Intralogistics in the Automotive Sector with Industrial Smart Watches

In the modern automotive industry, efficiency is the key to success. Industrial smart watches offer an innovative solution for optimizing picking processes and revolutionizing everyday work.

The role of industrial smart watches in intralogistics

Industrial smart watches are playing an increasingly important role in today's intralogistics. These wearable devices allow employees to receive real-time data directly on the back of their hand. This allows them to concentrate on their main tasks and work more efficiently at the same time. No further monitors or additional devices are required, which significantly reduces unnecessary travel times.

By integrating Industrial Smart Watches into work processes, companies can achieve significant time and cost savings. The smart watches offer higher productivity through hands-free gripping, error minimization through process guidance on the back of the hand and fast input, corrections and confirmations on the display.

Advantages of hands-free picking

The use of industrial smart watches enables employees to keep their hands free, which is a great advantage in all intralogistics processes, such as order picking or storage. This not only reduces physical strain, but also minimizes the error rate, as employees can use both hands for their work. It also eliminates time-consuming picking and placing of the scanner, error-prone processes and unnecessary travel times to read information.

Free hands also mean greater flexibility and safety in the workplace. Employees can react more quickly to unforeseen situations and are less prone to accidents. Ergonomics in the workplace are also improved, which leads to greater employee satisfaction in the long term.

Success stories from the automotive industry

There are already many successful examples of the use of industrial smart watches in the automotive industry. One outstanding example is the Mercedes-Benz logistics center in Fürth, which made a groundbreaking decision by introducing the NIMMSTA Industrial Smart Watch. This decision has not only significantly improved the efficiency but also the quality of the picking processes. The Smart Watches are used in various areas, including order picking, incoming goods and stock transfer.

The introduction of the NIMMSTA Industrial Smart Watch has enabled the 44 employees, who process around 35,000 orders a day, to keep their hands free while working faster and more accurately with the warehouse management system. This has led to a significant optimization of operations as employees are now able to access important information without interruption and with minimal effort. The Smart Watches provide real-time data and enable quick input and corrections directly on the wrist, reducing errors and increasing productivity.

With this innovation, the Fürth center has set new standards and fundamentally changed logistics. Employees report better ergonomics and greater satisfaction, as the physical strain of constantly putting down scanners has been eliminated. The introduction of smart watches has also increased safety. Overall, the Mercedes-Benz Logistics Center Fürth has taken on a pioneering role by integrating the NIMMSTA Industrial Smart Watch and demonstrates how modern technology can revolutionize efficiency and quality in intralogistics.

Integration and implementation in existing systems

The integration of Industrial Smart Watches into existing systems follows a clear plan: each warehouse has its own challenges and workflows, so an individual approach is chosen for optimal support. First, a detailed process analysis is carried out to identify optimization opportunities in the current processes. Relevant data, such as a CSV file, is used to improve the process.

The optimized version is then made available on the Smart Watch. The smart watch and the improved process can then be tested in the real warehouse environment to evaluate the user-friendliness for employees and the actual time savings. The return on investment (ROI) and other relevant key figures are then calculated based on the real-time data from the test. These results support a well-founded decision as to whether the solution is suitable for the respective application.

Future developments and potential

The technology of Industrial Smart Watches is constantly evolving and future versions will be even more powerful and versatile. Improved sensors, longer battery life and extended communication options are just some of the advances expected.

The potential for the use of Industrial Smart Watches in intralogistics is enormous. As the technology develops, they could be used even more widely in the future, for example for automatically recording stock levels or communicating directly with autonomous vehicles and robots.