Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.64
September 17, 2021
Stord Inc. this week said it has raised $90 million in Series D funding, bringing its valuation to $1.1 billion. The Atlanta-based “cloud supply chain” company also announced the closing of its acquisition of Fulfillment Works LLC, a direct-to-consumer fulfillment provider. “The supply chain is the new competitive battleground,” said Sean Henry, co-founder and CEO of Stord. “Today's buying expectations set by Amazon and the rise of the omnichannel shopper have placed immense pressure on companies to maintain more nimble and efficient supply chains.” “This new funding and the outstanding Fulfillment Works team bring us that much closer to our…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.47
September 16, 2021
GEODIS SA yesterday said that it has partnered with Advanced Handling Systems LLC, or AHS, to implement the Skypod robotic system from Exotec Solutions SAS at its site in Nashville, Tenn. The companies said the automation will enable GEODIS to optimize its e-commerce fulfillment process for its direct-to-consumer customers. “eLogistics is an important strategic initiative for our company, and collaborating with our long-term partners at AHS in new technology with Exotec will be winning formula for our exciting new product,” said Eric Douglas, executive vice president of technology and engineering at GEODIS in Americas. “By implementing the Exotec Skypod System…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.63
September 14, 2021
As a record number of warehouse workers is needed to support e-commerce growth, global brands are seeking assistive automation to increase throughput and safety for warehouse associates. Ambi Robotics today said it has closed its $26 million Series A funding round. The Emeryville, Calif.-based company has developed simulation-to-reality artificial intelligence for highly dexterous robots. “Ambi Robotics combines cutting-edge AI technology with engaging user interfaces to transform the role of ‘item handlers’ to ‘robot handlers,’” said Jim Liefer, CEO at Ambi Robotics. “With our Series A funding, we will be able to empower more companies to help their associates work harmoniously…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.01
September 14, 2021
Mobile robot providers are continuing to scale up to meet supply chain and e-commerce demand. Locus Robotics Corp. today announced that it has secured an additional $50 million in investment from Tiger Global Management LLC. Wilmington, Mass.-based Locus said it will use the funding to facilitate continued expansion into new markets worldwide, as well as to meet the needs of its growing customer and partner ecosystem. “At a time of increasing volumes and ongoing labor shortages, this new round of funding underscores how critical flexible, scalable, intelligent robotics automation has become to the warehouse and the supply chain,” stated Rick…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.81
September 11, 2021
Last-mile logistics can be a costly but important component of the extended supply chain. Goods must move from restaurants, fulfillment centers, retail stores, and other points of origin before traveling to customers or users. They most go through a complex series of transitions to successfully reach their final destinations. These items are not just parcels—they could be perishables such as groceries or food for dinner that evening. Typically, last-mile delivery requires a fleet of vehicles as well as workers who must drive the vehicles and get out to bring orders right to the end users, wherever they may be. In…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.33
September 04, 2021
The drive to add automation to warehouses, distribution centers, and order-fulfillment facilities is not just a matter of deploying some mobile robots. Operations must understand their processes, choose the best people or robots for certain tasks, and deploy the right software to manage multiple systems. The need for efficiency has never been greater, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and retailers deal with back-to-school sales and the approaching holiday season, according to GXO Logistics. “When we talk about warehouse automation, it's clearly an ecosystem,” explained Sandeep Sakharkar, chief information officer at GXO Logistics. “We've evaluated automation across the board—not just robotic…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 59.38
September 03, 2021
Renesas Electronics Corp. yesterday announced that it has worked with eProsima to port the micro-ROS development framework into its Renesas Advanced microcontroller units, or RA MCUs. The Renesas EK-RA6M5 Evaluation Kit for RA MCUs is the official supported reference platform for micro-ROS, they said. The goal is to ease development of professional robotics applications, said the companies. “Robotics is becoming increasingly important as Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT gain steam,” said Roger Wendelken, senior vice president in the IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. “The performance and feature set of the RA family make it the best choice for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.51
September 02, 2021
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle-based lifestyle retailer evo faced several challenges in responding to the growth in e-commerce demand. They included the difficulty in finding temporary and seasonal workers, as well as the need to improve productivity in its order-fulfillment operations. Körber and Locus Robotics ultimately helped evo with a multi-robot solution. “The automation solution from Locus Robotics and Körber was one of the first technologies that I have seen come into the warehouse where the team was excited from the get-go,” said Chris Christiansen, outbound manager at evo. “The improvement of speed and efficiency is impressive, allowing us to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.21
August 31, 2021
Velodyne Lidar Inc. and MOV.AI today announced that they are collaborating to provide robot manufacturers with systems for mapping, navigation, obstacle avoidance, and risk avoidance. The MOV.AI Robotics Engine Platform, combined with Velodyne’s Puck lidar sensors, will meet the growing demand for automation in dynamic collaborative environments such as e-commerce, logistics, manufacturing, and hospitals, they said. “MOV.AI’s mission is to simplify collaborative robot development and to provide AMR [autonomous mobile robot] manufacturers and integrators with everything they need to develop and operate great robots,” said Motti Kushnir, CEO of MOV.AI. “Through the collaboration with Velodyne, we are able to offer…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 45.05
August 30, 2021
…sq. ft. The Urbx Micro system is designed for micro-fulfillment in urban neighborhoods. It starts at 32 GridBots, 54 TowerBots, and 1,512 totes, and occupies 1,800 to 5,400 sq. ft. The company claimed that its Urbx Tower system is “ideal for high tote requirements in cities,” at 120 ft. in height. It has a similar footprint to the Micro but can have up to 72,576 totes. In addition, Urbx offers curbside store fulfillment with a footprint of 720 to 900 sq. ft. Attorneys represent Attabotics Spencer Chimuk of McLeod Law LLP and David C. Van Dyke of Howard & Howard…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.18
August 29, 2021
Schnuck Markets Inc. last week announced that it will expand its deployment of Simbe Robotics Inc.'s Tally mobile robots to all 111 of its locations across the U.S. The St. Louis, Mo.-based company claimed that it will be the first grocer in the world to use artificial intelligence-powered inventory management technology at scale. “We are facing a ‘new normal’ in the grocery industry, and Tally has been instrumental to ensuring we continue to provide an exceptional store experience while rising to meet new operational challenges,” stated Dave Steck, vice president of IT infrastructure and application development at Schnuck Markets. “By…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.71
August 27, 2021
Warehouse operators are gearing up for peak season and face higher shipping volumes driven by increased consumer demand. To build more resilient, efficient supply chains, warehouse operators are adding automation to keep up with demand while mitigating labor shortages. To that end, Motion Controls Robotics Inc. (MCRI) yesterday said it is joining Plus One Robotics Inc.’s integrator program. “By adding the Plus One product line to our existing end-of-line solutions, fulfillment, and distribution center automation efforts, along with our Industry 4.0 connectivity packages, it gives us a unique advantage in the industry”, said Scott Lang, president and CEO of MCRI.…
