SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS
Green Logistics with Gate+ – ecologically and economically valuable
Bordesholm, July 30, 2019
What is green logistics?
The term encompasses all efforts to measure and minimise the ecological impact of logistical activities. In short, environmentally conscious action in logistics is green logistics.
Who can benefit from green logistics?
The simple answer: We all.
Many practical examples show that sustainable logistics have ecological and economic effects. Green Logistics not only protects the climate, but also pays off economically.
If you look at how energy and resources are used, it quickly becomes clear how this works: using less or reusing resources requires less investment in their provision. Lower energy consumption by eliminating critical idle points lowers the ongoing supply costs and in turn conserves the resources from which our energy is obtained.
Green logistics for competitive advantage
Savings are an attractive argument in the pursuit of competitiveness. That is why managing the flow of goods in a way that conserves resources and is therefore efficient and cost-effective is now trending within the logistics industry. In transport, the main focus is on intelligent concepts for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and for rationalisation, for example through the use of alternative drive technologies and renewable fuels.
The large volume of shipments that are moved daily along the complex and time-sensitive supply chain has pushed the human-controlled organisation and overview to its limits. This is also why the use of intelligent software in logistics is playing an increasingly important role. This opens up additional opportunities for more environmentally conscious operations. For example, the eco-efficient planning, use and processing of tours and loading capacities with the help of software have long been established on the street.
Lots of potential for optimisation in intralogistics
While green logistics is already part of everyday business in the transport sector, there is still a lot of untapped potential in intralogistics.
After all, the internal material flows in companies, in industry and trade can also be sustainably optimised using suitable technologies and processes. Measures and conveyor techniques for the most efficient warehouse management, avoidance of idle consumption, the use of sustainable product packaging, but also the introduction of reusable or recyclable load carriers are all suitable to protect not only the environment but also the budget.
One parameter with particularly high savings potential in the hall is energy consumption, as the following figures* illustrate: On average, almost 50% of the energy flows into conveyor, storage and order picking technology. A total of 35% is used for heating, cooling or ventilation and 15% of the energy consumed is used for lighting.
Regardless if in new buildings or when modernising existing buildings and systems, when it comes to conveyor and picking technology, the choice of suitable equipment and modern technologies makes the decisive difference. Driverless transport systems can handle transport and picking tasks either completely autonomously or in mixed operation. This ensures optimised utilisation with the lowest possible stress on the individual system parts.
Other technical options for lowering energy costs and improving the CO2 balance are offered by load-dependent drive controls, active energy recovery when braking loads, delayed start-up curves and switching lights and machines on and off as required. This also protects the infrastructure and in turn reduces maintenance and repair costs.
Intelligent software solutions, such as our Plus+ function Gates+, bring relief and enable effective energy management.
As the statistics show, in addition to the energy consumption for the movement of goods through the warehouse, temperature regulation is the second largest consumption factor. That is also reflecting in operating costs.
This is exactly where intelligent software solutions, such as our Plus+ function Gates+, bring relief and enable effective energy management.
Thanks to the digital support, warehouse operators can not only control processes, but also uncover weaknesses and correlations that would otherwise not be tangible.
This reduces errors and ensures more transparency and planning security. For example, software like Gates+ can help identify the occurrence of temperature losses. Based on this knowledge, appropriate measures can then be taken to avoid these losses in the future.
Save energy and costs with gate status overview in Gate+
The software solutions from DIVIS help you to streamline your logistical processes and at the same time make a valuable contribution to climate protection. Our Plus+ function Gate+ for gate and door status analysis gives you optimal control over the temperature regulation in your hall.
The module enables the display of gate states (open or closed) and the saving of the times of state changes as an event. In the case of heated logistics halls, unwanted heat or cold losses can be identified and prevented in winter and in cold storages in summer using Gate+. But the result are not only more environmentally friendly and energy-saving logistics processes. You can also use the information gained through Gate+ to lower theft rates and better shield security-relevant zones. Gate+ can even provide you with valuable input for research of missing goods or the tracking of loading and unloading.
How Gate+ works
Each gate in the hall is provided with an optical marker. The intelligent Gates+ module uses the markers to continuously monitor whether gates are open or closed. The gate states and the times of their changes are documented in the system. This is useful, for example, when searching for consignments in CargoVIS, our software for video-based research in freight forwarding and warehouses. To find the start, end or interruption of a loading or unloading procedure quickly, you can simply jump to the next opening or closing of a gate during the research with the help of the gate status.
The live view also offers a comprehensive overview of which gates are currently open and thus valuable information for planning or direct interventions in the control of processes during operation.
Our Plus+ function Gate+ for gate and door status analysis gives you optimal control over the temperature regulation in your hall.
In winter, for example, it can be tracked directly on the computer where energy losses occur in the hall and responded accordingly. It can also be determined at any time whether gates that should actually be closed for security reasons are open.
The disposition will also be supported by Gates+, as available gates can be quickly identified in the site plan and then, for example, be assigned to drivers for unloading.
The advantages of Gate+ for sustainable logistics at a glance
- Comprehensive overview of all gate states at all times
- Reduced theft rates through enhanced control over gate opening times
- More energy efficiency: Lower heating or cooling costs by reduction of unintentionally long door opening times
- More effective disposition by quick information about unused gates
From the snapshot to systematic analysis with Profile+
The added value of our gate status module Gates+ can be increased even further when it is used in combination with the analysis tool Profiles+.
Profiles+ enables the systematic analysis of the information collected by Gates+. The gate opening times can be analysed and displayed based on various aspects over a freely selectable period.
The following evaluations are possible
- Total opening time
- Average opening time per door opening
- Number of gate openings
The results from Profile+ can be saved as an analysis report in PDF format.
The report includes
- Presentation in the site plan
- Bar graphs
- List of all gates with total opening time, average opening time and number of gate openings
Green Logistics – also optimising intralogistics with the right tools
With the knowledge gained through our Gates+ and Profiles+ modules, you can not only control the environmental balance sheet, but also the cost balance of your hall much more precisely, identify critical consumption points and make your processes more sustainable by appropriate adjustments. Green logistics in the hall is easy with solutions from DIVIS.
For this reason, numerous DIVIS customers use our tools in their halls and are enthusiastic about the positive effects on costs and efficiency.
Case study freight forwarder Gebrüder Weiss
