Verity, On and Maersk collaborated on a pilot project to bridge the gap between the physical and digital supply chain environments by augmenting Verity’s autonomous inventory tracking system with radio frequency identification (RFID) capabilities.
“At Maersk, we are committed to leveraging advancements in logistics through cutting-edge technology,” says Jason Walker, head of Maersk contract logistics, North America. “The exploration of RFID-enabled drones in our warehouses is a testament to our dedication to innovation and operational excellence. Importantly, this technology enhances the capabilities of our team, empowering them to focus on more strategic tasks and drive continuous improvement”
Key takeaways:
- The pilot explores the potential of RFID technology and autonomous drones to enhance inventory visibility in one of On’s warehouses.
- Verity’s AI-driven, vision-based system delivers high-value inventory insights in more than 100 warehouses globally, in collaboration with various warehousing operators. By integrating RFID, Verity enables precise tracking and identification of individual items, such as products and packages, at every stage of the warehouse lifecycle, realizing the promise of a true warehouse digital twin.
- The Verity drones, augmented with RFID, autonomously navigate warehouse aisles, scanning RFID tags with over 99.9% accuracy at rates of up to 1,000 tags per items per second. The system enables seamless and efficient RFID tracking throughout warehouses without the need to redirect workflows, overcoming the challenges of traditional methods.
- The tests were conducted at a Maersk facility in California to evaluate the system in a high-volume, real-world warehouse environment.
- The testing phase spanned three months to validate the system’s performance for client-specific and wall-to-wall inventory counts.
- Over 1,500 flights completed during the testing period.
- More than 80 million RFID reads performed, covering approximately 1.25 million individual tags.
