Digitization

Knowing where smart cabinets should go

Text: Stina Ramström & Robert Långström
Foto: Cornelia Jönsson
December 12, 2022

Tntelligent cabinets are here and they are here to stay. "The time is right to offer solutions where the data is at least as important as the products themselves."’

Lennart Svensson

Digitization is most effective when it meets a specific need. Already during the IT bubble at the end of the 90s, digitalization made it possible for computer screens to vibrate – but back then who needed to be able to see their sneakers on screen in 3D when the internet was slower than a French philosopher with lung disease and logistics chains were completely unprepared for e-commerce? Answer: no one – they went to the shoe shop. The need did not exist.

Today, the possibilities are significantly greater. But it is still people’s needs that take precedence and Alligo needs to meet them. You don’t digitalize for the sake of it – where customers have to adapt – but the other way around. That is good digitization and that is in line with the Smart Service concept.

“Smart Service is an umbrella for a variety of products and services that save customers time and money. This is by ensuring that the right tools and materials are always close at hand in their factories,” says Timo Kaartinen, head of Smart Services at Alligo.

How intelligent cabinets work

  • The cabinets are placed in the customer’s factory.
  • Each content is tailored for each customer.
  • The cabinet is activated with an access card.
  • The shelf for the product being sought lights up green.
  • When an item starts to run low, it is automatically registered.Personnel from Alligo can then go and refill it.
  • A screen on the side shows product information.
  • The product is placed into a digital shopping basket. Once purchased, an invoice is generated for the customer.
  • The cabinet is connected to Alligo’s business system, which collects lots of data.

Smart Service is a bit like an instant e-commerce experience. You search and shop online, but the product is physically with you the whole time.

Smart Service is a bit like an instant e-commerce experience. You search and shop online, but the product is physically with you the whole time.

The typical customer is a large company with a factory, a warehouse and many employees. Alligo places intelligent storage cabinets stocked with its products in strategic locations within the factory. For example, the cabinet could contain protective gloves or work shoes. The company’s employees then gain access to the cabinets via their access cards. Via an interface on the cabinet, employees can search for products and materials, and get information about them and what they are used for. This way, they know if the product is right for their job or not. Estimated delivery time: 3 seconds.

“Regardless of what our customers produce, they often face the same problem. Their employees spend unnecessary time retrieving and searching for the right products and supplies in the factory. It is a long way to go to the central warehouse,” says Timo Kaartinen.

Timo Kaarinen

Another challenge is that that products are often squandered. Or that employees accidentally use the wrong protective equipment for its purpose, which increases the risk of accidents. Some companies also have problems with wastage. All in all, this costs time and money and has a negative impact on the environment.

“Protective gloves are a good example. Different gloves are needed for different purposes, for example a certain type is required if you are going to handle chemicals compared to if you are going to do assembly work. On the display, an employee can access all the information needed about the glove’s properties and choose the right product. Then the shelf where the product is located lights up green and all you have to do is pick up the right one,” says Timo Kaartinen.

Calling the product ‘smart’ is not an exaggeration. All data is stored. For example, Alligo can access statistics on customers showing consumption on an individual level, as well as monitoring availability and can top up stock in good time.

“During my 20 years at the company, first at TOOLS and now at Alligo, I have worked on developing Smart Service. It is in constant development because the conditions change all the time.”

Lennart Svensson, Business Developer at Alligo says:

“We are the market leader in offering tailor-made comprehensive solutions with intelligent goods cabinets. Over the past year, we have noticed that customers are increasingly ready for this product. The time is right to offer solutions where the data is at least as important as the products themselves.”

The time is right to offer solutions where the data is at least as important as the products themselves.