DC S LEVEL UP
has been a challenge. So, EII makes its own camera that can read poly-bags. The acronym EII also stands for Excellence, Integrity, and Innovation. The company offers stellar support, including preventative maintenance trips and an after-hours support line, helping clients tackle challenges and gain a competitive edge. continued on page 52
says. “While we effectively handle standard applications, it’s when someone says, ‘I have a problem, and I’m not sure how to solve it,’ that we tend to do well.” For example, EII has invested time and resources to handle poly-bags, which tend to scrunch up within traditional conveyors and wrinkle when the system tries to read them. Glare also
ats, and small to mid-sized parcels for hundreds of companies. Through its work, EII has also acquired unique expertise in postal regulations, along with deep experience in site-speci c process evaluations. As a result, it’s able to optimize each client’s throughput and boost destination accuracy. “EII excels when customers have unique problems,” CEO Don Caddy
I V VS WI H DC DS DC eciency is more important than it has ever been, and the premium on an ecient system has grown exponentially. By becoming ecient, distribution centers can ease the burden on labor, manual intervention, and footprint requirements. Ecient DCs can pivot faster to meet evolving customer requirements, seasonal demands, or SKU profile changes. Helping DCs Run More Eciently goods-to-person solution. Packaged with world-class, AI-driven, in-house software, localized engineering, project management, and support, Hai serves its partners and customers with a full suite of options. Hai also partners with third-party suppliers to provide racking, totes, fencing, conveyors, and any other equipment needed. Hai’s in-house integration capabilities can also By Brian Reinhart, VP of Sales & Solutions, Hai Robotics
help fill gaps for our customers or partners by adding supplemental technologies outside of the Hai system. The Hai system is sophisticated and mature enough to serve the largest organizations in the world, while also being flexible and cost-eective to serve smaller organizations or startups. Hai’s client portfolio ranges from Fortune 50 companies deploying 100-bot fleets to a facility starting its automation journey with 1 or 2 robots. All customers are treated like partners. Global Partner One of our longest tenured global partners, JD.com, has done numerous projects with Hai. The Hai robotics platform allows JD to hit ever-increasing volumes, including peak, with minimal workforce. The speed of the Hai system yields a 3-4x labor reduction compared to manual or semi-automated solutions. In addition, the density in the Los Angeles warehouse allows JD to handle all tote and case-based operations in a 40,000-sq.-ft. footprint of the 250,000-sq.-ft. warehouse. Lastly, the flexibility allows JD to expand or adjust the system with minimal foresight needed. Hai’s on-call support and service ensures maximum uptime for the system, and the proactive maintenance plan ensures maximum equipment lifespan.
High-performance, high-speed systems allow DCs to handle the e-commerce and omnichannel boom without adding labor. When your operators are performing 5x faster, you become more ecient and more lean. From there, automation can attack warehouse density. By storing products to the top of a warehouse, often 30 feet high or more, and storing them in a multi-deep or grid fashion, we’re able to greatly reduce the footprint needed to house products. This allows more space for growth, expansion, seasonality, or unknown surprises. Lastly, the most recent evolution is the introduction of flexibility into the DC. With the introduction of mobile technologies to high-speed, high-density systems, we can now combine the best in speed, density, and flexibility. That flexibility comes in numerous forms: service-based pricing models, seasonal rentals or leases, low infrastructure requirements, non-precision-based storage, to name a few. Turn-Key Solutions Hai is the world leader in autonomous case handling robotics (ACR). Our HAIPICK system is a high-speed (500+ tote presentations per hour per workstation), dense (10 meters tall, double-deep storage), and highly flexible
50 Inbound Logistics • November 2022
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