Dexory – From PoC to deployment

Real-time data, visibility, digital twins, and robotics are not only buzzwords ranking high within supply chain tech trends, they are also the anchor of Dexory's vision to form the warehouse of the future and optimise supply chains. In Maersk, we share the ambitions of Dexory, and are too working towards a future with real-time data and visibility. Hence, the question for us is no longer what we aim for but rather how we will pursue it.?

As the global partner for external innovation at A. P. Moller-Maersk, we at Maersk Growth work closely with talented founders and visionary startups to position them as key partners in shaping the future of supply chains. By doing so, we present our colleagues and customers with innovative solutions to a variety of challenges, including visibility. And in this area, Dexory's solution is pioneering.

Dexory was founded in 2015 by Oana Jinga , Andrei Danescu , and Adrian Negoita , pursuing the vision to drive better business decisions via robotics and AI logistics solutions. In 2022, we in Maersk Growth took part in the company's Seed round and welcomed the Dexory team to our portfolio.?

In 2023, Dexory successfully finalised a Proof-of-Concept deployment at the Maersk Kettering warehouse and has since deployed its offerings across multiple Maersk facilities in the UK and Romania.?Currently Dexory View is deployed across three warehouses, with another two sites closely following, and a strong internal pipeline currently being evaluated to deploy the solution in warehouses serving key customers, with a focus on continuous improvement through automation.

Introduction to the PoC early spring 2023

With an autonomous stock-taking use case as the starting point, the Proof-of-Concept deployment was anchored in Dexory's expertise within Digital Twin technology and autonomous robotics. The purpose of the PoC was to enable real-time visibility at a stock-keeping unit (SKU) level at the Maersk Kettering warehouse and to understand how the automated inventory system potentially could reduce cost, time, inaccuracy, and safety risks of current operations.?

Recognising and valuing the immense worth of human labour, the diligent efforts of the PoC were directed towards resolving the challenges connected to insufficient visibility into warehouse operations, discrepancies in stock, and the labour-intensive and time-consuming nature of manual stock checks. As introduced thoroughly in the article?' Doubling down on efficiency with digital twin technology ' , Dexory's solution is harnessing the power of autonomous robots equipped with advanced scanning and data processing capabilities and is facilitating the provision of highly accurate real-time data and visualisations, enabling superior visibility and streamlined optimisation of processes within warehouses. This enables visibility as every step of product handling, from inbound to storage and shipping is logged, interpreted, contextualised, and visualised without occupying valuable human hours. In practice, the deployment resulted in:

• 100% of locations and products autonomously scanned
• Full warehouse and all locations scanned in every day
• An 99.5% scanning accuracy
• 100% system uptime and availability
• Daily automated stock check with no interference or disruption to operations?
• On-time reporting - the stock report is delivered immediately after the stock check?
• Numerous hours saved weekly from searching for pallets?

While the results prove how Dexory's operational solution alone holds the potential to generate substantial operational value in the warehouse, they also indicate how genuine excitement and profound impact on operations and strategic planning emerge when complemented by the implementation of digital twin technology.?

"The team really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the solution and play a role in its evolution. Through collaboration, we have developed a solution which not only achieves the original goal of both automating the stock count process whilst increasing the frequency of the process but also gives us valuable insights daily that influence behaviours and processes to optimise capacity and accuracy for our customers." - Fergus Whinham, Commercial Lead, Maersk.

Transforming Warehouse Operations based on digital insights

Since February 2023, the digital twin platform DexoryView, alongside Dexory's 12-metre-tall autonomous robots, has been operational, streamlining stock checks and inventory management processes. The PoC demonstrated Dexory and Maersk's commitment to data accuracy, significantly reducing WMS errors from 900 to less than 20 errors in just a few months and keeping accuracy at >99.5% daily. It also saved hours of inventory investigations weekly and allowed the team to utilise the rack space best and maximise every inch. Expanding upon this success, Dexory swiftly transitioned to deploy its innovative solutions across more UK and European Maersk sites. Since the summer of 2023, Dexory's technology has continuously been driving efficiency and accuracy in Tamworth, UK as well as in our Bucharest site in Romania, in August 2023. Shortly the East Midlands Gateway and Doncaster sites will also have the DexoryView solution and autonomous robots join their operations.?

The deployment in Bucharest is a testament to Dexory and Maersk's commitment to driving innovation and efficiency across the global logistics network while supporting customers with real-time data and visibility. Utilising Dexory's autonomous robot, the distribution centre can now scan over 100,000 pallet locations daily, significantly increasing operational speed and accuracy. This move not only underscores Maersk's commitment to integrating new technologies and sustainability practices into its operations but also sets new benchmarks for the industry. With plans to further expand into new territories, Dexory is poised to redefine the future of logistics, one warehouse at a time.

Robots and Digital Twin technology

At the heart of Dexory's solution lies the concept of real-time data visibility powered by AI and robotics. Dexory's unique blend of hardware and software enables instant access to inventory and operational insights with just a click of a button. By deploying 12-metre-tall autonomous robots equipped with advanced sensors and cameras, Dexory captures real-time data from warehouse environments, creating a digital twin of the facility.

While many of us understand the fundamental principles of robotics, digital twin technology represents a more sophisticated concept. To grasp its essence, envision having constant access to an impeccably accurate 3D replica of your warehouse, updated daily, hourly, and even by the minute, with an attendant maintaining precise inventory counts to match the virtual model. This is precisely how Dexory's digital twin technology operates - just digitally, of course.?

In other words, the robots, as described above, thoroughly scan the warehouse and assemble a full overview of inventory, providing complete visibility in real-time. Compared to alternative data capturing tools such as more traditional warehouse management systems (WMS) and the good old spreadsheet, Digital Twin technology stands out across a variety of parameters. Especially operation simulation, predictive diagnosis, and real-time data are setting the digital twin technology apart from the rest. With Dexory's solution, warehouse managers can identify operational bottlenecks, optimise workflows, and gain valuable insights into site operations in real time. Moreover, leveraging AI algorithms, Dexory provides predictive analytics, enabling companies to forecast and plan more accurately across their warehouse estate.

Closing the Visibility Gap?

Transforming Warehouse Operations

The core mission of Dexory is to close the Visibility Gap? that plagues many businesses across the globe. This gap, characterised by a lack of insight into warehouse and supply chain operations, can hinder decision-making and impede efficiency.?

“If you had a digital twin for your warehouse, what would you use it for?”

The question above was asked by Dexory in a recent survey amongst supply chain operators.?17% answered that the technology would be used for capacity planning and forecasting. 11% answered ‘For better stock control. 14% wanted to apply the technology for simulation to test scenarios. And 58% would use it for all three objects.

In other words, Dexory's solution would be applied to enhance warehouse visibility. And warehouses, which by some historically have been referred to as a 'black box', indeed are a central parameter in the visibility wave we have seen rising in recent years. As for Maersk, this is inevitably a central pillar in the integrator's vision and strategy to connect, protect, and simplify our customer's supply chains. This vision brings a profound opportunity to harness the power of new technologies, and here we find the sweet spot of Maersk Growth. The startup ecosystem is our home turf, and the PoC and deployment with Dexory serve as a proof point for our engagement model, setting up partnerships between startups and colleagues to jointly work towards redefining the supply chain of tomorrow.

"As a customer-centric organisation, it is vital for Maersk to stay at the forefront of innovation within the supply chain and be able to offer their customers the opportunity to test the latest and greatest solutions as they are developed. We're confident that continuing and expanding our work with Dexory will continue to drive that innovation on behalf of our customers" - Fergus Whinham, Maersk's UK&I Commercial Lead, says.

By combining these powerful features—real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and digital twin simulation—the partnership between Dexory and Maersk has resulted in an offering built upon Dexory's comprehensive solution that enables customers to make data-driven decisions, optimise operations, and drive efficiency across their supply chains.?

In conclusion, Dexory and Maersk's partnership epitomises the convergence of technology and logistics, where real-time data visibility and AI-driven insights are reshaping the industry. From the successful PoV deployment in the UK to the expansion into new markets, Dexory and Maersk are leading the charge towards a future where innovation and efficiency go hand in hand. As they continue to push the boundaries of what's possible, one thing is sure: the future of logistics has arrived.

Are you an agenda-setting startup? A visionary founder? Do you know someone who is focused on the future of technology within supply chain or energy transition?

We’d love to talk!

You’ll find us at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.