Network freight distribution specialist Palletline has launched its next-generation scanning system, Palleteyes - revolutionising the industry’s freight tracking capabilities.
Integrated into Palletline’s new forklift truck fleet, Palleteyes utilises the latest in CCTV technology, wide-aspect barcode scanners and event processing to deliver the most advanced levels of visibility and traceability in the palletised freight sector.
The latest £2M investment is part of the company’s commitment to continuously improve and enhance its services through the development and implementation of cutting-edge innovations.
Palleteyes delivers improved levels of quality control, at the point of unload and reload, eliminating inaccurate scans, improving safety and speeding up Palletline’s freight sortation process across its hubs by more than 15%.
The system, developed in conjunction with Envisage Systems, activates within two metres of a pallet, scanning the barcode and displaying important delivery information including bay location for the forklift driver. Simultaneously, two HD CCTV cameras are activated which record a close-up and wide angle video of the pallet’s entire journey from unload to bay to reload, giving members full visibility of their freight via a cloud-based portal.
The system also integrates with the forklift’s onboard systems to monitor driver performance and operational productivity, and weighs each load, sounding an automated alarm to prevent drivers from lifting a pallet weighing more than 400kg above a height of 1.2m – in-line with the latest double-deck trailer loading guidelines from the DVSA, HSE and other regulatory bodies.
Marcus Newport, Head of IT at Palletline, said: “This system is the culmination of several years of development in collaboration with network members, and a number of IT and hardware partners, and the result is a powerful, bespoke solution that ticks all pallet tracking requirements and more.
“Prominent IT systems should not only improve the process it was designed for, but also solve the problems you didn’t know you had, and the introduction of Palleteyes has delivered a more streamlined operation in addition to the significant enhancements in freight visibility.”
In collaboration with its forklift truck partner, Linde Material Handling, custom structures were manufactured to house the additional CCTV, PCs, monitors and scanning equipment.
The system was then comprehensively tested over a 12-month period at Palletline’s Coventry hub and is now fully operational at its main hub in Birmingham.
Graham Leitch, Group Managing Director at Palletline, said: “This seven-figure investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to operational innovation and the highest standards of visibility, accountability and security for customers’ goods.
“The video footage captured by Palleteyes is already proving significantly more beneficial than the static photo-based systems currently in use across our sector, and the system also brings additional opportunities for training, performance monitoring and data analysis that will enable us to maximise the sustainability, health and safety and energy efficiency of our operation now, and for the future.”
Palletline has consistently been at the forefront of health and safety and innovation and was the first pallet network to restrict its tail lift delivery weight to 750kg paired with its launch of its award-winning Lift Assist product.
Furthermore, its Business Information (BI) team has developed a range of analytical tools to harness the power of historical data and utilise machine learning to evolve its sites into smart hubs, enabling teams to accurately forecast volume levels, proactively plan resources and reduce the impact of external forces, such as adverse weather or RTAs on the operation.
Information from the new Palleteyes system will contribute to more than 500,000 data points utilised by Palletline’s BI team to further optimise Palletline’s operation and ensure the right resource levels are in place to meet demand.
Graham continues, “The launch of Palleteyes makes us unique in our sector, providing members with higher levels of freight visibility than ever before. It also underlines our long-term commitment to the development of innovative technologies that not only improve the efficiency of our own operation and enhance customer experience but set the standard across the palletised freight industry.”
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