DHL Supply Chain has worked together with Cisco and start-up Conduce to implement Internet of Things technology at three pilot warehouses in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands to optimize operational efficiency and improve safety.

According to DHL, activities are monitored in real time with a graphical visualization of operational data aggregated from sensors on scanners, material handling equipment and the warehouse management system. The use of heat maps is expected to contribute to operational efficiency and better employee safety.

“Through our collaboration with Cisco and Conduce, we are integrating innovative solutions to build the digital supply chain of tomorrow today,” said Markus Voss, chief information officer and chief operating officer of DHL Supply Chain. “This is changing the way we collect, analyze and use data, and ultimately, our ways of working at these sites. By monitoring operational activities in real time rather than retrospectively, we can interpret data more meaningfully, and immediately re-engineer processes or warehouse layouts to boost operational efficiency and address potential safety blind spots in a warehouse.”

DHL and CISCO published a joint trend report and the Internet of Things in logistics in 2015.

“Continuing jointly on the topic of digital transformation, we are turning IoT to reality within the warehouse environment,” said Chris Dedicoat, executive vice president of worldwide sales and field operations at Cisco. “This is made possible by leveraging existing Cisco Wi-Fi infrastructure within the warehouse to obtain location services together with the Conduce solution.”

Conduce specializes in unifying and visualizing enterprise data, which can provide insight into activity peaks and warehouse layouts and processes.

“The platform does not just display operational data, it unlocks insights into how well warehouses are running,” said Kevin Parent, CEO of Conduce. “By pulling together data of all elements in a warehouse environment into one unified, engaging interface, Conduce helps decision makers at DHL to achieve improved, measurable results in the real world.”