Equipment vendors aim to reduce product complexity

MHI's Modex 2016 show in Atlanta featured over 800 exhibitors, and even with five editors on the show floor, it was impossible for us to visit every booth and see every new product. But we did notice some trends in the latest offerings. Here are just three examples, all of which share a common thread: reducing complexity.

• Pick up your phone (or watch). Most people have smartphones nowadays, and using them is pretty intuitive. So why not shorten the learning curve by mimicking what's already familiar: the viewing and sharing of information via phone. Several exhibitors have done just that, including AeroVironment, whose PosiCharge ProCore battery chargers allow users to program the chargers and transfer data through a smartphone app. Another was Cognex Corp., which introduced rugged handheld assemblies that hold both off-the-shelf smartphones and a bar-code reader that works in tandem with the phone. TopVox Corp. went even smaller with its Lydia Smart Watch product, a voice-directed picking solution that displays pictures of the items to be picked on a consumer smartwatch.
• The more modular, the merrier. The use of "plug and play" modules and standard components makes equipment easier to assemble, update, repair, and reconfigure, an important consideration as companies struggle to find qualified technicians. Exhibitors making the leap to modular products included Interroll, which switched from custom conveyor designs to a more modular, configurable platform, and Kardex Remstar, which revamped its carousels to include standardized end and intermediate sections. Another example was Lenze Americas' Smart Motor, which now features modular plugins that let customers swap out control units, memory chips, and the power unit without any specialized tools or knowledge.
• Make it easy on the eyes. When people have to interact with multiple devices or hunt through vast amounts of information, they're more likely to make mistakes. The Raymond Corp. tackled that problem by integrating information that previously had to be viewed on four separate devices in a single display. The new display unit lets forklift operators view Raymond's iWarehouse telematics functionality and toggle between lift truck operations information, a height-tilt indicator, and an operator camera display. Another example (released but not exhibited during Modex) is "Subway Platform," a new feature of Seegrid's fleet control system that displays estimated-time-of-arrival (ETA) projections at individual stations where its vision-guided vehicles retrieve or deliver materials. Instead of having to find that information on a large display for the entire fleet, workers now can view only the information that's directly relevant to their station.