Kion unveils AI control tower at GTC in San José

According to information published by Kion, Dematic’s solution follows on from a recent project by another Kion subsidiary, Linde Material Handling.

Logistics Systems had the opportunity to see a “live” goods receipt application with two carts at the Linde MH stand at the Logimat trade fair in Stuttgart, as well as thousands of other visitors, in mid-March, which was also digitally interpreted in the Nvidia Omniverse environment (again, this is the result of the cooperation between Kion, Nvidia and Accenture).

The solution displays the exact location of the carts in real time and allows for further optimization of ongoing processes.

Warehouse processes analyzed by the tower in conjunction with the twin
The digital twin at the GTC conference in San José replicated Dematic’s physical equipment and was deployed together with the control tower components to provide in-depth analytics of the dynamics between individual processes. These technologies allow the control logic of material flows and orders to be examined together in real time and in a virtualized environment. The goal is to transform supply chain operations by improving cost efficiency and adaptability. Visitors were able to see the interactive dashboard in action, modeled after Dematic’s Solution Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and its digital twin. Accenture developed both the Omniverse visualization of Dematic’s digital twin and the interactive dashboard.

“Our digital twin serves as a single source of truth for understanding and improving complex supply chain solutions – before, during and after installation,” said Rob Smith, CEO of Kion Group. “Combined with Nvidia technology, the solution will enable customers to harness the power of physical AI to significantly save time, capital expenditures and operating costs, while providing them with the ability to continuously adapt their operations to changing conditions within their supply chains.”

Unlimited Scenarios on the Digital Twin
The digital twin will allow Dematic project teams to validate control systems and software before they are installed on site, accelerating the commissioning and ramp-up phases. Customers will be able to visualize the physical layout and material flow dynamics as part of the solution design before it is built. Once built, operators will be able to run an unlimited number of scenarios on a digital twin of their facility to explore planned and actual changes in their business profile, including seasonal fluctuations.

Kion, Nvidia and Accenture announced earlier this year that they are collaborating to leverage physical AI through intelligent stationary cameras, autonomous trucks and the latest automation and robotics solutions. This will allow customers to digitally map all warehouse activities in real time – from manual trucks to autonomous trucks to the exact location of goods. Together with the ability to run an unlimited number of scenarios, this will help customers design the ideal layout of new warehouses and improve their management by predicting peak loads, ensuring worker safety and planning resource utilization more effectively.