It’s been almost twenty years since Andy Jassy and his team of technologists saw the enormous potential in sharing the innovative technology behind Amazon.com with other companies, and proposed selling it as a service to help them transform their businesses by Amazon Web Services (AWS) to life. Today, highly scalable, reliable IT infrastructure is unlocking benefits for millions of customers around the world, using AI, machine learning, data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) to drive far-reaching, sometimes revolutionary, changes across countless industries to be realised.
Every industry faces a unique set of challenges, and over the years the team at AWS has discovered the need to offer purpose-built cloud services to help specific industries meet them. Logistics is one such area, where AWS solutions have torn up the rules to improve efficiency, increase security, and deliver to customers faster.
In this article, we explore three technologies that have radically optimized Amazon’s operations and discover how AWS innovation is at the core of each technology. This includes Amazon Monitron, Amazon SageMaker and a practical application of remote control and monitoring technologies, exemplified by the Automated Tote Retriever – an Amazon technology that is seamlessly uploaded to the cloud and controlled entirely via remote control.
Alessandra Antonelli, Country Manager for Amazon Web Services, Italy, said: “Cloud computing has been transformative in the logistics sector, and together with AI, machine learning and the smart sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), it has been nothing. little revolutionary in the way the fulfillment sector operates. Our vision for the future reflects this positive progress; a world in which advanced solutions continue to make work safer and more efficient for everyone, step by step.”
Reducing downtime and improving employee and customer experience
Amazon Monitron, an end-to-end condition monitoring system, uses IT, data analytics and machine learning algorithms to predict equipment failures early. This system has a big impact, with its small sensors on a motor, pump or conveyor belt in Amazon’s fulfillment centers (FCs). It collects data and sends it to the cloud, where an algorithm can detect anomalies and alert engineers almost instantly, enabling predictive maintenance on a scale never thought possible.
Amazon’s FCs operate 24/7 during peak periods to meet delivery promises to customers. This means that even the smallest disruptions can delay deliveries. This is where advanced technologies like Amazon Monitron play a vital role in improving operations. Since the technology was rolled out in 2021, unplanned downtime has been reduced by 69%, supporting Amazon in delivering on its promise to customers.
There are currently 104,000 Amazon Monitron sensors in use across Amazon’s FCs in Europe, monitoring more than 34,000 pieces of technology across 192 locations. These ensure that Amazon’s operations are as efficient as possible every day. It has also delivered further efficiencies at the operational level, saving an estimated $37.83 million.
In addition to improving the fulfillment process, the rollout of Amazon Monitron across Amazon’s FCs will also bring positive benefits to the teams working there. In the past, technicians had to walk long distances to monitor equipment. But now the sensors automatically activate preventive repairs. These are registered on a central dashboard, where technicians can detect deviations quickly and earlier. It improves the employee experience and also allows Amazon to deliver to consumers – the ultimate win-win.
Achieving operational efficiency through the power of machine learning and AI
Amazon SageMaker is an incredibly versatile platform that allows data scientists and developers to easily and quickly build and deploy machine learning and AI models at any scale. It optimizes the warehousing, picking, demand forecasting and mapping activities of Amazon’s FCs worldwide.
It plays a key role in the journey of products into and out of the Amazon network. Once a shipment arrives, an automated storage system powered by Amazon SageMaker identifies the optimal place to store the items for more efficient picking. It predicts core demand, meaning products can be intelligently stocked and positioned at core FCs. It also ensures warehouse layouts and robot fleets are optimized, using data to increase productivity.
Once customer deliveries leave an FC, Amazon SageMaker optimizes delivery routes and driving patterns, reducing costs, shortening delivery times and making the last mile more sustainable than previously possible. In many ways, it is the cornerstone of Amazon’s fulfillment and logistics network, enabling faster deliveries, lower costs and an improved customer experience.
Remote fulfillment and cloud monitoring technology
Another great example of the practical applications of AWS services is the remote control and monitoring of the Automated Tote Retriever (ATR). This mechatronic system is designed to automate the collection and transportation of bins of products in Amazon’s FCs.
A moving shuttle is alerted when a bin is full of products and uses a special gripper to replace the full bin with an empty one. This fully automated process eliminates the need for Amazon employees to manually lift these bins, improving safety, ergonomics and efficiency. The AWS cloud allows these technologies to be fully monitored globally, with highly connected systems that provide full visibility and immediate intervention if necessary.
AWS is the backbone that ensures better execution
Cloud computing and AWS are part of Amazon’s DNA, and the technologies running on AWS today power the company’s entire operational network. These intelligent yet complex systems are designed from the ground up to optimize the fulfillment process and are ultimately what allows Amazon to deliver on its promises to customers.
But the benefits for society are so much greater. Solutions like Amazon Monitron, Amazon SageMaker, and ATR are the first of many that will drive the logistics industry forward, and AWS is as committed as ever to being the one to lead this change.
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