Space is a precious resource in warehouses, especially in Europe. Attabotics Inc. yesterday announced a strategic partnership with Körber Supply Chain Automation to equip European companies with Attabotics’ 3D storage and retrieval technology. The automated system features efficient order picking at high speeds, including built-in sequencing and buffering, all within an ultra-high-density storage structure, said the Calgary, Alberta-based company.
“Attabotics has seen success implementing this technology in partnership with multiple e-commerce brands and retailers in North America,” stated Scott Gravelle, founder and CEO of Attabotics. “Expanding our solution to the European market was the next logical step.”
“Körber’s expertise and presence in Europe are complementary to Attabotics, and we’re pleased to be offering customers a trusted international partner for their operations,” he said.
Attabotics brings goods closer to customers
Inspired by the framework of ant colonies, Attabotics replaces the rows and aisles of traditional fulfillment centers with a patented automated storage and retrieval (ASRS) system. It includes robotic shuttles that use both horizontal and vertical space, reducing a customer’s warehouse needs by up to 85%, said the company.
Attabotics’ fulfillment system uses robotic shuttles that can move in three dimensions to store and pick goods for workers on the outside perimeter to ship. This architecture maximizes the flexibility and speed of warehouse processes while maintaining a cost-effective and eco-friendly methodology, claimed the company.
As consumer expectations continue to increase at unprecedented levels, Attabotics said it is helping customers adjust to that surge while also offering a solution to the warehouse labor shortage.
By empowering retailers to place fulfillment centers near high-density urban areas, Attabotics claimed that it helps create jobs and decrease carbon emissions by closing the last-mile delivery gap.
“Customers are trying to place product as close to customers as possible to have very short delivery cycles,” said Cyra Richardson, chief product officer and chief technology officer of Attabotics. “We're talking with folks in Asia, Europe, and North America—not just retailers, but also brands selling directly to customers.”
The company added that major brands and retailers across apparel, food and beverage, and home goods have adopted its technologies across the U.S. and Canada.
“We're really focused right now on milestones to deliver in 2022,” Richardson told Robotics 24/7. “We're delivering a robot that is safe, predictable, and can run for years, as well as creating a software architecture that plugs into WMS [warehouse management systems] and e-commerce systems.
Attabotics also recently partnered with SYNUS Tech to offer its logistics systems in South Korea.
Körber seeks European support
Körber Business Area Supply Chain Automation is unit of Hamburg, Germany-based Korber AG. It said it has been seeking innovative partners to jointly support European e-commerce companies with the challenges of order fulfillment.
Körber Supply Chain will be a reseller, integrator, and implementation partner for Attabotics' system in most of Europe.
“Flexibility, responsiveness, and performance are essential for today’s fulfillment operations,” said Michiel Veenman, vice president of fulfillment solutions at the Körber Supply Chain. “We believe that the Attabotics’ solution offers a powerful combination of characteristics that were not yet available on the European market. With Attabotics’ technology, Körber can now offer our customers the next step in automation.”
The Minneapolis-based company said its portfolio includes software, robots, voice technology, and materials handling systems, as well as the integration expertise to tie it all together for a competitive advantage.
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