Industrial Design.
WAV Retail-Store.
A smart palletjack to assist order pickers in commercial retail stores.
Date: 2020
Client: Crown Forklifts GmbH & FH Joanneum
Cooperation Partner.
Crown currently offers a range of 27 different products, each of which has a large selection of additional options to match the desired context of use.
A area that appears significantly underdeveloped is their offerings for order pickers in the context of retail stores. The currently manufacture the CROWN WAV (work assist vehicle) which has been delivered to every single Target in the United States. Although this product offers impressive functionality, its applications are fairly limited as it is expensive to acquire and mostly serves the purpose of reaching items located in the highest shelf of commercial retail stores. Hence, this product category promises to provide a significant potential of innovation.
Problem.
Have you ever noticed the many pain points for order pickers in retail stores, such as: supermarkets?
The images above were taken over the course of 2 years, in 5 different countries and on 2 continents! There is a clear need for pattern to be noticed between the most common tasks for employees in grocery stores and the lack of equipment to complement them with those specific duties. The result is a collection of scenarios that highlight the physical strain for workers, the disruptiveness to the customers retail experience and the general lack of efficiency in the order picking process.
Problems.
Move.
The order picker has to move the vehicle and all goods with their own physical strength which can be exhausting and potentially dangerous.
Reach.
Depending on the employees height, not all items can easily be reached and they frequently have to
Interact.
Due to limited space in the retail store, conventional pallet jacks are often placed in a temporary position, while disrupting the retail experience for the customer.
Concept.
Core Idea.
A smart vehicle to help employees in retail stores with moving, reaching and placing items.
The combination of these features will significantly increase the order picking speed while reducing the physical strain for employees and simultaneously making the retail experience more enjoyable for customers.
Specifications.
Motorized.
To reduce the physical power necessary for the employee to move items within the store, the new WAV RS will be motorized and have an electric powertrain.
Electric.
In order to avoid having to bend over when reaching items (which is particularly strenuous for the upper body), te new vehicle will feature an integrated scissor lift mechanism.
Ergonomic.
To make the process of reaching or placing items in the top shelf, faster and more ergonomic, the new WAV RS will feature an integrated ladder, that can easily be assembled on site.
Ideation.
Moods.
Crown currently has a very clean design language with large geometric bodies and a consistent color code.
There are almost always elements of their orange brand color to emphasise the function of a specific element. Although their design appears to demonstrate a form follows function approach, they also tend to provide numerous curved split lines or elliptical elements for a more unique aesthetic expression.
Ideation.
The majority of the ideation process was done with pencil sketches and photoshop renderings.
I prefer to pursue a more analog design process with a mentality of quality over quantity. Visualizing many ideas with quick sketches to later be compared and improved upon until finding a convincing design solution which is then digitally rendered using either photoshop or illustrator.
CAD Process.
The final design was constructed using Rhinoceros 3D and rendered in Keyshot 7.
These tools were frequently used as a core part of the design development process.
Final Result.
Final Result.
This is the new
WAV Retail-Store.
A unique new approach to optimise the order picking efficiency of employees in retail stores.
Dimensions.
The new model measures in at 1400cm x 750cm.
Significant changes include the fact that the total length of the vehicle is now actually 10cm shorter that the outgoing model, however still provides a load area that is approximately 27% larger than before.
Design.
A sleek, modern design that doesn’t compromise in features and usability.
Although the exterior shape is very reduced, it’s the many creative and smart details that define the character of this vehicle.
Electric.
The omni-directional wheels allow for maximum manoeuvrability in small spaces, such as: tight corridors.
The vehicle is controlled via the steering unit, which provides a intuitive manner for employees to steer the unit without previous training.
Ergonomic.
The scissor lift mechanism is, when closed, completely submerged within the exterior chassis and therefore doesn’t affect the aesthetic appearance.
It extends electrically after being activated by a color coded switch on the main steering element and, considering the current dimensions, could carry a potential weight of up to 500 kg.
Convenient.
The integrated staircase can easily be assembled on site, by simply rotating an element of the loading tray and attaching the two seperate stairs.
The stairs can conveniently be stored underneath the loading tray, meaning that they are hiden for the majority of the time and only become visible when the user occasionally needs to reach a otherwise unreachable location in the retail store.
The future of order picking.
