In the first quarter of this year, in Warsaw, Zabrze, and Głuchów near Poznań – three DHL Express sorting centers, BCS Polska launched an on-line pallet identification system on forklifts. The system’s assumptions were as follows:
1. a system based on Symbol terminals and radio communication (on-line data transmission),
2. pallet identification: parcel code, postal code, weight,
3. full two-way communication and real-time operation,
4. compliance with GUM standards (scales on forklifts),
5. use of PDT3146 handheld terminals already in use at DHL Express,
6. ROI (return on investment) of less than 6 months.
The solution proposed by the BCS Polska and DHL Express project team was a major challenge because DHL Express set the following task: to transmit in real-time to the database all identified pallet parameters (parcel code, postal code – recorded in barcode form, and pallet weight) and to send feedback to the operator to direct them to the correct loading terminal. In fact, the system should:
1. register the fact of a pallet “passing through” the sorting center,
2. register pallet data (postal code, parcel code, weight),
3. communicate on-line with the Oracle database server,
4. control the process of further pallet loading (directing to the correct terminal),
5. react to any extraordinary situations (unstable weight, scale not tared, lack of radio network,
lack of handheld terminal operator, etc.),
6. operate in accordance with industrial automation device principles (automatic operation, manual operation, emergency operation).
The fundamental issue was the proper linking and synchronization of all communication links:
1. electronic scales on forks with RS-232 interface (batch operation in query mode),
2. VRC8946 forklift terminals with Spectrum 24 radio communication (link to server), application in PocketPC environment, local database (protection in case of radio network failure), RS-232 link (cooperation with scale), barcode scanner (manual mode, where the forklift driver reads the parcel code and postal code themselves),
3. PDT3146 handheld terminals with Spectrum 24 radio communication, application in client-server technology (forklift identification, code reading),
4. WaveLink server (client-server technology) for supporting PDT3146 terminals and cooperation with the
TCP/IP server,
5. TCP/IP server for supporting applications on VRC8946 terminals and cooperation with Oracle via DLL library,
6. DLL library for data exchange between the weighing system and Oracle (sending pallet data, returning information about the so-called direction).
The system currently uses existing systems and devices. Of course, it was necessary to expand this base with new types of devices and create new applications.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 5/2004.