Picavi Smart Glasses: Pump Manufacturer KSB Digitalises Its Spare Parts Logistics.

The well-known pump and fittings manufacturer KSB is relying on the pick-by-vision solution from Picavi at its new European central warehouse. The Picavi smart glasses are enabling the company to speed up its picking operations for the approx. 14,000 items in stock. This is the result of a three-month test phase at the KSB business site in Grünstadt. The Picavi solution is now being used in regular operations and is connected to the warehouse management system.

Grünstadt/Herzogenrath – The core element of the Picavi solution is the link between the smart glasses and special software that is coupled to KSB’s “viadat” warehouse management system. The employees obtain all the data about the current order on their glasses, depending on their particular situation, and it is available within their line of vision. The handheld devices used in the past are no longer necessary. The employees have all the relevant data available at any time. In addition to the job details, the distribution of items in the warehouse is shown (how many items are located in which area of the warehouse) and they obtain information about urgent orders. As a result, incoming emergency shipments become a direct part of the normal activities in the warehouse without the warehouse manager having to adopt any other measures. The employees have both hands free. All the major activities are managed via the Picavi smart glasses – from incoming stocks to picking and transport and even combining orders.

“The smart glasses are like a navigation system for the warehouse. Our software processes the data from the warehouse management system in graphical terms and makes it available in a comprehensible manner via the glasses. This is particularly suitable for products consisting of a number of small parts, as is often the case in spare parts logistics. The automatic vertical lifts, which are frequently encountered at spare parts warehouses and contain 1,000 different items, can also be integrated within the application. Time-consuming searches are a thing of the past with our smart glasses. In the end, they accelerate all the procedures,” says Carsten Funke, Director of Sales at Picavi, who has also been responsible for introducing the KSB project.

Wolfgang Mock, the manager of the KSB spare parts warehouse, can only confirm this. “Thanks to the introduction of the glasses at our warehouse in Grünstadt, we’ve experienced a significant increase in efficiency in our picking work. Our employees have readily welcomed the new technology too. As a result, we’ll soon be ordering further glasses in addition to the seven pairs that are already in use.”

Picavi GmbH Kaiserstrasse 100 52134 Herzogenrath Germany

Press contact Medienbüro am Reichstag GmbH Matthias Arnhold for Picavi: Reinhardstrasse 55 +49 30 20 61 41 30 28 10117 Berlin [email protected] Page 2/2 Germany
Picavi and the “viadat” producer, viastore Software GmbH, have been linked by a cooperation arrangement since 2017. The integration of the smart glasses in spare parts logistics at KSB is the first project covered by this partnership. Carsten Funke underlines the fact that the open system software solution from Picavi provides the opportunity for connecting the smart glasses to any existing warehouse management system. “When integrating the Picavi solution into the individual company, we always involve the employees right from the development stage. That’s the only way of creating a solution that resolves the practical problems and is accepted in everyday operations.”

About Picavi GmbH Picavi GmbH is an award-winning and well-recognised full-service provider with a 100 percent dedication of its intralogistics and wearable expertise to Pick-by-Vision solutions. By wearing smart glasses, a strict visual guidance through the complete picking process enables workers to maximize their productivity and minimize errors while working hands-free. Picavi is already being used by numerous logistics experts from a variety of sectors.

The German company is deeply rooted in the IT industry and in intralogistics. Picavi is an official Glass Partner, a Vuzix VIP Partner and connected to many other wearable providers, so the system works independently from the smart glass hardware. Clients worldwide can rely on a network of technology and sales partners such as DSA Systems in Northern America and WRH Global Australia for the Oceania region.

CEO Dirk Franke has over two decades of experience in the development and sale of software systems for paperless order picking. Alexander Voss, professor of applied informatics in Aachen, supports strategic product development and software quality assurance at Picavi as a consulting shareholder. A wide network of service, integration, technology and sales partners provides additional expertise.

Thanks to its practicality, the pick-by-vision solution was also awarded the IT Innovation Prize in the industry & logistics category by the Initiative Mittelstand association in 2016. In the same year, the IT and logistics specialist was one of three companies to be awarded the "Hidden Champion" prize in the "Vision" category by German news broadcaster n-tv.

More information: picavi.com