UPS Supply Chain Solutions (UPS SCS) has announced the official opening of its first innovation centre globally, connecting businesses in Asia with emerging technologies in logistics.
UPS said in a statement that the center — located in Singapore — will see UPS collaborating with strategic partners to "incubate, test, and deploy next-generation technology" to help businesses accelerate their digitalization journey in a transforming world.
Technology as an enabler for supply chain resilience
UPS noted that digital transformation is the main disruptor in the logistics industry and will account for US$1.72 trillion in investments allocated to logistics by 2025, citing data from the World Economic Forum.
It said even prior to the ongoing supply chain crunch, UPS has invested US$1 billion a year on technology and innovation, from augmented reality to autonomous robots and drones.
It added that this is especially relevant for the Asia Pacific region, where companies are increasing investments in warehouse automation technologies to enhance productivity and competitiveness.
"The Asia Pacific Innovation Centre is our dedicated platform to bring
next-generation technologies and solutions to life collaboratively with our
customers. Nearly two years of pandemic-related disruptions have led to
extensive shifts in the way companies and consumers source and receive goods, as well as sped up long-anticipated trends, such as the adoption of e-commerce and at-home consumption," said UPS executive Philippe Gilbert.
"The Asia Pacific Innovation Centre represents our commitment to accelerate the application of emerging digital technologies that reimagine and redefine a new normal for our customers in Asia and across the global supply chain," he added.
Launchpad for supply chains of the future
UPS said the Asia Pacific Innovation Centre consists of specialized zones that include a mock-up of a warehouse for real-time demonstrations of the latest technology, as well as dedicated areas in a real warehouse for hands-on pilot collaborations with customers.
"UPS envisions the innovation centre to be a testbed to explore and
implement new technologies that have yet to be deployed on a large scale," it said.
UPS said it is already in close collaboration with customers and leading technology partners to converge innovations such as autonomous mobile robots (AMR), radio-frequency identification (RFID), and drones.
UPS noted that it is the first to deploy the Geek+ RoboShuttle® RS-5 tote-picking robot in Singapore featuring extended-depth bin-to-person picking capability which saves close to 50% of warehouse space and uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for order analysis and robot scheduling, thus increasing overall productivity, accuracy, and warehouse density.
Plans for the Asia Pacific Innovation Centre include collaborating with academia for in-depth supply chain research technology, sharing of industry best practices, and expansion of UPS’s innovation centre to other parts of the world.
