XPO Pilots Wearable Technology for e-Commerce Logistics

XPO Logistics has announced a successful pilot of a wearable barcode scanner designed by technology partner ProGlove, Inc.

The first pilot of the ProGlove MARK 2 was conducted over seven weeks at an XPO distribution center in Everett, Washington, using smart-glass headsets worn by employees during inventory picking; a second pilot will test the same scanner with hand-held tablets.

The intelligent scanner is worn on the back of the hand and can be paired with an augmented reality headset or other smart device, which displays real-time information about storage locations, product identifiers and inventory levels.

The technology integrates with XPO’s warehouse management system and digital tools used in the order preparation process.

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XPO expects that the benefits documented by the pilot should produce similar results across the company’s broad network of logistics sites.

Notable findings include:

• Six seconds saved per pick, representing an efficiency gain of approximately 10%;

• 75% reduction in errors per million units picked;

• Valuable data assimilated by the company’s XPO Smart™ labor productivity tools; and

• Employee health and safety supported by the scanner’s ergonomic design, as well as the ability to set social distancing alerts.

Ashfaque Chowdhury, president, supply chain – Americas and Asia Pacific, XPO Logistics, said: “Wearable technologies make it easier to work with precision in the fast-paced logistics environment.

"It’s not unusual for each of our e-commerce fulfillment centers to manage thousands of different product SKUs during peak seasonality. With ProGlove, we can realize sustainable gains in productivity, while delivering a better experience for our employees.”

Andreas Koenig, chief executive officer of ProGlove said: “By seamlessly integrating with XPO’s warehouse management system and prioritizing the ergonomic needs of their workers, we can enhance efficiency as the sites accommodate e-commerce growth.”

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