Interoperability takes center stage at ProMat

Honeywell has expanded its ability to help companies achieve automation interoperability in the distribution center (DC), and is demonstrating many of its automation solutions and robotics at ProMat 2023 in Chicago this week.

Under the pressures of an ongoing labor shortage and heightened e-commerce demands, companies have rushed to implement automation and robotics in their warehouse operations. The result of that is often disparate systems and machines that don’t work together or “communicate” effectively. Honeywell’s software and operational solutions improve technology compatibility, enabling the seamless exchange of data and information for better-informed decision making, maximum efficiency, and improved automation return on investment (ROI), according to the company. 

Achieving automation system integration today is a building block for the foundation for scalable, technology-forward dark warehouses of the future, the company said in a press release ahead of the ProMat event.

Interoperability represents the ability to connect and seamlessly integrate warehouse automation technologies, and Honeywell has expanded its capabilities to meet the growing needs for long-term compatibility of these investments:

• The Honeywell Universal Robotics Controller (HURC) acts as a digital backbone in DCs to tightly integrate robotics with software and unify control. The central system allows robots to learn from each other, enabling faster implementation, meaningful performance improvements, and significant scale of automation.
• Honeywell’s Momentum Warehouse Execution System utilizes machine-learning algorithms and data-driven optimization techniques to orchestrate disparate automation systems and empower DCs with dynamic decision-making intelligence.
• Honeywell Forge Connected Warehouse offers an end-to-end view of business operations, helping with data analysis and reporting, and enabling businesses to identify trends, optimize inventory levels, and measure asset health and reduce waste.

In addition to helping warehouse operators address the automation interoperability gap, Honeywell is also helping them alleviate labor challenges with automation solutions.   (Honeywell, www.sps.honeywell.com/us/en/events/productivity/us-en/2023/promat-2023)