Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.62
May 14, 2021
…mission control and took shortcuts. Instead of localization for trucks on screen, they put bells at intersections.” “The mobile robot makers don't always sell their own software, so there's the fear that the installers aren't doing it to the vendor's standard,” he claimed. “The robot manufacturers say, 'We want to sell more robots,' so they see us as a complementary solution.” “Business processes are unique to an organization, so if you define jobs to be done in someone else's software, you're locked in,” said Rocos' Inggs. “By abstracting a mission or a job, we can call a Boston Dynamics robot…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.42
May 13, 2021
…Houston-based group's portfolio spans five brands – Mitsubishi forklift trucks, Cat lift trucks, Rocla AGV Solutions, UniCarriers Forklifts, and Jungheinrich warehouse and automation products. All products are backed by an extensive dealer network for customer service and product support. Remote ops enable supply chain flexibility Worker safety, availability, and retention are top of mind for every supply chain leader, especially amidst the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Mitsubishi. According to a recent report from Gartner, 87% of chief supply chain officers say they are planning to invest in resilience and agility over the next two years.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.93
January 13, 2021
…exist 30 feet inside the dock area and also yard management systems (YMS) for the outside activities,” says Pilgrim. “However, that transitional area at the loading dock, and 30 feet inside the door, has basically been left to fend for itself.” Making the grade While some companies continue to rely on Excel spreadsheets, clipboards and verbal communications to manage their docks, others are deploying smart controls, Cloud technology, and data to streamline this area of their operations. To accommodate these needs, Systems LLC began Wi-Fi-enabled smart controllers that companies can use to manage dock operations. “That was the catalyst behind…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.44
November 23, 2020
…North America, comprising 50 million square feet Assets: 3,000 trucks and 12,500 trailers, including more than 750 temperature-controlled trailers Employees: 13,100+ “Questions about innovation are in every bid we do now,” notes Darin Richards, regional vice president of operations for privately held NFI, a New Jersey-based 3PL operating 50 million square feet of warehouse space in 350 locations around the country, along with a dedicated fleet of more than 3,000 trucks and 12,500 trailers. “For the last two to three years, it’s come up in every quarterly business review with a customer. Everyone is pushing the envelope and asking what…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 47.59
December 16, 2019
Improving the Yard Management Process There are over 100,000 warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants in the U.S. alone. With nearly 4 million retail stores and eCommerce websites to support, their supply chain and logistics processes must be as efficient as possible. 5.5 million trailers make 500 million shipments (facility to facility or facility to store) every single year all over the country. These shipments average over 200 miles each, taking up countless hours and funds. However, 80% of that time is spent with an idle trailer, unloaded, or loaded. This is wasted time and money. Employing technology to automate…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.81
December 02, 2019
…technology used for tracking inventory in equipment and storage yards. Apart this, the DroneScan system provides two revolutionary solutions to scanning products and pallets in warehouses. Either the Hadeda system consisting of a Drone and Dronescan payload which reaches the high shelves and methodically moves down the aisles scanning pallet barcodes. The micro-fulfillment shift Micro-fulfillment brings a distribution center closer to the end-customer which allows businesses to operate via an online delivery model and reduce costs of last-mile delivery for retailers. Micro-fulfillment centers are small warehouses that utilize high-end automated systems, AI and analytics to deliver goods rapidly. Companies such…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 36.61
September 20, 2019
…on human drivers in the midst of a significant truck driver shortage and leveraging the capabilities of modern technology, these companies are leading a charge that one day could give autonomous vehicles a real presence on the world’s highways and byways. Those vehicles won’t be limited to passenger automobiles. Also making their way into the autonomous realm are trucks, buses, and yard and shuttle trucks. In my opinion, these autonomous vehicles which operate in controlled environments, such as ports, manufacturing plants, and distribution center yards will be the first to go mainstream. Already, companies have made fully autonomous beer deliveries…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 19.85
May 23, 2019
…stopping, thereby making these trips quicker and more efficient. Truck freight: Trucks offer superior flexibility due to their ability to pick up and drop off freight at individual locations. However, they are limited in terms of their speed, particularly in high-density urban locations. Trucks are also hampered in remote areas where road infrastructure is weak or nonexistent, e.g. in emerging markets. Drones can provide dramatically faster solutions in both markets. In addition, drones could eliminate the need to pay employees to load and unload truck cargo and track inventory, which could all be done autonomously. Air freight: Airplanes are also…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.88
May 20, 2019
…focused (e.g. real-time route optimization, uberization of freight, autonomous trucks) but interesting concepts in warehousing and technology-driven productivity initiatives have emerged. Traditional warehousing operations are evolving dramatically with the help of technology innovators and logistics leaders must stay on top of these developments. Technology Innovators Shaping Warehousing Design and Productivity On-Demand Warehousing: Flow Space | Flexe | STORD | Ware2Go | Micro-Fulfillment Centers: Commonsense Robotics | Takeoff | Autonomous Mobile Robots: Opex | Fetch Robotics | Clearpath Robotics | Box Packaging Automation: Rockwell Automation | ProShip | WestRock | Collaborative Robots (Cobots): Locus| NextShift Robotics | inVia Robotics | Fetch…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.38
May 15, 2019
…companies use racks and shelving; 92% rely on lift trucks; 83% use dock equipment; and 74% rely on palletizers, pallets/totes, bins and containers. According to Modern’s survey, companies plan to upgrade existing or implement new lift trucks (58%); racks and shelving (47%); and dock equipment (47%) over the next 24 months. Right now, 63% of companies are using conveyor and sortation systems to automate their facilities, while 55% rely on weighing, cubing and dimensioning equipment. Thirty-three percent use goods-to-person picking solutions (i.e., donor totes delivered to workstations); 22% use automated storage (mini-loads, automated storage and retrieval systems, carousels and vertical…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 16.78
November 22, 2018
Driverless Cars and Trucks Forget what the experts and technogeeks are predicting for the era of driverless cars and trucks. What are the oddsmakers saying? Actually, Las Vegas is quite bullish on the prospect of driverless vehicles. In fact, Jim Murphy, an oddsmaking consultant for sports and non-sport novelty bets focused on the entertainment business, politics, technology and financial markets, is predicting that 21 million autonomous cars will be sold within the next 15 years. “Autonomous cars - better known as ‘self-driving cars’ - may seem the stuff of science fiction but they’re close to becoming reality,” says oddsmaker Murphy…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 16.61
July 13, 2018
…areas. He also noted that “PINC, a provider of yard management systems, has deployed a solution that utilizes drones to identify the location of trailers, shipping containers, and other assets in hard to reach areas. Equipped to carry GPS, RFID, OCR, and barcode readers, the drones can fly overhead to quickly locate and identify assets that have been tagged in a yard or port.” So, what is the state of drones in the supply chain today, nearly five years after the Bezos’ interview? To find out, I reached out to Matt Yearling, CEO of PINC, the yard management provider Vyas…
