC's former CEO Du De shared his confusion with a pharmacist client and casually said, "Someone should invent a robot." Coincidentally, the pharmacist's son, Tom Garruzzo, is a robotic expert at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and a co-founder of IAM Robotics. Although he was not very concerned about material handling for Garruzzo, he went to Rochester and learned about the sorting process of slow moving goods.

Speed ​​is also part of the research, but for now, sorting 100 items per hour has met the needs of RDC. Of course, the finished robot is not completed in one day, considering that this is a new solution designed for the working environment of RDC. Ritzman said: "After repeated communication and debugging, RDC has been satisfied with the status of the robot."

Reshape the delivery process

It is not easy to be the first person to "eat crabs." RDC uses a gradual process of “crawl-go-run-jump” to minimize the risk of failure. In the first few months, IAM employees were responsible for all technical issues on site and trained robotic operator Colin. After the training was completed, Colin began to do it himself. Despite this, IAM insisted on real-time feedback from the cloud data, keeping track of the performance of the robot and reporting important metrics to the RDC.

The next step is already clear. First, RDC intends to double the selection of robots. Ritzman believes that if RDC can do this successfully, it can double the number of robot orders and sort by batch. In addition, RDC has partnered with SSI Schaefer to integrate robots with conveyor systems. The idea was to let the sorting box automatically roll over the robot, freeing Colin from these tasks.

After working with the robot for 6 months, the biggest surprise for Ritzman is the speed of IT integration. He said: "We are collecting information that has been sent to our voice system, as well as the warehouse control system that manages the transmitter. Getting information from our enterprise resource planning system to their servers, from server to robot, is faster than I thought. Fast.” In addition, robots have learned to calculate accurately, just like most automated devices.

Both Ritzman and Brunan believe that robots are ready for companies that are brave enough to try. Brennan said: "When we opened a new distribution center in Fairfield, New Jersey, we already knew what automation can bring us. Although this is an attempt, I am sure there will be a return."

Lizman believes that robots will re-create future distribution centers. He said: "Now we are trying to expand the coverage of the distribution center to 10 states. If we use mobile robots for sorting, we can increase our business without additional help."