DCL specializes in supporting high-growth omnichannel brands looking to scale quickly without compromising the accuracy of their inventory. For these companies, every item of inventory is equivalent to cash, and accuracy is critical for confident decision making and financial reporting, the 3PL says.
But for DCL, inventory management has become an increasing struggle. To provide the accurate data requested by its customers, the company has been conducting ongoing periodic census operations. The problem was that the process was time-consuming and inefficient, requiring many hours of manual labor to physically check stock levels and verify that goods were being stored in the correct locations. So, to help simplify these tasks, DCL turned to Dexory, a British technology company specializing in inventory counting solutions.
Non-stop operations
After an initial evaluation, the two companies implemented DexoryView, a real-time inventory counting system that combines autonomous mobile robots with an artificial intelligence software platform.
With the DexoryView system, physical inventories are performed by specially designed robots that operate around the clock, continuously scanning inventory as they roam the warehouse aisles. Equipped with advanced sensors, the robots can capture high-resolution scans of more than 10,000 locations per hour, according to the developer. The company adds that what really makes it stand out from the crowd are its 40-foot masts, which allow it to count merchandise stored on racks up to 45 feet high.
As the robots make their way around the warehouse, they feed real-time data to the DexoryView platform for analysis. The company says the software then uses advanced image analysis to detect errors in placements, validate counts, and evaluate storage conditions, enabling issues to be proactively resolved before a miscalculation becomes an issue.
Move smarter and faster
As for how the new system works, DCL says DexoryView hit the mark in every respect. Since deploying the solution, the 3PL has seen a 14% increase in pallet location accuracy and a tenfold improvement in inventory count speed compared to its previous drone-based system.
These improvements have allowed DCL to save 16 work hours per day, freeing up inventory team workers to focus on higher-value planning and strategic initiatives such as warehouse space optimization and custom customer projects, the company says. Additionally, through the DexoryView app, DCL Logistics now has the ability to conduct inventory audits on a daily and weekly basis and provide real-time data to their customers so they can feel confident that they know exactly how much merchandise they have stored in the warehouse.
Ultimately, it’s that precision that matters, according to DCL leaders.
“DexoryView has allowed us to significantly improve the quality of our inventory accuracy, ensuring our teams have rich, reliable data at their disposal,” Dave To, president of DCL, said in a statement. “Robotic automation obviously speeds up our daily cycle counts, but it’s the significant increase in accuracy rates over an accelerated period of time that allows our operations to move faster and smarter for our customers, while giving our teams more time to focus on higher-value initiatives.”
