Warehouse automation and robotics vendor GreyOrange displayed its “fulfillment operating system” at the Modex trade show today, saying the platform is designed to serve users who wish to use fulfillment as a competitive advantage by deploying large numbers of robots across their distribution centers.
The system works by supporting real-time interactions between the company’s GreyMatter software and its “Ranger” robots, informing the fulfillment operating system with the intelligence it needs to continuously prioritize orders and fulfillment activities, GreyOrange said.
Ranger robots communicate with each other and with GreyMatter as actual operations are executed so that the system keeps pace with real-time order flow and other realities such as workers on hand, worker pace, inventory availability, packing times, and shipping windows. The system also gives distribution center managers and workers a complete view of real-time operations on the floor through a GreyMatter Command Center. In that platform, control screens present information needed to stay on top of order fulfillment pace and other metrics, allowing managers to adjust the work assigned to pick-pack stations, robots and people.
The two levels work together, with the Fulfillment Operating System automatically making operational adjustments based on real-time performance data and pre-set business rules, while the GreyMatter Command Center enables non-programmers to amend priorities and business rule parameters based on real-time needs to further direct performance. The GreyMatter Command Center also provides analytic tools for assessing performance over time, tools for maintaining robot health, and diagnostic and troubleshooting tools to quickly correct any performance issues that occur.
