Leading global provider of transportation and logistics solutions, XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), is the first to share results of their ProGlove pilot in North America. Speeds improved by 10% and picking errors were reduced by 75% with ProGlove.
CEO Brad Jacobs posted about it on LinkedIn.
XPO’s first pilot of the ProGlove MARK 2 was conducted over seven weeks at an XPO distribution center in Everett, Washington. In this pilot, ProGlove wearable barcode scanners were tested with smart-glass headsets worn by employees during inventory picking. Handheld tablets will be tested with ProGlove wearables for an upcoming second pilot. The goal is to leverage wearable technology to elevate ergonomics for its workers and reduce friction in workflows.
ProGlove wearable scanners are worn on the back of the hand and may be paired with an augmented-reality headset or other smart device. With full mobility, workers have access to real-time information about storage locations, product identifiers and inventory levels. The wearable barcode scanner captures data along the way and integrates seamlessly with the warehouse management system.
Notable Findings of the ProGlove Pilot
XPO expects that the benefits documented by the pilot should produce similar results across the company’s broad network of logistics sites:
- 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.
“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.”
Ashfaque Chowdhury, president, supply chain Americas and Asia Pacific, XPO Logistics
Valuable for e-Commerce
Logistics experts confirm e-commerce has accelerated substantially due to the challenges of COVID-19. XPO is an industry leader in e-commerce order fulfillment and among those contributing original research. In July, XPO released an independent research study that found 94% of US respondents expect to buy the same or more goods online going forward, compared with prior shopping habits. Some are even anticipating “Shipageddon.” Whatever you call it, finding a triple play gain in efficiency, reduction in errors, and ergonomic fit with the introduction of ProGlove is truly a bright spot for managing the workload. We couldn’t be more excited to be working with XPO Logistics.
If you’re ready to pilot ProGlove to see if you can capture value similar to XPO Logistics get in touch.
