Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.67
June 04, 2019
…robots at your local store. When you go to Walmart, look for robots taking inventory storewide. Ditto for grocer Giant Eagle. Robots in the personal care and pasta aisles? Really? It’s happening now. Of course, Amazon’s bots continue to proliferate to fill your e-commerce orders. Meanwhile, Ryder Systems is cycle counting in its smart warehouses with robots from Fetch Robotics. Hollar, which offers products starting at $1 online, has deployed inVia Picker robots at its new Cincinnati warehouse. Don’t overlook companies like family-owned national 3PL Barrett Distribution. It’s using Locus Robotics’ order picking robots to fill orders at its facility…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.18
May 23, 2019
…Robots are automating multiple areas of the warehouse. Take Walmart, for example. They operate over 190 distribution centers across the United States, the smallest of which is the length of seventeen football fields. Walmart has begun using drones and other in-warehouse robots to automate jobs traditionally done by humans. These drones can collect data, monitor inventory, operate forklifts, and update the company’s warehouse management system (WMS), among other tasks. Two of their drones can do the work of over 100 humans at almost 100 percent accuracy. Further, because technology isn’t tethered to human faculties, their work can be done day…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.32
May 20, 2019
…shippers and 3PLs seeking flexibility. Major retailers such as Walmart.com, Walgreens, Staples, and Bath & Body Works are already working with these and other startups. Also known as on-demand warehousing, benefits such as no start-up costs, short implementation lead times of 3-4 weeks and flexibility to pay for short term usage outweigh the disadvantage of paying higher unit costs than typical long-term contracts. Read: UPS Launches Technology Company and Platform to Match Merchant Needs with Flexible Fulfillment Retail-to-Warehouse Conversion Concept is also taking off with MH&L (Material Handling & Logistics Group) reporting empty stores and shopping malls being converted into…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.20
April 30, 2019
…of regression. Read: Could Amazon Be Worried About The “Walmart Effect”? 3. Shippers Turn to Smart Tech for Tracking The use of Uber-like apps implies another impact and trend in last-mile logistics, the use of smart technology for tracking purposes. Through the Internet of Things (IoT), smart technology and sensors can successfully track shipments in real time. Consumers and shippers can both receive SMS alerts, email notifications and even Google notifications for every movement a shipment makes. Combined with the upcoming electronic logging devices (ELD) mandate, the use of smart tech to track last mile logistics will grow. 4. Analytics…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.61
March 14, 2019
…Amazon….until it wasn’t. Especially once other large retailers, like Walmart, began to catch up. More Than In-Sourcing: Amazon Has Done This Before Amazon has come into other industries and devastated the market leaders before. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples. Amazon vs. Traditional Bookstores and Publishing Bookstores are going the way of the dinosaur. Just recently, I walked around my local mall and realized with dismay that there wasn’t a single bookstore. I can’t recall walking around a mall without a bookstore until that moment. What happened? Large book retailers didn’t understand what the advent of digital…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.68
February 27, 2019
…such as AutoZone, Lowe’s, Pizza Hut, Target, Walgreens and Walmart to help assess retailers’ autonomous same-day and last-mile delivery needs. On average, more than 60 percent of merchants’ customers live within three miles of a store location, demonstrating the opportunity for on-demand, hyper-local delivery services. “The FedEx SameDay Bot is an innovation designed to change the face of local delivery and help retailers efficiently address their customers’ rising expectations,” said Brie Carere, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for FedEx. “The bot represents a milestone in our ongoing mission to solve the complexities and expense of same-day,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.67
January 25, 2019
…for out-of-stocks, incorrect prices, and wrong or missing labels. Walmart is testing such robots in its retail stores, and early reports show that employees like using the robots to perform boring, repetitive tasks. In addition, customers were fascinated by, or at least indifferent to, the presence of the robots. Read: Warehouse Drones Ready for Digital Inventory Management Furthermore, chatbots are being used for self-service retail tasks, and their use is expected to expand. Many consumer-facing companies, including banks and internet service providers, employ automated systems or virtual assistants to help customers with basic tasks over the phone or through internet…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 29.05
October 29, 2018
…Kimmet, former vice president of cloud computing platform at Walmart, has joined the company as vice president of engineering. Kimmet will lead Fetch’s growing hardware, software, and quality engineering teams, and scale Fetch’s Cloud Robotics Platform to support the complex warehouse and logistics environments in which Fetch’s Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) operate. “I was drawn to Fetch Robotics for its innovative cloud-based approach to robotics, and the opportunity to advance the development of a platform that brings the advantages of cloud computing to the edge,” said Kimmet. “As Fetch’s on-demand automation solution continues to penetrate the market, there is a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.44
September 10, 2018
…Kors, Canadian Tire, Geodis and a former Amazon and Walmart executive. Finding that key partner in the organization who can be a champion for the project remains elusive, as does getting the attention of senior decision makers. But, the labor issue came up in this session as well. Brock Eckles, director of strategic solutions for the 3PL Geodis, noted that a large consumer electronics company that is one of his clients has made a decision to invest heavily in automation because they can no longer fight the war over associates. Ron Kyslinger, a former Walmart SVP, argued that automation should…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.08
September 07, 2018
…being used to take inventory in the warehouse. Kroger, Walmart, Macy’s, Target and Coca-Cola are just a few leading companies that are testing and investing in the next generation of advanced warehouse automation. Their use is the next logical step to leverage efficiencies in supply chains that are already under severe pressure to speed up order fulfillment and reduce costs. While investing in advanced automation might seem to be the best way to manage fulfillment, the analysis to determine the best fit and return on investment is often insufficient or influenced by the automation and robotics manufacturer or reseller. Before…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.67
September 06, 2018
…Chris Sultemeier, former executive vice president of logistics for Walmart, joined the board of warehouse drone pioneer PINC to help roll out the company's new technology. Read the Article: Former Walmart Executive Chris Sultemeier Joins Warehouse Drone Pioneer PINC “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing the PINC team for almost four years now,” Sultemeier said in the announcement of his board position. “With the company’s experience and core intellectual property in asset and inventory identification, I’ve seen firsthand how large organizations can benefit from PINC’s solutions, especially the aerial inventory robots.” Prior to retiring from Walmart in 2017, Sultemeier oversaw…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.98
August 21, 2018
…northeastern part of the state, there’s distribution, with large Walmart, Target and Children’s Place distribution centers. All of these facilities will need trained maintenance technicians. “The No. 1 issue before people locate here is: Where are my employees going to come from,” says Kracke. It’s not just a concern for today. “Our auto manufacturers view this as a 50-year lifecycle and they want to know they’re going to have employees over that 50-year period,” he says. About 50% of the equipment in the technology center is owned by the vendors whose systems are used by area manufacturers, and they rotate…
