Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.65
February 06, 2022
The meteoric rise of e-commerce has continued to challenge supply chains to keep prices low while also meeting consumer expectations of same-day or next-day delivery. Warehouse operators are increasingly investing in automation—specifically, autonomous mobile robots or AMRs. Global e-commerce sales have increased 26.7% year over year, from $3.3 trillion in 2019 to $4.8 trillion in 2021, according to market observers. In addition, growing numbers of SKUs, constant demand and more drastic peaks, and ongoing labor shortages require retailers and distribution centers (DCs) to keep up with expectations and competitors such as Amazon. Mobile robots are revolutionizing manufacturing and logistics, enabling…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.39
February 05, 2022
Inventory control at the warehouse level is simple, right? You just need to follow warehouse management system processes, set some minimum SKU levels, and be diligent about scan verifications to track consumption. While that worked 20 years ago, in today’s world, with automated systems to store inventory, you may need a warehouse execution system or WES. Forget global supply chain snarls for a moment, and consider another changing reality for inventory management—the increasingly complex flow of goods and transactions in fulfillment centers. While warehouse management systems (WMS) have long been responsible for inventory control in distribution centers (DCs), this complexity…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.47
February 02, 2022
In that same report, CBRE states that the average cost to return a $50 item is as much as 66% of the original sales price – up from 59% in 2020. That means greater pressure on already-thin profit margins and the risk that a successful, if challenging, peak season grows less successful over time. For sellers, that means time is of the essence. The longer it takes to get product back onto warehouse shelves, the larger the discount required to re-sell that item, especially in fashion categories with less than 90-day cycles. So, getting returns back into active, available inventory…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.25
February 01, 2022
Supply chain adoption of automation is continuing to accelerate. Berkshire Grey Inc. yesterday announced that it has received $14 million in new orders since November 2021. The company said the orders include $8 million from new customers and $6 million of follow-on orders from its anchor accounts. “We continue to demonstrate strong commercial momentum with these new orders,” stated Tom Wagner, CEO of Berkshire Grey. “At $200 million in total orders to date, we are proving the value we are delivering to our customers, enabling them to create long-term competitive advantage in e-commerce, retail, and logistics with our AI technology…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.60
February 01, 2022
It’s been dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Workers across the country are leaving their jobs in record numbers to pursue higher pay, better working conditions, and other career opportunities. A whopping 38 million workers called it quits by the end of 2021—some even leaving the workforce altogether due to concerns or constraints around COVID-19. Now it’s up to employers to address the labor shortages. Some industries are feeling the strain more than others, particularly those that faced hiring and retention challenges long before the current wave of “quits.” This includes the warehousing and distribution sector. Why the growing labor shortage? The…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.89
January 31, 2022
Lidar makers are in the midst of a funding growth spurt. Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. last week announced that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, declared effective its Form S-4 registration statement. The statement includes a definitive proxy statement in connection with a special shareholder meeting to consider a proposed business combination with lidar provider Cepton Technologies Inc. Founded in 2010, Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (GCAC) is a special-purpose acquistion company (SPAC) led by Akis Tsirigakis and George Syllantavos, co-CEOs. The New York-based firm will hold the special meeting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Feb. 9, 2022.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.48
January 30, 2022
While Boston Dynamics Inc. is best known for videos of its legged robots, the company has continued to pursue commercial applications. DHL Supply Chain last week announced that it is investing $15 million in robots from Boston Dynamics to further automate its North American warehouses. According to their multiyear agreement, the companies will start with Stretch, a robot designed for unloading in distribution centers. “At DHL Supply Chain, we are committed to continuous innovation and digital transformation to optimize the end-to-end supply chain,” said Sally Miller, CIO of DHL Supply Chain North America. “Investing in warehouse automation plays an important…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.74
January 24, 2022
Much of North America's freight travels by tractor-trailer truck on highways, but the addition of autonomy, modularity, and electrification to locomotives could give the older transportation mode new life. Parallel Systems last week came out of stealth and announced that it has raised $49.55 million in its Series A round. The Culver City, Calif.-based startup said it plans to use the funding to build a fleet of rail vehicles, conduct testing, and grow its team. “We founded Parallel to allow railroads to open new markets, increase infrastructure utilization, and improve service to accelerate freight decarbonization,” stated Matt Soule, co-founder and…
Found in Robotics White Papers & Archives, with a score of 7.73
January 24, 2022
While the hardware for collaborative robots, industrial automation, and mobile robots may not yet be commoditized, suppliers increasingly say that software and data are major differentiators. There is also a lot of hype around artificial intelligence, so it’s important to understand what robots are actually capable of doing right now. The ways in which robots navigate dynamic environments, identify and pick objects, and gather and analyze data are key to how they augment humans and ultimately provide a return on investment. In this Special Focus Issue, we look at AI and industrial automation, advances in machine vision for e-commerce fulfillment,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.91
January 21, 2022
While autonomous and semi-autonomous warehouse systems may not yet be commoditized, their ability to make the most of scarce labor is increasingly valuable. Phantom Auto this week announced that it has received $42 million in funding, as well as purchase orders from logistics providers ArcBest and NFI Industries for thousands of its Phantom-powered forklifts in the coming years. “We have seen an explosion in demand for remote operation across the supply chain as our customers seek innovative solutions to expand access to labor and fuel growth,” said Shai Magzimof, co-founder and CEO of Phantom Auto. “Logistics companies need workers to…
Found in Robotics Companies & Businesses, with a score of 11.80
January 19, 2022
Photoneo is a leading provider of robotic vision and intelligence. Based on a patented 3D technology, the company said it has developed a high-resolution, high-accuracy 3D camera to unlock the full potential of powerful, reliable, and fast machine learning, as well as to reduce training and deployment time. By bringing intelligent robots into the field, Photoneo helps companies in the automotive, logistics, e-commerce, food, and medical industries to improve the performance and efficiency of their manufacturing, fulfillment, and assembly processes.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.09
January 19, 2022
Cyngn Inc. and Columbia Vehicle Group yesterday announced that they have begun producing self-driving Columbia Stockchasers using Cyngn's Enterprise Autonomy software. The companies said their growing fleet will make autonomous industrial vehicles available to more customers. “Customers have been looking for ways to automate their workflows for years, and we believe that the time is right to bring self-driving capabilities to Columbia vehicles,” said Greg Breckley, director of business development at Columbia. “By launching production of our first fleet, we’re bringing the full range of Stockchaser’s well-known capabilities and pairing it with autonomous driving technology for a new era of…
