Scottsdale, Arizona-based supply chain technology company Blue Yonder on Tuesday released not one but two new solutions geared toward quick and easy fulfillment.
The first, Warehouse Execution System, is designed to help warehouse operators onboard and orchestrate workflows for their staff, whether human or robot. The other, Adaptive Fulfillment & Warehousing, is built to enable automated inventory management and omnichannel fulfillment, including options like curbside and same-day delivery.
Both solutions are powered by Blue Yonder’s Luminate platform, which leverages AI and machine learning to provide intelligent insights.
“As labor shortages persist, e-commerce order volumes increase and delivery windows tighten due to customer expectations, companies face efficiency and profitability challenges to the entire supply network,” said Desikan Madhavanur, chief development officer of Blue Yonder. “From first to last mile, companies need the ability to respond faster while keeping fulfillment time and costs as low as possible. These two new Blue Yonder solutions enable agile and scalable modern-day warehouse and microfulfillment operations.”
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Each of the new products comes with a laundry list of features designed to work alongside both people and machines.
The Warehouse Execution System combines the capabilities of other Blue Yonder solutions, like Warehouse Tasking and Robotics Hub, to automate workflows for both humans and robots. Here are a few of its perks:
- Single resource orchestration system to manage and control fulfillment across operations.
- Plug-and-play integrations for easy onboarding of new robotics.
- Standardized APIs designed to work with a warehouse’s existing systems.
- Modular architecture that allows select services to be activated based on customer need, as well as permitting new services to be added as business needs change.
- In-depth analytics, including real-time visibility and insights into future events.
The other new product, Adaptive Fulfillment & Warehousing, extends capabilities beyond the warehouse. Designed to boost speed and efficiency while maintaining accuracy, the solution includes:
- Omnichannel fulfillment, including curbside, same-day and batch-order picking.
- End-to-end operations to enable inventory management, store replenishment, shipping service integration and last-mile delivery.
- Initial implementation that spans only a few weeks, with new activations taking days.
- Inbound processing capabilities, like rapid receiving and advanced shipping notice.
- Cross-docking capabilities to speed the flow of goods from receiving to outbound.
- Full product visibility from receipt to shipment.
- Outbound processing capabilities, like directed and undirected picking, and replenishment to refill forward pick locations.
- Resource management and intelligent task optimization.
- Integration with parcel and last-mile delivery providers.
- Standard integrations with the Luminate platform.
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Together, Blue Yonder’s new offerings can be adapted for microfulfillment centers, back of store and single-purpose deployments like standalone packing stations. That, combined with their ability to integrate with both humans and robots, makes them some of the more flexible solutions on the market for warehousing and fulfillment technology.
There could soon be more news on the horizon for Blue Yonder.
Less than a year after the firm was acquired by Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Holdings Corp. for over $7 billion in 2021, Panasonic revealed its plans to spin off its supply chain business through an initial public offering, with Blue Yonder as its centerpiece. The company has not yet made a final decision as to a listing.
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