Apollon-Q PP for Automated Material Detection and Replenishment

Reliable material supply depends on knowing what is actually available at each workstation. In practice, however, digital inventory records and physical stock do not always match.

Material may be collected without being scanned, replenishment may arrive later than expected, or a transaction may be recorded before the material reaches its intended position. Although the ERP system still shows available inventory, the workstation may already be running low or be completely empty.

This lack of real-time visibility can delay replenishment, increase manual checking and, in the worst case, interrupt production.

The objective was therefore to detect material availability directly at the point of use and convert physical stock changes into reliable digital events.

Detecting material availability directly at the workstation

Apollon-Q PP continuously monitors the assigned material position using optical Time-of-Flight measurement. Installed above or opposite the position, it detects the distance to the nearest package without physical contact.

The application can distinguish up to four predefined material levels. As packages are collected, the measured distance changes and the sensor identifies the remaining occupancy level. Once the last package has been removed, the position is automatically reported as empty. When new material is supplied, its presence is detected and the position is marked as replenished.

This means that every relevant change at the material position—from full to partially occupied, from occupied to empty, or from empty to replenished—can be captured automatically. The configurable measurement interval allows the detection cycle to be adapted to the response time required by the production process.

The sensor therefore replaces manual visual checks with continuous information about the material physically available at the workstation.

Connecting physical stock changes with ERP, MES and WMS

Each Apollon-Q PP is digitally assigned to a specific workstation, material position or part number. When its status changes, the event is transferred to the connected application and linked to the corresponding inventory record.

Using MQTT, REST API or webhooks, this information can be integrated into existing ERP, MES and WMS environments or processed by a custom application. The integration layer converts the sensor event into the appropriate operational action.

For example, a decreasing material level can provide an early indication of upcoming demand. Once the position becomes empty, the system can automatically initiate a warehouse task, internal transport order, Kanban request or supplier call-off. When new material is detected, the replenishment can be confirmed without an additional manual entry.

The sensor does not replace the ERP, MES or WMS. It provides the physical information these systems need to respond to the actual situation at the workstation.

 Apollon-Q PP is available with mioty®, LoRaWAN® or cellular connectivity via NB-IoT/LTE-M, enabling the solution to be adapted to both existing network infrastructures and standalone deployments. 

Creating a traceable record of material movements

Every detected collection or replenishment event can be recorded together with the material position, occupancy level and timestamp.

This creates a continuous history of physical material availability, independent of whether a barcode was scanned correctly. Companies can compare these events with booked inventory movements, identify discrepancies and determine when a position became empty or was replenished.

The resulting data also supports the analysis of material consumption, replenishment times and recurring supply shortages.

Operational benefits

• Faster replenishment through automatic demand signals
• Fewer production interruptions caused by missing material
• Less manual scanning and visual inspection
• Reliable comparison between physical and booked inventory
• Greater transparency into consumption and replenishment times

Material supply driven by actual demand

The material position becomes a reliable source of real-time inventory information. Physical changes at the workstation are detected automatically, transferred to the relevant business system and converted into replenishment actions.

This enables material supply to respond to actual consumption while providing greater transparency and traceability throughout the replenishment process.

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