Volvo

Driving innovation: How Volvo Group improved picking quality by 25% with vision picking

The story in a nutshell

Volvo Group improved warehouse efficiency with TeamViewer Frontline’s vision picking solution, using smart glasses for real-time task guidance
Achieved a 25% boost in picking quality, faster workflows, and reduced training times
Scalable, device-agnostic technology supports global logistics and empowers employees
Innovation ensures uptime for vehicles critical to essential functions like healthcare, transportation, and infrastructure

Challenge

Volvo Group Service Market Logistics provides spare parts and aftermarket services to the whole Group, which includes Volvo Trucks, Volvo Buses, and Volvo Construction Equipment. It ensures efficient spare parts delivery across its 3,000+ global dealer network, maintaining vehicle uptime for critical societal functions such as stocking grocery stores, delivering medical supplies to hospitals, maintaining public transportation systems, and enabling construction projects that drive infrastructure development.

The goal of the Service Market Logistics team was to even better serve their dealer network by further improving speed as well as accuracy across their distribution centres.

Solution

Volvo implemented TeamViewer Frontline’s vision picking solution Frontline, starting with its Sydney Distribution Center that caters dealers in the APAC region. Warehouse employees use smart glasses that deliver real-time information, such as part locations, descriptions, and required quantities. The solution includes advanced scanning and verification features, which reduced errors and improved overall reliability.

"Before vision picking was implemented our people worked with manual or paper-based processes. We decided to implement vision picking to provide a structure and a process to the pickers that they can use to do their job in a better way. It improved the picking quality by 25%.", says Christopher Murphy, Director Service Market Logistics at Volvo Group Australia.

The device-agnostic nature of TeamViewer's solution allowed Volvo to use the hardware of their choice, considering the preferences of the employees, and ensuring seamless integration into their existing logistics ecosystem.

Outcome

A remarkable 25% improvement in picking quality, translating to fewer errors and faster order fulfillment.
Streamlined workflows and enhanced worker satisfaction through intuitive, easy-to-use technology that minimizes training time and increases confidence in task completion.
Scalable solution for further rollout across Volvo’s global distribution network.

”We're looking for the best-in-class technology, but we're also looking to work with companies that can scale globally since we are a very diverse organization all around the world. My vision is for every distribution center will have vision picking supporting our automation technologies to make our processes more efficient and demonstrate the high level of innovation across the organization.”