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Nurturing logistics innovation
20 October 2022
Wincanton is working with early stage companies to uncover innovations that can help it serve customers better. HSS editor Simon Duddy explores.
MANY 3PLS have embraced technology to sharpen up operations. One of the pioneers in this respect is Wincanton, for example, in its stand-out W² Labs programme, which invites warehouse and logistics related start-ups to compete for the chance to trial their solution in a live environment.
First launched in 2017, the W² Labs programme is open to early-stage businesses who are invited to pitch proposals which use digitalisation to drive change across supply chains. Those selected following a Pitch Day receive mentorship from Wincanton’s senior management team, with the chance to trial their solution in a live environment the prize.
The programme is designed to accelerate innovation, discover emerging ideas and tackle some of the industry’s toughest challenges and is an example of Wincanton’s ambition to deliver truly innovative supply chain solutions.
2022’s competition invited 15 start-ups to pitch with a range of forward looking technologies and solutions in areas such as digital fulfilment and ESG.
“The key challenge is easy - deliver more volume, faster, for less. But entrants must be clear about where the innovation can add value. It does not have to be an incredibly complicated technological solution (though some might be), but it needs to add value and be relatively easy to roll out across Wincanton.”
These were whittled down to a final five: Find & Order (digital fulfilment); Nomagic (digital fulfilment); Automedi (ESG); Navflex Inc (Wildcard – technology and robotics); and Pick8ship Technology AG (Wildcard – technology and robotics).
Find & Order, based in France, uses its interactive mapping editor and algorithms to optimise picking operations in warehouses and stores, achieving increased product collection efficiency of up to 20%.
Nomagic, based in Poland, provides smart pick and place robots to eliminate labour intensive tasks in eCommerce and retail warehouses, while reducing cost per pick.
Automedi, based in Manchester, UK, makes functional products and services out of waste plastics, cutting out up to 98% of the CO2 of conventional supply chains by radically reducing the energy needed to manufacture and transport goods long haul.
Navflex, based in the US, has developed technology that autonomously loads and unloads any trailer, container or box truck with plug-and-play autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology that do not require infrastructure changes. The US-based business promises to increase safety and productivity while reducing product damage.
Pick8ship Technology AG, based in Switzerland, has developed a robotics fulfilment solution for managing storage, picking, sorting and shipping, using a single, fast, modular system. The technology reduces operating costs by 40-60%.
This isn’t a ‘good for optics’ exercise for Wincanton, the 3PL sees it as a way to accelerate technology that can help make a difference. Wincanton makes a considerable investment with senior management sponsoring the competition and interacting with the companies involved.
Wincanton head of the W2 innovation programme Claire Charlton, says: “Customer expectations are, rightly, incredibly high. As a supply chain partner to retailers, we are expected to be at the forefront of innovation to deliver value to them and ultimately to the end-consumer.
“The key challenge is easy - deliver more volume, faster, for less. But entrants must be clear about where the innovation can add value. It does not have to be an incredibly complicated technological solution (though some might be), but it needs to add value and be relatively easy to roll out across Wincanton.”
Dr Josef Haid, founder and CEO of competition entrant Pick8Ship says: “W² Labs is a great opportunity for us to engage with the UK’s leading logistics service provider, to test different use cases.”
Continuing on the theme of innovation, Haid adds: “The industry is in a major transition towards speed, automation and sustainability, with major challenges ahead. Retailers spend over two-thirds of their gross margin on logistics and increasing speed, efficiency and sustainability is a brutal challenge to most of them. There is too much handling and simply automating existing processes will not unlock required improvements. Today’s systems are too big, too inflexible and too capital intensive. Many automation projects just replace labour cost with capital and require too long pay back, not great in a fast-paced environment.”
The Pick8Ship solutions seeks to tackle this problem through the use of robotic picking and sorting, dense storage solutions, smart containers that eliminate double handling, all directed by AI and cloud WMS.
Moving to ESG, Automedi seeks to re-use waste plastic as functional products.
Automedi managing director Ethar Alali, says: “That’s the first time I have felt comfortable going to pitch! The opportunity we had to present was better than anything I’ve ever experienced.”
But the key win here is removing transport costs associated with disposing of plastic waste.
Ethar continues: “Putting the manufacturing and disposal together, where users are, removes steps in supply and disposal, because you don’t have to move any of that stuff anywhere. With fuel prices now so high, is starting to look like a very wise idea.
“We see Automedi as the internet of manufacturing. Making products wherever, whenever, by whoever. Automedi’s clusters taking plastics from anywhere, even as an alternative to cash in the poorest communities and returns products.”
Keep an eye on the Wincanton website for news of how the hopefuls get on.
For more information, visit www.wincanton.co.uk
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