B2B technology developer Nokia recently announced the launch of an inventory-counting capability for its Nokia Autonomous Inventory Monitoring Service (AIMS). The new option can enable warehouse operators to utilize autonomous drones to individually count items - such as eaches, cases, or cartons - in any racked inventory location.
Nokia said warehouse shrinkage can account for 3-5% of a company’s revenue and 25% of shrinkage is due to administrative errors. This shrinkage, combined with continued pressure to fulfill orders rapidly has pushed warehouse operators to a tipping point of futureproofing and automating operations to gain a business edge.
The new inventory-counting capability adds to Nokia AIMS’ current features of finding misplaced and lost inventory, as well as empty bin detection. If a human worker can count inventory from the aisle, the company said a Nokia AIMS drone can count it too. Identified inventory counts are then compared with warehouses’ existing warehouse management system (WMS) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to identify any quantity mismatches.
While many cycle counts use the ABC method, where inventory is counted based on varying frequency, Nokia said its AIMS system can efficiently check every location much more frequently to ensure its customers get a more accurate, reliable, and complete picture of their inventory.
RaaS system autonomously counts up to 300 locations per hour
Nokia delivers AIMS through a robotics-as-a-service model (RaaS) comprising of drones, software, and a cloud-based user interface. A Nokia AIMS drone can complete cycle counts approximately 7-10 times faster than human workers, counting around 300 inventory locations per hour.
The company said AIMS can provide customers with a 40% or greater ROI and deliver immediate value on the day it is launched.
The Nokia AIMS inventory-counting capability is now available to customers in the United States. Existing Nokia AIMS customers will automatically gain access to this capability via a software update with no additional costs. New Nokia AIMS customers who sign up in 2024 will receive this capability for free for one year.
“Empowering warehouse operators with a competitive edge and keeping them at the forefront of automation is at the heart of whatNokia AIMS does,” said Paul Heitlinger, Nokia AIMS general manager. “Customers can not only gain peace of mind as our drones are designed to work while customers sleep but also free up human workers for high-value tasks that make a difference for their businesses.”
Spun out from Nokia Bell Labs, Nokia AIMS reflects the company’s deep heritage of utilizing emerging technology, such as AI and automation, to develop technology advancements that are human by design and answer the industry’s biggest demands.
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