Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.40
…a last minute, high priority order. A next-day air delivery order for multiple items is dropped on a warehouse. The WES can prioritize a receipt of an inbound shipment containing the necessary inventory and can allocate receiving resources and assign available dock doors and automation. Upon scan of the inbound carton, the WES coordinates with the WMS to send the carton to replenishment. The WMS/WES issues a task to replenish the inventory. A pick command is generated without a wave to pickers within the zones containing the inventory, the units are picked into multiple bins, and then the bins are…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.39
…after, especially when you have Amazon pushing the same-day delivery model, and everyone is chasing and trying to achieve that same panacea,” says Michael Howes, vice president of software and controls for Swisslog Warehouse and Distribution Solutions (WDS) Americas, which offers automated materials handling as well as software solutions. E-commerce means that DCs have a greater volume of small orders that make it more complex to orchestrate systems, not only within the four walls of the DC, but with order fulfillment and transportation management decisions. “Everyone is being pushed to ship smaller and faster,” says Joe Vernon, senior manager of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.38
…in addition to its Additive Manufacturing Network, an online order-to-delivery collaboration platform for industrial AM, is addressing the security challenges related to 3D printing in various ways. Officials see the digitalization of the design-to-production process as creating new opportunities to address longstanding traceability issues, whether the production method is 3D printing or traditional practices like computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling, according to Aaron Frankel, vice president of Siemens’ additive manufacturing software program. Early in the design cycle, users of NX can specify rules for CAD files that might dictate that a particular part design can only be 3D printed a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.28
…Gupta. “With e-commerce today, there’s more focus on same-day delivery, as well as online ordering of groceries, which is going to further drive up the need for automation. Generally, companies are interested in using AMRs because they need to reduce the cost of order picking, and make order fulfillment more accurate to reduce the rate of consumer returns.” Bots as helpers For companies deploying AMRs in DCs, robotics is often seen as a way to make the human labor you can secure more productive, rather than try to run a fully automated DC. That makes mobile robots more like co-workers…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.28
…temperature-controlled warehousing, multimodal transportation, e-commerce order fulfillment, and last-mile delivery. CJ Logistics has operated in the U.S. for nearly 50 years and acquired Des Plaines, Ill.-based DSC Logistics in 2018. Today, CJ Logistics operates in 155 cities across 40 countries, with 80 locations in North America. It has a significant presence in regulated industries, such as food and beverage, healthcare, and consumer packaged goods (CPG). The company distributes food and CPG products at the pallet and case level to retail, club stores, and specialty stores on a regional basis. Its Dallas facility is dedicated to one customer. CJ Logistics needed…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.27
…days when folks allowed six to eight weeks for delivery. Despite incredible progress, compressing the transactions hasn’t increased visibility of the spaces in between. A new generation of location-based data analysis tools are working to collect information about the movement of items, employees and assets. The possibilities are tremendous, leading one solution provider to boldly declare that a Holy Grail has been found. But it’s also reminiscent of some 20-year-old claims surrounding RFID. Modern spoke with industry experts to determine how the latest technologies are different, what already works and what might be coming soon. Building a detailed map John…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.23
…a truck driver who was exposed while making a delivery? The truth is, like so much else related to COVID-19, the honest answer is that we don’t know. “We’re in uncharted waters,” said Jim Curtis, a Chicago-based lawyer at Seyfarth. “We’ve never faced an issue like this.” The one thing we do know, he adds, is that “there’s going to be lots of litigation over this before it’s done. We’re spending a lot of time talking with our clients about the measures they have in place, and what they have not done that they should do.” With that in mind,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.22
…last year. Pressures related to e-commerce such as tighter delivery windows and the labor crunch are reflected in the survey. When asked about the most important issues affecting DCs today and also two years from now, traditional concerns such as safety, growth and cost containment remain the leading areas, but labor availability also is a top concern. Today, 56% said that labor availability is a very important issue, with this rising to 58% in two years. Cycle times also rises by 2% in two years. Smaller, more frequent orders is rated as very important by 19% today, but this rises…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.22
…portfolio, a new visualization platform that accelerates value and delivery with modern technology, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s achievable.” This year’s event has been expanded and “reimagined” to include more ways for attendees to delve into the latest technologies, such as tours, inspirational keynotes, and more learning and networking opportunities, noted Rockwell Automation. Attendees will be able to experience the newest industrial automation with 500,000-sq.-ft. Expo, with over 120 booths, virtual product lines, Discovery Theaters, and guided tours. The company provided previews of its software: Fiix Asset Risk Predictor: Users can predict and prevent asset failure before it happens…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.21
…is the platform that many robo taxi and autonomous delivery companies are using as it is capable of processing 320 trillion operations per second.” Suppose autonomous trains, buses and robo taxis become common. Would people still want to own private cars, autonomous or otherwise? Dutton has serious doubts. “You’ll always need big buses and trains to commute to work from the suburbs; and in places where you still need to go to your destination from the bus station or train terminal, an add-on transportation service can take care of it. If transportation becomes that easy, why would you want to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.20
…stop and search for a missing pallet or delay delivery to a customer. Robotic lift trucks place loads where they are programmed to be placed, reducing costly time spent hunting for misplaced inventory. And because robotic lift trucks are capable of interfacing with the WMS, they can be tracked in real time through a management portal. Are there particular segments that could use autonomous pallet movers most? LaFevers: Robotics are a popular consideration in warehouse settings, but they can also be extremely productive performing applications in the manufacturing sector. Steven LaFevers, Hyster. Source: LinkedIn For example, a robotic tow tractor…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.19
…going away. On top of that, consumers now expect delivery quicker than ever before. These external pressures are going to require companies to adapt or fall behind and this will lead to more money pouring into companies developing the solutions that operators are seeking. Elazary: I do expect we'll see more funding and more consolidation in this space. Brands and 3PLs [third-party logistics providers] have had to face a perfect storm since the pandemic—fulfill a lot more e-commerce orders with a lot less labor. This created pressures that permanently shifted the landscape, and automation is the only answer for them…