MHI’s automated picking solution using Sigma Sink fully implemented at Kirin Group’s Ebina logistics center, the first such system in Japan

TOKYO, December 12, 2024 – (JCN News) – – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TIO:) (MHI) and Mitsubishi Logisnekt Co., Ltd., part of the MHI Group, announce that their automated order picking solution that uses the “Sigma Sink” solution concept (Sigma Sink) (1) to enable automation and intelligence for at the Ebina Logistics Center in Ebina, Kanagawa, commissioned operations at the Prefecture’s beverage warehouses, managed by Kirin Group Logistics (Eastern Japan Regional Office, Shonan Branch). The system, commissioned by Kirin Group companies, Kirin Beverage Co., Ltd. and Kirin Group Logistics Co., Ltd., is the first of its kind to be used in Japan.(2) The delivery volume will gradually increase from January 2025. .

The automated picking solution used by Sigma Sink, developed by MHI Group, introduces automation and intelligence to the picking tasks that were previously performed manually by workers who were also responsible for considering how to improve efficiency in their picking operations. The system uses a proprietary optimization engine and integrated control system to efficiently coordinate multiple automated guided forklifts (AGFs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and palletizers (3) to reduce the number of pick and transfer operations, optimize the picking process, and improve throughput ( processing capacity).

Companies face challenges to improve the working environment for logistics operations in beverage warehouses and other facilities, such as measures to address the shortage of logistics operators and heavy cargo handling. In order to provide solutions to these issues, in November 2022, MHI Group and Kirin Group started a joint demonstration project to introduce MHI Group’s automated picking solution in a beverage warehouse. (4) The project verified the efficiency of the system for logistics centers. , which led to the decision to implement an automated order picking solution at the Ebina logistics center in November 2023, which ultimately resulted in the start of operations.

MHI Group continues to collaborate with Kirin Group on joint demonstration projects for the automation of input and output processes in beverage warehouses using a new type of unmanned forklift equipped with Sigma Sink,(5) and automation solutions for truck loading and unloading.(6) In the future, through these joint demonstrations, MHI and Mitsubishi Logisnext will promote the development and implementation of optimal solutions for the challenges faced by warehouse logistics facilities, and further accelerate the response to regulatory changes in the logistics industry in 2024 in order to alleviate the shortage of logistics operators, improve the working environment and reduce working hours and waiting times for truck drivers.

(1) Sigma Sink is MHI’s standard platform for synchronizing and coordinating different types of machine systems. It brings together a range of digital technologies to make machine systems intelligent and enable optimized operation.

(2) Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

(3) A palletizer is a device that automatically places and stacks products, such as beverage boxes, on pallets.

(4) For more information on the start of the joint demonstration of automated order picking solutions with Kirin Group, please see the following press release. www.mhi.com/nevs/22112101.html

(5) Next-generation unmanned forklift on display at Logis-Tech Tokyo 2024. For more information, see the following press release. www.mhi.com/nevs/240903.html

(6) For more information on the joint demonstration projects between MHI and the Kirin Group for the automation of inbound and outbound storage processes, please see the following press release. www.mhi.com/nevs/24082201.html

About MHI Group

The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, encompassing energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help achieve a carbon-neutral world, improve quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories at spectra.mhi.com.

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