Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.41
…automation producers took a big blow last November when Walmart announced that it was ending its contract with Bossa Nova Robotics. So what can we really expect from robots and automation? Humans have been trying to make jobs easier since the dawn of time. It is one reason why we domesticated animals. It is why we built watermills, windmills, automated looms, steam engines, tractors, and a whole host of other machinery that allows us to do more with less effort, less danger, and in less time. It is the same driver behind autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) – to reduce hard…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.47
…to deliver select grocery and household essential items from Walmart stores in Fayetteville, N.C., using Flytrex’s autonomous drone delivery service. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flytrex had launched a system delivering necessities to residents of Grand Forks, N.D., helping address the growing health crisis by keeping citizens in the safety of their own homes and reducing crowding and unnecessary contact at local stores. “Our mission is to make widespread on-demand drone delivery the rule rather than the exception – and this funding is a vote of confidence from our investors that we are indeed on the way to making…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.28
…various ways to implement this approach. Some retailers like Walmart and Kroger use defined pickup windows to manage staffing and navigate peak hours, whereas Target fulfills an order within four hours and gives the customer up to 48 hours to pick it up. In either case, the goals are to limit capacity at busy times, incentivize off-peak traffic and promote load-balancing. Store managers can also change capacity limits in response to daily operational constraints, observed customer demands, or both. Buy Online, Ship from the Store Buy online, ship from the store (BOSS) involves a higher overall level of commitment and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.76
…distinct e-commerce leaders that are setting the pace, like Walmart and Amazon. They are setting the bar on service when they do things like moving from two-day to one-day shipping or Walmart doing same day delivery for groceries, he notes. “As a result, new last-mile fulfillment models are taking shape, such as ship from store and drone delivery.” Pointing out that the future of delivery revenue goes beyond just shipping and delivery cost, Amling says smart companies are “playing offense,” versus attempting to defend their territory. “This is the era of organizational velocity,” he adds, “which is the ability to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.70
…into creators' response to the COVID-19 pandemic, presented by Walmart; the event will feature an interview of manufacturers involved in the nation's COVID-19 response by legendary broadcaster Elvis Duran. MFG Day is being supported by the private and public sectors. The governors of Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, New Mexico, Ohio and West Virginia have all issued proclamations celebrating the day and marking October as a time to celebrate the importance of manufacturing and its contributions to our local and national communities. The platform of MFG Day for manufacturers to educate and inspire new talent is made possible by the support of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.70
…investors (the company received $3.5 million in seed funding this past May) as well as industry executives including former Walmart Inc. executive Cameron Geiger, a global leader in sourcing, supply chain and IT, who is serving as Company Advisor. Startup News is published on Fridays, along with SCMR.com’s Supply Chain Startup Blog. Send your startup news to Bob Trebilcock, editorial director, Supply Chain Management Review.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.34
…States in two days and is Amazon Prime and Walmart 2-Day certified. For instance, UPS’s East Coast fulfillment operation is near the Worldport shipping hub in Louisville, Ky. “We can synchronize order fulfillment with operations at Worldport using multiple pickup times, including late pickup times,” Clements says. At the same time, he adds, if you’re looking for a warehouse in every major metropolitan area, UPS is doing that now. If you’re looking for new technologies, like drone delivery, UPS is currently providing drone deliveries of some prescription medications to residences in partnership with CVS and to the campus of a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.79
…30 customers were using or testing its system, including Walmart and Toyota. “Exoskeletons have the power to change everything because your workforce is everything,” says Ignacio Galiana, CEO of Verve, a technology company in the alpha phase for exoskeletons. “People doing lifting are vital. From a financial standpoint, it’s key for a company but also for caring about workers. They deserve to go home to the people in their lives and be healthy—whether it’s their first day or they’re starting the first day of their 20th year with the company.” Kristi Martindale, chief customer officer and executive vice president of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.88
…consortiums working to prove its supply chain value, including Walmart’s program to trace green leafy produce supplies, and the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). A bit more time and broader participation is needed for blockchain to really take off, says Striffler. “Organizations are starting to dip their toes into the water with blockchain, but it needs that critical mass to be fully effective. We might be a couple of years away from that point.” Last-mile evolves The growth of same-day—and in some areas two-hour—delivery windows is making “last-mile” processes a focal point. In terms of software for last-mile, the trend…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.61
…going up: Just the other night I saw a Walmart television ad offering a starting pay of $18 an hour for DC associates in New Hampshire, where we have one of the lower unemployment rates in the country. On the retention side, the company offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and paternal paid leave, with other programs to “give new parents flexibility with their growing families.” That’s more generous than many white collar new parent leave benefits. For those employees who are interested, Amazon offers a career path for floor associates. I noticed signs in the North Haven facility…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.77
Target is strong. Kohl’s is weak. Meanwhile, Walmart is building a new retail empire. However, “We could go away at any minute,” said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon in mid-November. And then he added at that CNBC event: “I didn’t understand how much of a digital transformation was needed (when I first started). That is still underway.” McMillon became CEO in 2014. The carnage in brick-and-mortar retail is staggering. Roughly 20,000 stores have closed in 36 months. And according to UBS, another 75,000 will close by the end of 2026. Nothing but doom and gloom for retail? Hardly. The National Retail…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.65
…used by large retailers such as Amazon, JD and Walmart to pack and sort items for warehouse automation. Automated guided vehicles (AGV) are now being deployed in warehouses as autonomous forklifts, carts and pallet movers. Recent developments like Shopify acquiring 6 River Systems for $450m and Teradyne acquiring AutoGuide Mobile Robots & Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) for $165m & $272M respectively are the outcomes behind this disruptive technology in the warehouses and logistics. Apart this, there have been some major M&A like KUKA (Midea Group) acquiring Swisslog, KION acquiring Dematic and Egemin, Toyota acquiring Vanderlande and Bastian Solutions, and Murata…