Using AI Technologies for a Supply Chain Digital Transformation

Supply chain digital transformation includes many aspects to the facility. According to Global Trade Magazine, “Businesses can optimize efficiency, transparency, and customer satisfaction by integrating advanced technologies like AI, blockchain, IoT, and big data analytics.” Supply chain Digital Transformation 4.0 includes “data stream flows seamlessly through interconnected systems, enabling real-time monitoring, forecasting, and optimization.” This is true for not only the processes within the facility, but it is also applied to material handling vehicles such as forklifts, reach trucks and pallet jacks to name a few.

What is Supply Chain Digital Transformation

Supply chain digital transformation is the digitizing of processes moving away from paper-based, non-cumulating of information type of solutions. The new digital version of the process enables the gathering, tracking and analysis of data that is captured through the digital processes. These processes will provide better productivity and efficiencies enabling the supply chain to move smoother, better, faster with bottom line cost savings.

Don’t Forget to Include Material Handling Vehicles

As the supply chain digital transformation began, the material handling vehicles were not initially included. There were bigger fish to fry, according to the facility professionals. However, we also have to include that the forklift safety solutions were in its infancy, as SIERA.AI only began 7-8 year ago at the time of this article. The first forklift safety solution for very simple digital checklists that didn’t even collect the data. And the pedestrian detection forklift safety was with RFID the ‘newest’ technology at the time. Today, it’s a bit behind the times and causes a risk as the visitors or pedestrians need to wear something in order for the person to be identified. What if the person doesn’t wear it? At risk.

Many of the digital checklist inspection solutions allowed the operators to answer the questions electronically, but nothing was capturing the information.

Using AI Technologies

With the adoption of AI technologies, machine learning and vision technologies, safety was taken to new heights. Many are nervous with this type of technologies, but it’s an affective solution for forklift safety for the operators and for the pedestrians. How?

The AI technologies have been learning for years how to identify and know the difference between a pedestrian and an object. The forklift safety system today (by SIERA.AI) has the ability to scan the environment and scan to the distance you, the customer sets. If you want 5 feet, 25 feet whatever is best for your facility, it will identify anything or anybody that comes within that distance.    

When someone or something comes within that predefined distance, it will notify the operator with both visual and audio alerts. If what is being alerted is a person, a human symbol will be shown to the driver along with a beeping alert. If it is an object within the path, a symbol of a box along with the audio alert is provided to the lift truck operator. The combination of the two works to ensure an action is taken by the driver.

Capturing the Information

All of the information is captured, along with impacts, near misses and the forklift inspection results in a digital telemetry Dashboard. Here you will be able to dig deeper within the data to understand dates, assets and more in order to get a good understanding of what’s going on in the facility so you can make decisions for productivity and efficiency in your facility.

Contact Us!

Contact us today at sales@siera.ai or call us at (512) 817 0702.