Background

A major pet food company seeks to improve their picking processes through AR solutions. With continuous expansion and the need to meet growing demand, the company invests in digital tools and technology to enhance collaboration and innovation in manufacturing.

As the company is setting up a greenfield installation at their new facility, they have the unique opportunity to implement cutting-edge technology and stay at the forefront of trends in their industry. By doing so, they can gain a competitive edge and set themselves up for long-term success. The company is aware of the importance of future-proofing their processes, and this is why they are investing in innovative technology that can adapt to their evolving needs.

The variation of products being manufactured by the pet food company is highly individualized and continually evolving based on the latest scientific findings. As a result, it is essential for the company to have a solution that can meet their specific needs. With this in mind, the company is on the lookout for the perfect solution that can help them optimize their picking processes and reduce errors.

Challenges

The company is facing several challenges in their manufacturing process that are affecting their productivity and profitability. One of the main challenges they are facing is picking errors, which can occur when the factory staff pick the wrong item, quantity, or location. This can result in wasted time and resources, as well as low customers satisfaction.

Due to the growing complexity of their products, another challenges the company is facing is inefficient processes in the factory. This can lead to delays, errors, waste, and increased costs. The company needs to optimize their processes to increase efficiency and reduce waste.

Training and onboarding new factory staff can also be a significant challenge. It can be time-consuming and costly to train new staff members, and there is a risk that they may make mistakes due to complicated work with the pet food ingredients. The company needs a solution that can provide comprehensive training and onboarding resources to ensure that new staff members are fully prepared to carry out their roles efficiently. 

Solution

The pet food company has taken a strategic decision to implement vision picking as part of their efforts to optimize their picking processes. They opted for the TeamViewer Frontline solution, Pick, which runs seamlessly on the Zebra TC mobile device, a well-known device that is widely used in warehouses. This solution provides clear guidance to the factory staff, leaving no room for errors, which is crucial for the company to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction by delivering precise orders.

As the product is constantly developed and new ingredients are added to their individualized pet food line, the flexibility of the vision picking solution meets the company’s needs due to its highly adjustable and extendable character.

By simplifying complex instruction into clear guidance, the pickers are shown the right amount of information about the picking items, picking locations, and quantities. The validation is done via voice commands, an intuitive and natural interaction method, that streamlines the process further. Once the ingredients are picked, the staff can move on to the next location until the order is complete and ready to be packaged and shipped.

Outcome

The Frontline Pick solution is directly connected to the company's database, allowing for real-time data exchange, ensuring streamlined processes. As there is basically no delay, efficiency rates are sharply increasing.

Per its intuitive nature, vision picking is well-suited to support onboarding and training for newly recruited workers, which is essential for the pet food company as it continues to expand its facilities.