Piece Picking for Single Items

Picking single items into a shipping container – also known as piece picking – is one of the most cost-intensive processes in logistics and demands maximum concentration from employees. If you want to make the process easier for your staff while increasing handling efficiency, your first choice should be a combination of picking robots and intelligent software. That is also true in scenarios that require especially gentle product handling.
The e-commerce, cosmetics and healthcare sectors in particular need to optimize single-piece picking. In the pharmaceutical sector specifically, a large number of drug safety regulations intended to protect patients must be taken into account. In this context, state-of-the-art piece picking robots with integrated image processing and a scanning function not only ensure efficient picking; they also allow precise product identification and legally compliant product verification as part of tracking and tracing.

WAMAS Piece Picking Functions

SSI SCHAEFER’s Piece Picking Software can be operated as a fully integrated component of a WAMAS installation, and it can also run as a stand-alone solution, seamlessly coupled with third-party ERP and material flow systems.
The Vision software module included in the standard WAMAS logistics software acts as the “mastermind” of the industrial image processing solution. It is able to reliably identify each item to be picked without errors, determine the ideal gripping area and detect the items in a container to save space.
This process uses both state-of-the-art image processing algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI). 3D cameras that model the content of the containers are the software’s eyes on the real world. The data thus generated is transmitted to the robot’s controller, where it is processed in real time. To optimize the picking processes, the system also accounts for the robot’s mobility and the physical properties of its gripper. As such, the software is integrated into a highly complex system of sensor and robot technology.