Warehouse management systems from different providers cannot be used seamlessly without data discontinuities, and mobile transport robots from various manufacturers cannot be jointly controlled. Today, intralogistics faces the challenge of connecting heterogeneous systems, vehicles, and peripheral devices – and thus finds itself at a technological turning point, driven not least by the growing need for automation caused by a labour shortage. To enable companies to collaborate on solutions, the Open Logistics Foundation has launched an open source initiative specifically for intralogistics. Indoing so, the Foundation once again fulfils its mission to address logistics in its entirety and all its many facets.
As in all areas of logistics, there is a distinction in intralogistics between unique selling points and the non-differentiating aspects of a system or product. The latter – the so-called commodities – can be standardised collaboratively on an open source basis. The Open Logistics Foundation’s Head Office has already held initial workshops with companies, in which the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML – a strategic member of the Foundation – also highlighted the potential of open source software from a research perspective. The following areas are currently of particular interest for intralogistics:
- Warehouse management. Depending on their size and requirements, logistics companies use warehouse management systems (WMS) from various providers. All of them include certain core or basic functions that do not serve as differentiating factors in the competitive landscape, such as inventory management, master data management, and the logging of logistical status events. Standardised interfaces could also ensure seamless integration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and warehouse control systems (WCS) with warehouse management systems.
- Order picking. Manual and automated picking processes often still run in parallel today. Open source solutions could improve data exchange, e.g., based on real-time events, and facilitate the integration of various methods such as Pick-by-Voice or Pick-by-Light.
- Goods receipt/goods dispatch. Streamlining processes in this area is another key topic in intralogistics. Goods, load units, and handling units could be represented using a standardised data model, with the information shared across company boundaries. This would also enable improved traceability of shipments and goods.
The list of topics is currently evolving and expanding in line with the interest shown by companies that are not yet members of the Open Logistics Foundation. Companies from all areas of intralogistics are warmly invited to get in touch with the Foundation’s Head Office.
