Boom! when 5G technology+AGvs

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) is a type of wheeled mobile robot, which moves along the wires or markers or magnetic strips on the floor, or through visual navigation or laser navigation. It is mostly applied to industry for transporting in warehouses.

Momo case: How can AGVs help?

Momo, the biggest B2C e-commerce platform in Taiwan, used AGVs instead of manual picking in their warehouses. The automated system schedules AGVs to pull goods at various points. Moreover, they can quickly shuttle back and forth to reduce picking movement, which improves the efficiency by about 4 times compared with the past, and releases about 60% of the labor resources. This can really add value to the work and assists Momo to optimize the picking process of handling, loading and unloading. Create a highly competitive smart warehouse.

Momo applied AVGs in warehouses.

Supported by 5G technology

In February of 2020, there was no warning of the pandemic. The demand for toilet paper increased sharply and shelves were empty in various parts of the world. Supported by 5G technology, Momo used AI forecasts to sort the items with the high speed. The combination of 5G technology and the AGVs can increasing machine intelligence and support new coordination mechanisms.

Due to that, the toilet paper that takes a lot of logistics capacity is directly delivered to the sub warehouse, which avoided blocking the storage lines of other epidemic prevention hot-selling products. At the same time, it also saves the transit time between the main warehouse and the sub warehouse. This smart warehousing becomes a winning weapon for logistic company. In face of the pandemic, Momo can respond quickly and grasp the opportunities.

Future: 5G apply to AGVs

In the past, when the data transmissions become limited, accidents might occur with Wi-Fi. Over the years, thanks to advancements in 5G connectivity, AGVs have moved closer to becoming truly autonomous robots, no longer reliant on preconfigured scripts.

With 5G, AGVs can utilize navigation algorithms, LiDAR sensors, vision technology and virtual map sharing to detect objects, think on their own and move autonomously through facilities. Wi-Fi can’t support these advanced machines with the seamless coverage and high data transfers needed to operate in sprawling environments. 5G is the only technology that can provide the reliability, bandwidth, coverage and security required to safely operate AGVs. The objective of it is to promote the realization of the vision of Industry 4.0.

UPS supports distribution of COVID-19 vaccine

Since the pandemic hit the world seriously, everyone is looking forward to the vaccines which can ease the impact. UPS, which has been supporting the fair distribution plan of COVID-19 vaccines with practical actions, hopes to protect global vaccine supply chain continues to operate through their foundations, medical care and other organizations. They also cooperates with COVAX, Immunization Gavi and the international care organization CARE, to give priority to the delivery of 20 million doses of vaccines to countries that have not yet obtained enough vaccines and medical personnel and other priority countries, including Indonesia and Myanmar.

UPS is ready to deliver the Covid-19 vaccines.

Coronavirus Testing Logistics Support Plan

“UPS is proud to provide logistics and transportation support to assist with the Administration’s special Coronavirus multi-city testing program. We stand ready to assist to help keep our communities safe,” said David Abney, UPS Chairman and CEO.

UPS are committed to rapidly adjusting the processes to ensure our employees, customers and communities can maintain normal daily life to the greatest extent possible while they adjust to the new realities of this pandemic.

Here are the capabilities of healthcare logistics plan:

• Quality-focused:Highly-trained quality experts, facility audits, and specialize licensing designed to provide GDP & GMP-compliant healthcare logistics services.
• Patient-centric:Their culture and solutions are designed to consider the supply chain’s impact on patients.
• Innovative technology: From next-gen sensors to drones to tracking and recovery, they are building the future today.
• People and process:5,000 healthcare personnel; solution-driven approaches to help meet the supply chain needs.
• Global scale: Service to 220+ countries and territories; 8M square feet on healthcare-licensed space.

How does UPS Healthcare work?

UPS Healthcare is an integral part of Operation Warp Speed, COVAX, and other global vaccine initiatives. It manages advanced packing, tracking, and cold and frozen storage to ensure secure, compliant distribution of critical yet fragile vaccines and therapies.

The video shows the how they manage those things with their capabilities:

For more information: https://www.ups.com/us/en/healthcare/Home.page

Notpla: Plastic-free PACKAGING

Plastic pollution is getting worse

How green are you? The single-use plastics are everywhere in our daily life and more than half of the 300 million tons of plastic made every year. What is worse, according to a survey conducted by Daniel Webb revealed that we were throwing about 8 million tons of plastic away this year, which is much more than the last year. Because of the pandemic, the demand of food delivery and food take-away is rising, which has made the problem worse.

This packaging can be eaten.

Ooho: eco-friendly packaging

The London start-up Notpla has created a plastic alternative from seaweed which is biodegradable in order to develop new packaging solutions as an alternative to single-use plastic packaging. This packaging is called “Ooho”, which can not only be used as fertilizer, but it can also be eaten! The design team used molecular gastronomy technology to produce an edible layer that becomes the best container.

Notpla is hoping its seaweed-based alternative to plastic casing can help reduce plastic waste.

It is everywhere in our daily life

Ooho is a flexible packaging for beverages and sauces. For example, it replaced plastic cups and bottles for Virgin Money London Marathon. The runners could just tear off the corner packaging and drink directly without opening the cover of bottles. Notpla has also cooperated with Glenlivet, a Scotch whisky brand, to manufacture “cocktail without glass” capsules, allowing consumers to drink whiskey directly. Of course, it can encapsulate a wide range of sauces, salad dressings and condiments for the take-away industry.

Keep growing, keep sustainable

“We started this because we wanted to be part of a solution to this plastic crisis.” said cofounder Pierre Paslier

Notpla’s pricing is private, but it sells products to companies whose customers value their eco-friendly credentials. Now, it is launching a new line of disposable food containers that are free from synthetic chemicals and are covered with a waterproof and greaseproof lining. In the past, few companies were concerned about the environmental pollution caused by packaging. Now packaging has become an item that everyone thinks may damage the brand image or values. It can not be denied that everyone has begun to truly realize the importance of sustainability.

Massive problem to luxurious brands:Excess inventory?

The impact of Covid-19

Luxurious brands are facing a significant challenge under the Covid-19. The demand declined massively since the outbreak in 2020  with a big loss in sales in the high-growth market of China. What is worse, the travel restrictions across Europe and the US causes a drop in demand. For example, the store closures in Italy indicated that Chinese shoppers are not allowed to purchase at the level before crisis. This has led to the main problem to luxurious brand likely.

Under the pandemic: The empty street in Barcelona

Few customers in luxurious brand stores

When I was traveling to Madrid in September 2020, I noticed that the tourists declined massively, which I could see the main street is not as crowded as before. Moreover, there was always long waiting line in front of the luxurious stores but it is totally different now. What I saw was few customers with some employees, which amazed me a lot and made me realized how the crisis damage the each industry. I believed the excess inventory must be much more after the pandemic, so where are they delivered?

There were lots of customers shopping at Louis Vuitton before the Covid-19

Burned them rather than the discount

Unlike fast-fashion brands, the luxury brands have a high conscious on the product value. In order to protect the brand image, some luxury companies refused to give the discount on the products. In stead, they burned the excess inventory. For example, Burberry destroyed excess clothes, perfume and accessories worth £28.6 million in 2018. Under the government intervention, other brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior made a commitment to stop burning excess products. Moreover, French government has required domestic brands to recycle or donate any products they intended to destroy, which aimed to make it sustainable.

Where inventory should be delivered now?

“Nobody really knows.” By Credit Suisse sell-side analyst Guillaume Gauvillé

Seasonality dominates not only ready-to-wear brands but also luxury brands. Normally, some luxury companies deliver off-season products to the outlet malls such us La Roca Village in Barcelona or Bicester Village in London, which is the main way to deal with the excess inventory. However, the leader brand like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior do not give sales in outlet and even in stores. They tried to redistribute inventory to the region which could help assuage but the effect seemed to be limited because the pandemic damaged all over the world.

Therefore, inventory management could cause problems for most luxury brands in 2021. Additionally, the other challenge will be navigating the potential impact on their positioning and how they are viewed by consumers.

Gucci store in La Roca Village