Integrated logistics company ArcBest recently announced the next product in its Vaux suite: Vaux Smart Autonomy.
ArcBest said its new offering combines autonomous mobile robot (AMR) forklifts and reach trucks, intelligent software, and remote teleoperation capabilities to autonomously handle materials movement within warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities - all while keeping humans in the loop.
The company said Vaux Smart Autonomy is an autonomous material handling technology that’s flexible out of the box to handle variability in facilities, processes, and product characteristics.
“Vaux Smart Autonomy improves efficiencies, adds labor flexibility, and creates a safer working environment — even for companies with complex operations that traditionally have not been able to adopt autonomous technology,” said Michael Newcity, chief innovation officer of ArcBest and President of ArcBest Technologies.
Forklifts can be monitored and controlled by teleoperators
Vaux Smart Autonomy vehicles will be able to operate in autonomous, remote, or manual modes. From a remote operations center, teleoperators will be able to remotely monitor multiple autonomous robots simultaneously and step in to operate them remotely as required.
“Vaux Smart Autonomy will revolutionize material handling for customers, helping to optimize and unlock greater efficiencies in their warehouses, distribution centers and the overall supply chain,” said Judy R. McReynolds, ArcBest Chairman, President and CEO.
ArcBest said Vaux Smart Autonomy can integrate with existing facilities and workflows, making it a practical solution for real-world products in real-world environments.
Equipped with software, sensors, and cameras, ArcBest said its AMR forklifts and reach trucks will be able to safely navigate a warehouse, detect and identify pallets and racking systems, and perform tasks such as loading and unloading, moving goods, and stacking pallets. Additional capabilities include advanced dimensioning and 2D barcoding functionality.
Vaux suite will offer end-to-end integration
Vaux Smart Autonomy adds another offering to ArcBest’s suite of hardware and software. The Vaux Freight Movement System is a trailer-sized mobile platform for freight loading, unloading, and transfer. ArcBest said the system’s mobile platforms can be pulled off a trailer at a loading dock in one movement, allowing an entire trailer to be completely unloaded in under five minutes.
ArcBest said its Vaux Freight Movement System and Vaux Smart Autonomy can operate together to make supply chains even more efficient. Once the Vaux mobile platform is pulled off a trailer and onto a dock, Vaux Smart Autonomy forklifts and reach trucks can access all four sides to perform material handling processes autonomously.
Together, the Vaux suite provides end-to-end efficient autonomous warehouse materials movement, building efficiencies and solving for ever-changing logistics complexities, said ArcBest. The company is piloting Vaux with customers across various industries, including manufacturing, automotive, and retail.
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