Shantanu Patel
Enterprise Deployment

Enterprise Shipment Visibility System

Computer vision-powered real-time tracking for manufacturing logistics

Deployment: Multiple US Manufacturing Facilities
📜
Patent
US20230060506A1
⚠️

The Business Challenge

A global HVAC controls manufacturer faced a critical supply chain blind spot:

  • No visibility on actual carrier pickup times from staging areas
  • Days of delay without tracking between ERP goods issue and carrier pickup
  • Incomplete data LTL and small parcels grouped on wooden pallets
  • Customer service unable to provide accurate delivery estimates
Solution: Computer vision-powered real-time timestamp capture system
💡

The Solution

Designed and deployed an end-to-end computer vision system that automatically captures shipment timestamps at the exact moment pallets exit facility doors. The system combines edge computing, AI-powered label detection, and cloud integration to provide real-time shipment visibility.

System Architecture

Edge Hardware

  • 12MP 4K UHD Cameras (Bosch)
  • Edge compute hardware (x86)
  • Time-of-flight sensors (4-6m range)
  • Visual indicator lights

Software Stack

  • Docker containerized pipeline
  • Message queue architecture
  • Computer vision models
  • Barcode OCR with de-skewing

Cloud Platform

  • Proprietary matching algorithms
  • AWS S3 image archival
  • ERP system integration
  • Real-time dashboard & alerts

Monitoring & Ops

  • Scalyr logging infrastructure
  • Device health monitoring
  • CI/CD deployment pipeline
  • Production alerting system

System Process Flow

1

Shipment Detection

Time-of-flight sensors detect pallet entry (4-6m)

2

Image Capture

4K camera captures frames with shipping labels

3

Label Detection

Computer vision identifies and localizes labels

4

Barcode Reading

OCR decodes barcodes and extracts tracking IDs

5

Visual Feedback

Green light confirms successful scan

6

Cloud Sync & ERP

Data synced to cloud and ERP system

👨‍💻

My Role & Responsibilities

Hardware Architecture

Selected and evaluated cameras, compute units, and sensors. Calculated resolution requirements for reliable barcode detection. Managed vendor partnerships achieving 50% cost reduction.

Onsite Deployment

Led installations at multiple US manufacturing facilities. Coordinated with facility teams on mounting, networking, and environmental requirements. Ensured standards compliance.

System Integration

Designed edge-to-cloud pipeline architecture. Integrated with client ERP systems for metadata matching. Built APIs and webhooks for real-time data flow.

Performance Optimization

Optimized processing pipeline with parallel workers. Implemented memory management and failsafes. Migrated from WiFi to Ethernet for stability. Reduced logging overhead.

Production Readiness

Established monitoring with Scalyr. Created health check systems and alerting. Documented SOPs for operations team.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Primary technical contact for client stakeholders. Coordinated with AI engineers, platform team, and project management. Trained warehouse associates on new workflows.

🛠️

Technical Stack

Computer Vision Python/Golang Docker Kubernetes Message Queue Edge Computing AWS S3 REST APIs IoT Edge Computing Ubuntu Linux CI/CD Scalyr ERP Integration Barcode OCR Microservices