Tokyo, December 12, 2024 – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd., a part of the MHI Group, announce that their automated order picking solution, which uses the “ΣSynX” (Sigma Synx) solution concept (Note 1) for automation and intelligence for order picking work in beverage warehouses, has been launched in Ebina Logistics Center in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, under the management of Kirin Group, commissioned Logistics (Eastern Japan Regional Office, Shonan Branch). The Kirin Group company Kirin Beverage Co., Ltd. and Kirin Group Logistics Co., Ltd. The system ordered is the first of its kind to be used in Japan. (Note 2) Shipping volume will be gradually increased starting January 2025.
The automated picking solution with ΣSynX developed by MHI Group introduces automation and intelligence to picking work that was previously carried out manually by workers who also had to think about how to improve the efficiency of their picking operations. The system uses a proprietary optimization engine and an integrated control system to efficiently coordinate multiple automated guided vehicles (AGFs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and palletizers (Note 3) to reduce the number of picking and transfer operations and improve the picking process optimize and improve throughput (processing capacity).
Companies are faced with the challenge of improving the working environment for logistics operations in beverage warehouses and other facilities, such as measures to address the shortage of logistics employees and heavy load picking. With the aim of providing solutions to these problems, MHI Group and Kirin Group launched a joint demonstration project in November 2022 to introduce MHI Group's automated order picking solution in a beverage warehouse. (Note 4) The project verified the effectiveness of the system for logistics centers This led to the decision to implement an automated order picking solution at the Ebina Logistics Center in November 2023, which ultimately led to its commissioning.
MHI Group continues to work with Kirin Group on joint demonstration projects to automate input and output processes in beverage warehouses using a new type of unmanned forklift equipped with ΣSynX, (Note 5) and automation solutions for loading and unloading trucks (Note 6 ). ) Through these joint demonstrations, MHI and Mitsubishi Logisnext will advance the development and application of optimal solutions to the challenges of warehouse logistics facilities in the future, and further accelerate the response to regulatory changes in logistics. The new industry in 2024 aims to alleviate the shortage of logistics companies , to improve the working environment and reduce working hours and waiting times for truck drivers.
- 1ΣSynX is MHI's standard platform for synchronizing and coordinating various types of machine systems. It brings together a range of digital technologies to make machine systems intelligent and enable optimized operations.
- 2Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
- 3A palletizer is a device that performs the automated placement and stacking of products, such as beverage crates, onto pallets.
- 4For more information on the launch of the joint demonstration of an automated order picking solution with Kirin Group, please see the press release below.
https://www.mhi.com/news/22112101.html - 5A next-generation unmanned forklift will be on display at Logis-Tech Tokyo 2024. For more information, see the press release below.
https://www.mhi.com/news/240903.html - 6For more information about MHI and Kirin Group's joint demonstration projects to automate inbound and outbound warehouse processes, see the press release below.
https://www.mhi.com/news/24082201.html
Ebina Logistics Center is managed by Kirin Group Logistics
(Eastern Japan Regional Office, Shonan Branch)
Implementation in the Ebina Logistics Center
