Connect with us

Logistics & Supply Chain

Vimaan emerges with first of its kind computer vision platform

Published

on

Vimaan emerges from stealth with first of its kind computer vision platform. Image: Pexels
Vimaan emerges from stealth with first of its kind computer vision platform. Image: Pexels
Listen to the story (FreightComms AudioPost)

 

Vimaan, a computer vision company for warehouse inventory management, emerged from stealth to announce its leading-edge, field proven solutions to the warehousing and logistics industry along with$25M in Seed and Series A financing from top investors New Enterprise Associates, Wing VC and Neotribe Ventures. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Vimaan automates and digitizes inventory capture, tracking and management across the warehouse, including receiving, put-away and picking, storage and pack and ship.

“The process of collecting inventory data is a major bottleneck within warehouse management. While there have been some technological advancements in robotics and warehouse automation over the past decade, the Vimaan platform is the first of its kind to offer wall to wall coverage of warehouse inventory,” stated S. K. Ganapathi, Founder and CEO of Vimaan. “Warehouse managers constantly face competing objectives of keeping inventory tracking labor costs low while simultaneously keeping inventory accuracy high. Vimaan has worked hand in hand with our blue-chip customers to design solutions that strike at the heart of data tracking challenges in the warehouse. The Vimaan platform enables a warehouse manager to realize 100% inventory accuracy and visibility with minimal labor oversight. This in turn results not only in labor savings, but also in reduced inventory wastage, fewer claims and chargebacks, reduced reverse logistics costs and overall improvement in quality.”

The Vimaan platform comprises computer vision-based technologies—including cameras, a sensor suite and computer vision algorithms—to “see”, interpret, and digitally reconstruct inventory according to the warehouse’s requirements. The solution is simultaneously capable of barcode and RFID reading. The data is presented to the customer in an intuitive software application that directly interfaces with the customer’s WMS and provides rich, actionable insights. The entire solution is designed to fit into existing workflows, with little to no infrastructure changes or training required for the warehouse workforce.

For the past 24 months, Vimaan has been working with leading 3PLs and brand owners to perfect its inventory tracking solutions. These customers, who are in full production with Vimaan solutions, have realized significant benefits in productivity and cost savings. Vimaan is now ready to share these solutions with the rest of the industry. Vimaan plans to launch a series of new products this year specifically designed to further support inventory tracking and inventory control in multiple areas of the warehouse. Over the coming weeks, Vimaan plans to announce details of its solutions, customer engagements and case studies of its deployments.

“Inefficiencies within the warehouse and logistics industries have spotlighted huge opportunities for technological advancement and investment,” said Greg Papadopoulos, Ph.D., Venture Partner at NEA. “We’ve been enthusiastically tracking the warehouse robotics and automation industry for a while and are thrilled to expand our portfolio in the space by partnering with Vimaan to apply revolutionary computer vision technology to transform inventory processes and empower warehouse managers across the industry.”

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Logistics & Supply Chain

Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley

Published

on

By

Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Image: Ryder
Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Image: Ryder
Listen to the story (FreightComms AudioPost)

 

Ryder System, Inc., a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, announces the establishment of Baton, A Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Baton’s mission is to pioneer a suite of groundbreaking customer-facing technologies designed to revolutionize how Ryder’s customers interact with their transportation and supply chain networks. These technologies will digitize and optimize networks at a level not currently available in the industry and will prepare Ryder for the coming artificial intelligence wave.

“The establishment of a Silicon Valley-based technology lab is a natural evolution for Ryder, as we build on the $1.3 billion in strategic investments we’ve made over the past five years to develop, acquire, and invest in innovative technologies, products, and services that help make our customers’ logistics networks more efficient and resilient,” says Karen Jones, CMO and head of new product development for Ryder. “To build on that success, it’s paramount we continue to invest in recruiting the brightest technology minds out there and provide them with a startup environment where they have the space and freedom to create, along with the resources of a $12 billion company.”

Leading Ryder’s innovation lab are Andrew Berberick and Nate Robert, co-chief product and technology officers for Ryder. The two founded San Francisco-based startup Baton, which was known for the development of a proprietary logistics technology focused on optimizing transportation networks. Ryder initially invested in Baton’s Series A funding round and then acquired the startup last year.

“What piqued our interest in Ryder then, and what keeps us excited today, is the fact that it’s the only fully integrated port-to-door logistics provider in North America managing the complex supply chains of many of the world’s biggest and best-known brands. That gives Ryder tremendous perspective and reach, and as engineers, it provides us with the unique opportunity to tackle some of the largest and most daunting problems in the industry today, while preparing Ryder and its customers for the coming AI wave,” says Berberick.

Baton’s first challenge is to create a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered digital platform and optimization engine that facilitates a new, integrated approach to managing transportation networks for customers where seasonality and fluctuating demand inhibit the continuous use of resources.

“There is a massive amount of waste when supply chains do not communicate. We believe we can change that and bring deep transformation to an entire sector,” says Robert. “That’s why we’re now actively recruiting talented technologists from some of Silicon Valley’s most respected technology firms to help solve some of the most complex problems plaguing the nearly $2.5 trillion North American transportation and logistics industry. We’re looking for engineers excited by the challenge and who want the autonomy and nimbleness of a startup environment but with the power, reach, and stability of a highly respected industry titan.”

Berberick holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Stanford University and worked for Google, Accenture, and Mindtribe; Robert holds a bachelor’s degree from MIT and master’s degree from Stanford University and worked for BuildZoom and Bain & Company, prior to cofounding Baton. Other key members of the Baton technology lab bring experience from Apple, Meta, OpenAI, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tesla, Loadsmart, Kinema Systems (acquired by Boston Dynamics), PlayStation, Zynga, and LinkedIn.

Continue Reading

Logistics & Supply Chain

Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals

Published

on

Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals. Image: APM Terminals
Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals. Image: APM Terminals
Listen to the story (FreightComms AudioPost)

 

Rail is acknowledged as the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land, with a gallon of fuel stretching an average of 500 miles, according to the Association of American Railroads. In July this year the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) endorsed the push for freight railroads, stating that the transport mode can play a key role in the solution to climate change.

That assessment is something that APM Terminals has been fully on board with for some time. We’re committed to raising the standards of responsibility by offering low or zero carbon solutions for customers and consumers through our decarbonisation efforts and increasing rail transport options.

Record loads in India

Take for example APM Terminals Pipavav, which has taken nearly 50,000 containers off the road to substantially reduce traffic congestion and pollution. Just last month the port handled 206 trains – the highest number this year so far, pulling significantly ahead of its previous loading record of 157 double stack trains in a month in 2020.

Carbon-conscious in the US

Pipavav is not an exception. A few months ago, our operations in Mobile Alabama announced a bumper $60 million rail expansion in response to demand from increasingly carbon-conscious customers.

According to EPA data, freight railroads account for just 0.5% of total US emissions and only 1.7% of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Added to this, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) states: “Moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers GHG emissions by up to 75%, on average”.

Sustainability with speed

The benefits of rail extend even beyond important net zero targets, as APM Terminals Americas Head, Leo Huisman acknowledges: “Our customers are looking for expanded options for their supply chains so we are focusing on faster connections to rail providers into inland markets.” The APM Terminals Mobile rail facility will therefore enable faster rail loading and departures.

Eyes trained on the future

Customer demand for sustainable and fast transport in the US and India is mirrored in Europe, where our colleague Homam Mansour is keeping his sights on the future of intermodal transport in his role as Rail Planner in our Gothenburg terminal, Sweden. Under his watch, Gothenburg has set an ambition to never refuse extra trains. Says Mansour: “We kept this promise throughout 2022, receiving and handling 84 extra trains requested by our customers at short notice”.

The commitment to rail has seen the volume of containers transported by rail via APM Terminals Gothenburg increase by 13% this year compared to 2021. More than 55% of all goods now reach the port by rail.

At APM Terminals globally, we train our sights on customer-focused, environment-friendly, and speedy supply chain solutions, and those priorities will continue to gain momentum.

Continue Reading

Environment

Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains

Published

on

Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains. Image: Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains. Image: Hapag-Lloyd
Listen to the story (FreightComms AudioPost)

 

Hapag-Lloyd has entered into a partnership with DB Schenker for the purpose of decarbonising supply chains. Following the launch of “Ship Green” in May, the renowned logistics provider has selected Hapag-Lloyd’s sustainable transport solution as part of its sustainability initiatives.

DB Schenker and Hapag-Lloyd have signed an agreement for emission-reduced container transports with a waste- and residue-based biofuel. By end of 2023, DB Schenker plans to claim approximately 3,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions avoidance. This is based on at least 1,000 tonnes of pure biofuel.

“We are excited about this new partnership with DB Schenker as we share the common goal of making logistics more sustainable. Collaborations like these set a clear signal in the industry and are another example of a step-by-step approach to further decarbonise supply chains”, said Henrik Schilling, Managing Director Global Commercial Development at Hapag-Lloyd.

“I am very pleased that together with Hapag-Lloyd we are setting another example for sustainability in our industry. This partnership further enlarges our global biofuel offer in ocean freight. With this commitment we are one step closer to our goal of becoming carbon-neutral”, said Thorsten Meincke, Global Board Member for Air & Ocean Freight at DB Schenker.

Hapag-Lloyd has launched the Ship Green product to offer its customers emission-reduced ocean transports. Based on biofuel, customers of Hapag-Lloyd can add Ship Green as an additional service to their existing bookings – thereby avoiding CO2e emissions. Using the so-called “Book & Claim” chain of custody, Hapag-Lloyd can attribute avoided emissions to all ocean-leg transports, regardless of the vessel and route used. Ship Green is available for all shipments containing standard, hardtop or tank equipment. By offering Ship Green, Hapag-Lloyd is continuing along its path towards achieving climate-neutral fleet operations by 2045.

Continue Reading

Popular

Copyright © 2017-18 | FreightComms | Made with ♥ in Singapore