AutoStore AS yesterday announced its new Unify Analytics cloud-based service and data platform. The technology enables businesses using AutoStore's automated storage and retrieval system, or ASRS, to gain access to data-led insights and identify the cause of operational issues, said the company.
Unify Analytics is available in two versions, a Web application where businesses can view real-time statistics and analytics, and an API that enables seamless integration with external third-party applications.
“Businesses can reap multiple benefits by combining automated storage and retrieval and data-led insights,” stated Andreas Munch, product manager at AutoStore. “This data analysis tool will allow businesses to be more proactive and respond rapidly to real-time challenges.”
Founded in 1996, AutoStore said it is a pioneer in cube storage automation, a dense order-fulfillment system. The Nedre Vats, Norway-based company works with qualified systems integrators to distribute, design, install, and service its products. It has offices in 11 countries.
Dashboard monitors AutoStore ASRS
The AutoStore System consists of an aluminum grid, mobile robots, bins, ports, and a controller. The stacked bins are arranged in a drid. Robots ride on rails along the top of the grid, retrieving bins as needed.
The bins are then delivered to a port, where warehouse operators are stationed to pick up or fill in products, tag, pack, and send them out. A controller acts as the brain behind the whole operation, said AutoStore.
Unify Analytics consists of several performance analysis dashboards that present ASRS operational data in graphical form, according to the company.
Examples of available data include uptime and number of stops within the system, waiting time per bin, average distance per robot, and the number of tasks a customer has prepared in the system per hour. It also shows if the software and firmware have been updated.
“Data is only effective if we measure the right metrics,” said Munch. “We currently include a selected list of key metrics and will develop and add new features to the software gradually, in close dialogue with our users.”
In the next stages of the technology, AutoStore said its developers plan to include an alert functionality. End users will get a notification via e-mail or SMS when set conditions are triggered, allowing businesses to respond quickly to operational challenges.
Unify Analytics is a single data platform
The AutoStore System generates vast amounts of information on a continuous basis, so a technology that organizes all that data onto a single platform can be very valuable, said the company. In Unify Analytics, that data is highly protected and meets security requirements, it added.
“All our installations around the world are connected, and we can retrieve information about how they're operating,” said Carlos Fernandez, chief product officer at AutoStore. “This allows us to further improve our systems, and the platform can provide insights and statistics so users can compare their installations to similar ones.”
“This condition-based predictive maintenance is part of our goal of giving full control to customers,” he told Robotics 24/7.
“The new analytics tool secures access to real-time and logged data and is only accessible to designated end users and distribution partners,” noted Munch. “We automatically deploy software updates when they are available, without any system downtime.”
Unify Analytics is intuitive and easy to use and does not require any training or extensive technical skills to implement, claimed AutoStore. The Web platform and API are now available.
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