The Self-Awarehouse: Unleashing Lineage's Algorithms in Warehouse Operations
July 19, 2023
As a renowned force in food logistics, Lineage stands at the forefront of industry innovation, driving the transformation of warehouse operations. We’re doing this, in part, with Sybil, an advanced, patented algorithm meticulously engineered to harness the power of millions of historical and real-time data points. Sybil's unparalleled capabilities lie in its ability to navigate the complexities of Lineage's warehouses, strategically placing products in optimized locations that maximize efficiency and productivity. By integrating warehouse management systems (WMS), machine learning capabilities and automated warehouse designs, Sybil helps pave the way for a smarter, more self-aware warehouse.
Arrival: Leveraging Historical Data
When a pallet arrives at a Sybil-powered Lineage warehouse, Sybil taps into its vast historical database. Through machine learning, Sybil distills the plethora of data into actionable insights and predictions. By training on factors such as facility, customer, day of the week, week of the year, item description and product group, Sybil becomes adept at understanding pallet behavior in the context of past deliveries. This knowledge enables Sybil to predict how long pallets will stay in the warehouse and identify patterns related to seasonal fluctuations and holiday-specific products. This factors heavily in determining where the product should be placed within the warehouse and how long it will stay.
Prediction & Placement: Harnessing Statistical Probability for Precision
While Sybil doesn't directly handle tasking, it informs the WMS of projected pallet stay durations. By analyzing the historical data on each product, Sybil identifies and calculates the ideal location within our warehouse for the pallet to be placed. This takes into account a variety of factors, such as the size of the pallet, distance between rack locations, speed of the forklifts and even the speed for raising the forks. Armed with this knowledge, the WMS factors in various criteria to determine the ideal placement for each pallet. Considerations include adherence to the first-in, first-out (FIFO) principle, SKU mixing and the compatibility of pallet height with location dimensions. The algorithm's precision provides the WMS with crucial information that is then deployed to team members to optimize planning and tasking decisions and ultimately, enhance operational efficiency.
The Perfect Pickup: Optimizing for Accessibility
Sybil's advanced capabilities transform the pickup process within our warehouses, optimizing pallet placement and streamlining retrieval operations. With Sybil's guidance, warehouses experience enhanced operational efficiency, paving the way for seamless pickups and maximizing storage capacity. The innovative ranking system based on accessibility further enhances navigation within the warehouse, contributing to an overall optimized workflow. Lineage's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology, like Sybil, ensures that each pickup is a step closer to perfection.
Sybil's Transformative Influence on Warehouse Operations
Through technology like Sybil, the Lineage Data Science team makes the unpredictable, predictable. The implementation of machine learning algorithms has ushered in a new era of efficiency and optimization in warehouse operations, because providing a predictable supply chain and operational efficiency for our customers is our top priority. With reduced forklift travel time and enhanced accessibility within the warehouse, Sybil reimagines the way we look at our facilities, paving the way for the future of the Self-Awarehouse.
For more information on our cutting-edge Sybil algorithm, check out our feature story here.
