Siemens Gas and Power

The solution implemented: TeamViewer Frontline xPick

TeamViewer Frontline xPick is a solution that displays all the information a picking operator may need during their activity, directly in their field of vision, using an Augmented Reality headset.

Siemens is one of the companies that has implemented the TeamViewer Frontline xPick solution with the aim of digitalising all of its picking processes. 

About the company Siemens Gas and Power

Siemens Gas and Power is one of the largest companies in the energy sector in the world. Its solutions and services focus on the production, processing and transport of oil and gas, on power generation in thermal power plants and on power transmission. Together with its customers, Siemens addresses the constantly evolving requirements of industry and society. 

The company has a presence in several countries, but operates mainly from a logistics centre located in the south of Berlin, where they manage the spare parts for gas turbines manufactured in the same city. And from this logistics centre, customers all over Europe, Asia and the Middle East are served.

What does Siemens Gas and Power need?

The spare parts leaving the Berlin logistics centre have to be documented, both for customers and for import customs authorities. Previously, Siemens took the photographs manually every time they prepared an order for a customer, which slowed down the process. At the same time, they had to manually scan the barcode of each spare part.

Given such a changing energy market, customer requirements also change constantly. For this reason, Siemens Gas and Power aimed to shorten delivery times, from the warehouses to the end customer, by digitalising the warehouses through continuous digital picking processes and avoiding at all times paper-based management and other manual devices that slowed processes down even further. 

On the other hand, one of Siemens' needs was to have an automated supply of information in digital form. In other words, to create a digital archive of items that may be useful for other departments, customers or bodies. In this case, Siemens required an archive that would store the photographs of each of the spare parts for the import customs authorities. 

At Siemens Gas and Power they use the Vuzix M300 Augmented Reality headsets, together with the Hyco W26 wireless ring scanner, with the aim of increasing efficiency in the company's warehouses. The intuitive user interface graphically represented the shelf structures, which allowed employees to easily see where to pick each part from.

Results and benefits

Thanks to the TeamViewer Frontline xPick solution, Siemens has managed to digitalise the entire picking process. Through the Augmented Reality devices, picking operators can see the shelves and the spare parts in the logistics centre. Moreover, they have managed to replace all paper manuals, thus making it easier for picking operators to prepare and manage all orders.

At Siemens they have easily integrated product and order information into the Augmented Reality glasses, so that operators see all the information needed to prepare orders, also automating the assignment of photographs to the corresponding order. In this way, Siemens manages to automate the entire order preparation process, with the photographs taken using the Vuzix M300 Augmented Reality device, without the need to take photographs manually with other devices. 

In addition, by also integrating the ring scanners, they manage to replace the bulky handheld scanners, simplifying the picking process much more. And at the same time, they can find and assign the right items more quickly, since the exact locations within the warehouse are displayed through the Augmented Reality glasses. 

Thus, by replacing the bulky scanners and being able to carry out picking with both hands completely free to perform tasks, they also manage to improve the ergonomics of the process.