# Robotics Analytics @ Target

DevFeed: [Robotics Analytics @ Target](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/robotics-analytics-target-20395.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://target.github.io/analytics/robotics-analytics>)

Author: Target Brands, Inc

Published: 2015-04-09T05:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Target](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/target.md>)

Topics: [Robotics](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/robotics.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>), [Automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/automation.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>), [FIRST Robotics Competition](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/first-robotics-competition.md>)

Tags: [analytics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/analytics.md>), [automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/automation.md>), [big-data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/big-data.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [distribution](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/distribution.md>), [machine](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/machine.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [robotics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/robotics.md>), [servers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/servers.md>), [supply-chain](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/supply-chain.md>), [visualization](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/visualization.md>)

## AI overview

The article describes robotics and automation in Target distribution centers, where automated systems generate machine data. It explains that engineers faced a cumbersome manual process involving spreadsheets, macros, distributed files, and difficult server access to gather and visualize that data.

## Source excerpt

One important part of a retailer is their supply chain network. In order to sell a product in our stores, or online at Target.com, we need to have a well run and maintained network to move all of those products from one place to another. It may not sound like a complex problem to ship products from a distribution center to a store, but as soon as you start to have multiple vendors with multiple stores (not to mention online orders that go directly to a guest's home) it becomes increasingly complex. Retailers get products from companies, referred to as vendors, and then distribute the products to stores through central locations, referred to as distribution centers (DCs). In order to improve throughput of our supply chain network we expand our distribution network by building new distribution centers or we increasing the efficiency of the current network. A great way to improve performance of a DC is to put robots and other automation equipment in it. High tech equipment like this requires high skilled labor to maintain and manage the equipment. These highly automated systems run on servers and other control equipment and they produce a lot of machine data that can lead to valuable insights. Robotics has always been an interest of mine, starting with my experience in high school with the FIRST Robotics Competition and continuing today as I volunteer with FIRST. When I first joined Target right out of school with a degree in Electrical Engineering my curiosity and interest in robotics led me to get to know some of the engineers who worked on the robotics systems within Target's DCs. I mentioned to them that I was working with a tool called Splunk that did a good job of aggregating data from different sources to a central location with a visualization platform built in. The engineers said they had a very cumbersome, inconsistent manual process which involved multiple spreadsheets and home grown macros to gather and visualize data. The data was spread out through multip