DUBAI — Virtual reality and 3D technologies are enabling Intralogistics professionals to quickly streamline warehouse operations and maintain an optimal flow of material to where it is needed most. Exhibitors at the recently concluded Materials Handling Middle East, showcased a range of automated warehouse solutions using virtual reality 3D technology.

Armed with HTC Vive Goggles, supply chain heads and interested delegates were given an up close experience of how different technologies in fully automated warehouses such as robotics and Industry 4.0 can work together.

The Virtual Reality 3D warehouse animation was showcased by Swisslog, one of the world’s leading suppliers of robot-based and data-driven intralogistics solutions.

Daniel Hauser, Managing Director for Central Europe and the Middle East at Swisslog Warehouse & Distribution Solutions, said that while visitors could explore an automated warehouse in a fun way, they were also given a first-hand experience of its unique benefits.

“Virtual Reality 3D warehouse animation will become a real service for customers in the future, and there are different ideas within Swisslog on how it can be deployed in the intralogistics world,” said Hauser.

“It can be used in sales to show buyers what their future systems would look like up and running on site, and it can be used to simulate systems to determine the optimal material flow or to observe performance during projected peak times. Another vision is to provide access and track live operations of any facility in the world, as well as play back historical data for error analyses.”

The Virtual Reality 3D warehouse animation was just one of several Swisslog innovations at Materials Handling Middle East 2017, the region’s dedicated trade fair for intralogistics, supply chain management, freight and cargo.

The biennial three-day event featured more than 130 exhibitors from 21 countries representing 250 brands.

Swisslog also introduced its new AutoPiQ solution, a robot based automated picking solution for small items, ideal for e-commerce, pharmaceutical or spare parts logistics.

Materials Handling Middle East 2017 also featured other leading warehousing automation specialists such as Kardex, GreyOrange, SSI Schaefer, and Daifuku, the world’s largest materials handling systems supplier.

Andrey Kras, Account Manager at Daifuku’s International Business Department, said :“The hotness of the automation topic in previous years was measured by the level of surprise and discoveries made by Middle East managers as to how automated equipment can benefit their businesses,” said Kras. “Now is the time to make business decisions and start buying new automated systems.

“Daifuku’s name is still unknown to many in the industry in this region, so raising brand awareness was one of our main goals at Materials Handling Middle East 2017. We also used our presence as an education platform with multiple teaching aids to get ideas of automation across.”

According to analysts Frost & Sullivan estimate the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) materials handling equipment market is expected to grow four percent annually up to 2020, when revenues will reach between $4.8 to five billion.

Materials Handling Middle East 2017 also featured the 2nd edition of the Supply Chain and Logistics Forum, an interactive summit that brought together regional industry professionals along with their international counterparts, government bodies, and policy makers to discuss key challenges and growth opportunities for logistics in the Middle East.

The event will also the return of the highly popular Forklift Operator of the Year, a unique competition which saw the UAE’s most skilled forklift jockeys go head to head for the title of the country’s most skilled, safest, and efficient forklift operator. — SG