Seeking Technologies to Improve Efficiency in Scanning Carton Labels

YCH has cargo at the warehouse that we require to be scanned by the operators. Currently, in order to get all the information, the operator has to scan all the cargo individually. This current practice is both inefficient and time consuming. With this practice, human error is inevitable as the operator might miss out on scanning all the labels.

The existing solution in the market is using the camera to take a picture of all the labels on the cargo. The photo will then be used to perform a single transaction to extract the relevant information. However, this solution is not feasible if the number of labels exceed the frame of the camera.

A smart scanning system for the mobile device should have the ability to capture both the text and barcode on the cargo. In the case an inbound of 100 cartons, this system should enable the operator to get all the information of the 100 cartons with minimal scanning action(s). The system should be able to capture and recognise the relevant data. The data will then be converted into digital format and aggregate into an agreed output file (e.g. Microsoft Excel file). The Excel file should be accessible through the centralise database for easy reference.

Our operators currently face the challenge of having to scan one carton label at a time which is time consuming. We are seeking a solution to improve the efficiency in scanning these carton labels.

The carton labels may have different kinds of layouts, and the proposed solution should be flexible enough to read a variety of layouts, such as a combination of text and barcodes on a label.

There may also be defective labels or those partially occluded by wrappings, which may pose a challenge for the scanning.

The proposed solution should be able to capture, recognise and convert the data into digital format and associate the respective fields, and aggregating the data into a Microsoft Excel file.

The proposed solution is to include the recommendation of the type of devices to be used for the scanning, eg. Android-based devices.

The working environment has normal lighting conditions and WiFi connectivity is available.

We are seeking the following levels of performance of the solution:

• Accuracy of 100% for barcode and QR Code, ~90% for text.
• 8 scans per second (single scans) / 1 scan per second (multiple barcodes and text)

A cloud-based solution is a preferred option as it allows the user to have the ability to access the documents from anywhere with internet connection.

Minimum Required Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

Level 6

• Better flexibility in receiving cargos with information that does not exist in the system, such as during the migration of cargo
• Suitable for hospitals order fulfilment as there are multiple fields to be considered before picking
• Time-saving and also higher efficiency in getting all the information.

Further Details

Further details of the challenge statement may be found at the Briefings Page, in the form of video recordings of the virtual briefing sessions, Q&A transcripts and presentation slides if available.

Instructions on Submitting Proposals

Download the proposal submission form in Microsoft Word format at the 'Attachment' section of the Challenge Statement Listing Page and fill in the details of your project proposal. You can then proceed to the proposal submission page by logging in and clicking the 'Submit Proposal' button on the right side of this page, where you will have to fill in the form fields and attach the filled Microsoft Word project submission form before submitting. Do also upload supporting documents/files that may support your proposal.