Online shopping drives demand for UVS control room video technology

The growth in the popularity of internet shopping has created a surge in demand for control room video wall technology to help manage orders and deliveries, experts Ultimate Visual Solutions (UVS) have revealed.

UVS managing director Steve Murphy said in the last two years more and more retailers had been seeking high-quality screens, video wall controllers and control software to help manage the Flow Rooms they use to monitor purchases and the dispatch of goods.

He said that the rapid rise in the number of people shopping online since the first Covid-19 lockdown meant that the need to manage large amounts of data from multiple sources had become more important than ever in the retail sector.

He added: “Flow Rooms used by huge retailers like Amazon and Next monitor the ‘flow’ of incoming orders, collection of the products via the robotic systems in the warehouses and their dispatch.

“They are basically a control or operations room for the retail sector, monitoring data rather than the multiple video inputs you get in a traditional security control room.

“As online retail has taken off since the start of the pandemic, so more and more retailers need fast, reliable technology to help them manage demand.

“Large amounts of real-time data need to be available and on show to Flow and Operations Control Room staff, allowing decisions to be taken instantly/as required and when production flow issues occur.”

The ability to display and control multiple data sources on the video wall, including web browser applications and process workstations, allows operations staff to immediately react and resolve any of these flow issues.

Murphy added: “Integration between the video wall control software and process applications can provide automatic alerts to flow room staff, allowing issues to be identified immediately.

“Fully automated product picking systems require a high level of automated data presentation to the video wall display system, which the UVS Lucidity video wall controller and software solution provides

“Lucidity also allows CCTV images of the process to be displayed when there are issues, so flow room staff can quickly direct maintenance colleagues to the right area.”

UVS has also seen an increase in this period for KVM over IP solutions, where operators are provided with full simultaneous access to multiple workstations via a single keyboard and mouse and local monitors.

UVS, based in the Burnley First – Burnley Business Centre, provides video wall displays and audio visual solutions to a range of clients across the UK and the rest of the world. It is led by four senior colleagues who, between them, have more than 70 years’ combined Audio Visual, Control Room and Visual Solutions experience.