Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 17.06
April 06, 2021
…grocery, industrial, and healthcare in warehouse, retail locations, or micro-fulfillment centers. It recently unveiled an innovation hub in Norway and partnered with Asian-American grocer H Mart and Bastian Solutions. “We view AutoStore as a foundational technology that enables rapid and cost-effective logistics for companies around the globe,” stated Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group. “We look forward to working with AutoStore to aggressively expand across end markets and geographies.” “We are delighted for SoftBank to join the AutoStore team as we continue on our journey to automate all commerce and deliver best-in-class automation solutions to our customers,” said…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.45
April 05, 2021
Supply chain complexity is increasing, and warehouses need to run at peak efficiency to ensure continued business success. Warehouse management systems are a critical first step in optimizing their operations. But looking past the WMS, what other technologies can help you move performance to the next level? Join us for this master class, to learn about innovative warehouse technologies, use cases and best practices for today's warehouses. Flexible automation for today's warehouses Autonomous mobile robots (AMR) enable a flexible, scalable approach to warehouse automation. Join John Santagate and Andreas Bahke on May 18, as they discuss best practices and use…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.74
April 05, 2021
Piab AB, which makes gripping, lifting, and moving systems, recently announced its new piSAFE program. The Täby, Sweden-based company said the program will include configurable and low-weight products for applications requiring safety, flexibility, speed, and performance. Piab last month also announced the MX suction cup for bin picking, order fulfillment, box depalletizing, and parcel sorting. Since 1951, Piab has been developing materials handling systems. The company has annual sales of about $175 million (U.S.), 650 employees, and a global presence in more than 100 countries. Patricia Industries, part of Investor AB, has owned Piab since 2018. Piab designs for flexibility,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 53.48
March 30, 2021
…today announced that plans to open a fully automated micro-fulfillment center in Carlstadt, N.J., to support its online grocery operations. The company is partnering with robotics provider AutoStore and integrator Bastian Solutions to upgrade its order-fulfillment capabilities. H Mart started in 1982 with a single store in Woodside, Queens, N.Y., and has grown to more than 97 stores across the U.S. The Lyndhurst, N.J.-based company offers both Asian and Western foods and is also known for its food halls. The National Retail Federation has recognized H Mart in its list of “Hot 100 Retailers,” and Supermarket News has listed it…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.24
March 30, 2021
HAI Robotics, which makes autonomous case-handling robots, or ACRs, for logistics and industrial automation, this month announced a Series B+ funding round of nearly $15 million (U.S.) led by 5Y Capital, with participation from existing investors Source Code Capital and Walden International. According to the company, the capital will fuel its research and development, operational capabilities, and business expansion. Warehouse automation can enable fast, safe, and error-free distribution, as well as shorter time to market, and it is about to make an enormous impact on logistics and supply chain operations, said the Shenzhen, China-based company. “With an increasingly aging population…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.37
March 30, 2021
No matter the distance, hauling heavy loads of material through factories and warehouses—or from one to another—remains a highly repetitive and potentially dangerous task. Forklifts remain an ongoing contributor to workplace accidents, and skilled operators are difficult to find and retain. According to the Manufacturing Institute, U.S. manufacturers will face a labor shortage of 2.4 million by 2028. Automation can be a solution for both challenges. Over the past few years, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have emerged as a safe and efficient alternative to traditional manual material movement. AMRs navigate independently along pre-determined paths, with most using built-in lidar sensors…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.86
March 29, 2021
Tompkins Robotics today said it has partnered with IAM Robotics to automate the removal of completed order containers from a sortation process and place empty containers in position. It said the new xChange system is the first to to combine a fully automated unit-sortation system with a robotic container-removal system. This offering can help reduce distribution costs and labor requirements in fulfillment centers, said the company. Orlando, Fla.-based Tompkins Robotics claimed that its end-to-end fulfillment capabilities now include goods-to-person inventory delivery, pick-and-place induction, the t-Sort robotic sortation, automated packaging, and the new xChange system. The t-Sort materials handling system consists…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.43
March 26, 2021
Automate Forward, the virtual version of the biennial Automate conference and trade show, was held this week. The in-person event had been co-located with Promat at McCormick Place in Chicago for several years and would been held in Detroit for the first time. Automate Forward provided an opportunity for integrators and users to learn about robots and automation for a variety of applications. Despite the virtual environment, the show still drew more than 270 exhibitors, including the top robotics suppliers serving the supply chain, logistics and manufacturing industries, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). More than 40 keynote…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.65
March 26, 2021
Warehouse execution system software (WES) grew out of the need for automated distribution centers to throttle the release of order fulfillment through automation in a way that met customer delivery windows while keeping utilization high and steady. The first WES suppliers got a foothold in Distribution Centers (DCs) that were installing high-end, fixed automation like sortation systems. These operations needed a nimbler way of releasing work to the floor versus the “waves” of work that most warehouse management system solutions of the time batched together for processing. Today, that core purpose for WES still remains, but the value proposition is…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.46
March 25, 2021
Increasing demand in e-commerce and order volumes in general are challenging warehouses to improve efficienciy and quality, even as they face capacity and space constraints. Körber Supply Chain and Libiao Robotics yesterday announced that they have teamed up to deliver flexible supply chain automation to customers in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America. Hangzhou, China-based Libiao Robotics integrates logistics automation with research and development, production, and sales of intelligent sorting systems. The company's core business is focused on parcel sorting after order picking. It has developed a range of sorting robots, especially for tabletop sortation. Libiao Robotics said it…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.53
March 25, 2021
inVia Robotics Inc., which provides warehouse automation for e-commerce, yesterday announced that Cargo Cove Fulfillment has chosen inVia's optimization software to accelerate digital transformation in its facility in Jacksonville, Fla. Cargo Cove will take a phased approach to automation. First, it will first deploy inVia PickMate to direct workers along the most efficient routes through the warehouse to take products from inventory to pack out. Later this year, Cargo Cove will add inVia Picker autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to augment existing labor and further increase productivity and accuracy rates. Cargo Cove is a full-service logistics company, providing everything from same-day…
Found in Robotics White Papers & Archives, with a score of 20.79
March 24, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic changed our world overnight. Buying behaviors that were predicted to become the norm by 2026 are suddenly a reality. FORBES reported that COVID-19 has accelerated ecommerce growth by four to six years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Prior to COVID-19, ecommerce and B2B fulfillment operators were increasingly turning to Collaborative Mobile Robots (CMRs) to gain operational flexibility and maintain growth. Early efforts to meet the unexpected demand have included retooling warehouses to handle the increase in each picking and launching or expanding fulfill-from-store initiatives. Now, more than ever, supply chain leaders know that fulfillment…
