Last week, Apple wrote a letter to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration telling it that “new entrants” to the auto industry should get the same rights as the established companies in the industry, reports VentureBeat. In the letter, Apple admits to its interest in “machine learning and automation” as it pertains to transportation. Apple uses machine learning to make its products and services smarter, more intuitive, and more personal. The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation. Apple points…
Effective January 4, 2017 FORTE and PAS will come together to join Swisslog under a single brand name and corporate structure. Swisslog Warehouse and Distribution Solutions Americas will continue to be headquartered in Newport News, Va., and will now have a Midwest office at the former FORTE headquarters in Mason, Ohio, and a West Coast office at the former PAS headquarters in Salida, Calif. Swisslog acquired FORTE Industries in April, 2015 and has operated the company as a separate business unit focused on consulting, systems integration and warehouse execution software for companies primarily in the e-commerce and multi-channel retail segments.…
BMW has been working hard to reduce emissions in all steps of the manufacturing process of a car, not only in the final product. For example, for the BMW i models, the Leipzig plant uses renewable energy almost entirely throughout the production process. However, today the Germans announced that yet another step in this direction has been made, launching the first fleet of autonomous transport robots in everyday operation. Autonomous driving seems to be the next big thing in the auto industry but while it will certainly be helpful on the road, it can also help out in the manufacturing…
Auto manufacturers are big proponents of 3D printing, but so far they have mostly used the technology for prototyping or reducing costs in tool and dye making. That could be set to change if a new partnership between Divergent 3D and automaker PSA Group achieves its goals. In September, PSA Group (which manufacturers the DS, Peugeot and Citroën brands) signed a strategic partnership letter of intent to work with Divergent 3D on metal printing projects. According to the company, PSA Group intends to improve manufacturing efficiency using 3D printing. “We are very impressed by the promising new opportunities in Divergent…
Peloton Technology, a connected and automated vehicle technology company dedicated to improving the safety and efficiency of freight transportation, has announced its participation in the Next-Generation Energy Technologies for Connected and Autonomous On-Road Vehicles (NEXTCAR) program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The project will apply next-generation truck platooning technology and concepts for smart, cloud-connected powertrains to achieve 20 percent fuel savings for tractor-trailers. Led by Purdue University, Peloton’s NEXTCAR project team also includes Cummins, Peterbilt Motors Company, ZF TRW, the University of Arizona and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Contributions from partners…
How does the old saying go—“It’s all over but the shouting!” Earlier this month, the KION Group AG announced that it had successfully completed the acquisition of Dematic. In the announcement, Gordon Riske, CEO of KION Group, said it marked the dawn of a new era for his company, Dematic, and their combined companies. “The transaction brings together the world’s most profitable manufacturer of forklift trucks and warehouse technology with one of the largest and fastest-growing warehouse automation and software solution providers,” he added. You can read the complete press release here. When I think about the past year in…
At Whirlpool Corporation‘s 2.4-million-square-foot plant in Clyde, Ohio, a fleet of 54 blue robotic tuggers wind their way around the floor, automatically delivering parts every 20 to 30 minutes to some 24 drop-off locations on the assembly and sub-assembly lines. Operating in a three-shift, five-day-a-week operating environment, the mobile robots are a key component in the lean and continuous improvement philosophy in Clyde—billed as the world’s largest plant manufacturing top- and front-load washing machines. They are also an illustration of the company’s “smart automation” strategy, explains Jim Keppler, vice president of integrated supply chain and quality for the Benton Harbor,…
Founded in 1978 and employing 130 people, Danish fireplace and wood stove manufacturer Scan A/S produces 14,000 stoves annually from its 107,600-square-foot facility. After deploying a mobile robot, the company has automated many kilometers of production floor deliveries, allowing workers to remain productive and producing a return on investment within one year. Previously, an employee had to push a trolley from place to place throughout the facility, a monotonous chore for highly paid manual laborers. “It is costly when internal transport costs man-hours,” says René Hannibaldsen, production manager at Scan A/S. “It challenges a company like ours because we are…
Robot orders and shipments in North America set new records in the first nine months of 2016, according to the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the industry’s trade group. A total of 23,985 robots valued at $1.3 billion were ordered from North American companies in the first nine months of 2016, an increase of 7% in units and 3% in dollars over the same period in 2015, which held the previous record. Robot shipments to North American customers through September totaled 22,050 robots valued at $1.3 billion, breaking the previous record set in 2015 by 3% in units and 11% in…
While widespread usage of self-driving autonomous trucks is not upon us yet, it appears that things are now officially in the very early innings. And the reason is….(Budweiser) beer. OK, well, that is stretching it but maybe I have your attention now, grin. And the main party responsible for this development is the ubiquitous ride-sharing service Uber. Uber’s recent acquisition of self-driving truck startup company Otto last August turned a lot of heads in the trucking and logistics sectors, and this week it officially began to do the same over the road, hauling more than 50,000 cans, 51,744 to be…
