Kardex launches PortScale for Australia and New Zealand
Kardex showcased its latest AutoStore automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) technologies at CeMAT Australia, launching its PortScale precision weighing solution across Australia and New Zealand.
Kardex has unveiled its new SmartWorkStation, combining its Intuitive Picking Assistant (IPA) with the new PortScale precision weighing solution.
Designed to help businesses improve picking accuracy, reduce errors and increase operational efficiency, the company says SmartWorkStation demonstrates Kardex’s “commitment to enhancing the performance, scalability and reliability of warehouse operations for customers across Australia and New Zealand”.
“PortScale enhances the AutoStore ecosystem by bringing high precision, real-time weight-based process automation to AutoStore ports,” says the company in a release to industry. At CeMAT Australia, Kardex also demonstrated its latest proprietary innovations in warehouse automation and robotics.
Visitors had the opportunity to learn more about the company’s five-year partnership with AutoStore and see its technologies in operation, demonstrating throughput, accuracy and operational performance through “continuous innovation”.
PortScale targets picking accuracy
Amid growing pressure on businesses in APAC to meet rising customer expectations, address labour shortages and increase order volumes, Kardex says it is more important than ever to optimise warehouse operations.
Designed for high-throughput warehouses, PortScale integrates precise weight measurement directly into the AutoStore port to instantly detect picking errors. By automating critical verification processes, Kardex says it helps businesses increase confidence in every order while reducing manual intervention.
PortScale is designed specifically for AutoStore ports and employs multiple weight sensors integrated into the port shelf to enable real-time bin weighing and automated item-count verification with Kardex ScaleManager.
“Picking errors can significantly affect operational performance and brand reputation. Kardex’s PortScale integration workstation combines technologies including the Kardex Intuitive Picking Assistant, barcode scanning, computer vision, data capture for track and trace, and weight-based verification to deliver accurate and efficient replenishment and picking,” continued the release.
Continuously measuring bin weight ensures picking errors are detected instantly to maintain accurate inventory data, cut shrinkage rates and reduce the need for manual counting, allowing warehouse teams to focus on higher-value tasks while maintaining consistently high fulfilment quality.
Kardex passes 150 deployments
Kardex has spent the past five years developing its AutoStore business, completing more than 150 deployments of the ultra-high-density ASRS worldwide. During that time, the business has grown from one employee in 2021 to more than 250 today while introducing a range of proprietary technologies designed to extend the capabilities of the ecosystem.
Developed in response to operational challenges identified by customers, the technologies are designed to improve productivity, accuracy and long-term operational resilience. They include the FulfillX warehouse execution system, automated cleaning technology to increase uptime, AI-powered BinInductAI, and the IPA guided picking system to improve order fulfilment and inventory accuracy.
Kardex says it works with customers throughout every stage of their journey, combining global expertise with local engineering and service teams to help maximise the value of each installation.
Freddy Zhong, regional director business development AutoStore, Asia Pacific, at Kardex, says innovation is only valuable if it delivers practical operational benefits.
“At Kardex we work closely with AutoStore and our customers to develop solutions to real-world challenges and extend the capabilities of AutoStore. Innovation only matters if it creates measurable value for our customers, which is why every new technology we develop is designed to solve practical operational challenges. Within five years we have become both the most innovative and fastest-growing AutoStore integrator, demonstrating the success of our creative, customer-centric approach and proprietary solutions. No two projects are the same and we work closely with companies from a wide array of different industries throughout their AutoStore journey to increase storage density, improve picking productivity and accuracy, and create more resilient fulfilment operations.
“CeMAT Australia gave visitors a great opportunity to experience our AutoStore innovations live and learn how we are pushing the boundaries of what AutoStore can achieve, with PortScale attracting significant interest during the event. We are continuing to innovate and expand our AutoStore services and solutions to deliver even greater value to our customers around the world.”