Warehouse shrinkage can account for 3-5% of a company’s revenue, meanwhile, 25% of shrinkage is due to administrative errors. This combined with the continued pressure to fulfill orders rapidly has pushed warehouse operators to a tipping point of futureproofing and automating operations to gain a business edge.
To help warehouses reduce errors, Nokia today launched its Autonomous Inventory Monitoring Service (AIMS). This service enables warehouse operators to use autonomous drones to individually count items, such as eaches, cases, or cartons, in any racked inventory location.
“Empowering warehouse operators with a competitive edge and keeping them at the forefront of automation is at the heart of what Nokia AIMS does,” Paul Heitlinger, general manager of Nokia AIMS, said. “We are excited to launch an industry-first, true inventory counting capability for new and existing customers, wherever and whenever. With it, customers can not only gain peace of mind as our drones are designed to work while customers sleep but also free up human workers for high-value tasks that make a difference for their businesses.”
The new inventory counting capability adds to Nokia AIMS’ current features of finding misplaced and lost inventory, as well as empty bin detection. If a human worker can count inventory from the aisle, the Nokia AIMS drone can count it too, the company says. Once the count is taken, the system compares identified inventory counts with the warehouses’ existing WMS to ERP systems to identify any quantity mismatches.
Typical cycle counts use the ABC method, Nokia said, where inventory is counted based on varying frequencies. AIMS, however, checks every location much more frequently to help customers get a complete picture of their inventory, the company said.
How can customers access the new AIMS capabilities?
AIMS is delivered as a service in a complete solution made up of drones, software, and a cloud-based user interface. A Nokia AIMS drone can complete cycle counts approximately 7-10 times faster than human workers or around 300 inventory locations per hour, according to the company. AIMS can provide customers with a 40% greater ROI and deliver immediate value on the day it is launched, the company says.
Inventory counting capability is now available to customers in the United States, the company said. Existing Nokia AIMS customers will automatically gain access to this capability via a software update with no additional costs. New Nokia AIMS customers who sign up in 2024 will receive this capability for free, for one year.
