Berkshire Grey, Swisslog Partner to Provide AI-Enabled Robots for Order Fulfillment

As supply chains struggle with shifting consumer behavior and widespread labor shortages, robotics providers must demonstrate the value of their offerings. Berkshire Grey Inc. and Swisslog Holding AG today announced that they are partnering to help customers with automation, with an initial focus on the Americas.

“Swisslog is excited to partner with Berkshire Grey,” stated Markus Schmidt, president of Swisslog Americas. “We view this as a first step in a fruitful relationship with Berkshire Grey. "Together, we will continue to shape the future of data-driven, robotic solutions by providing the next generation of warehouse automation and creating reliable and unparalleled results for our distribution, e-grocery, and e-commerce customers."

Buchs, Switzerland-based Swisslog said it delivers flexible, scalable, and modular logistics automation for major retail, e-commerce, and consumer goods customers. The company, whose Americas headquarters are in Newport News, Va., has more than 14,000 employees and is a part of KUKA Group.

Swisslog said it can tailor systems to fit fulfillment strategies. It has more than 2,000 integrated installations around the world, including Walmart, Target, H-E-B, Peapod, and Ahold Delhaize. The company recently marked its 300th integration of AutoStore automated storage and retrieval (ASRS) technology.

Berkshire Grey offers robots as a service

Bedford, Mass.-based Berkshire Grey provides robots using artificial intelligence for picking, packing, movement, sortation, and storage operations. The company supports warehouse operations including order fulfillment, retail replenishment, reverse logistics, and package handling for enterprises serving connected consumers.

The company, which reported $14 million in new supply chain orders between November and February. Berkshire Grey said its systems are available through traditional and robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) models, allowing customers to adopt automation without upfront capital expenditures.

Berkshire Grey claimed that its systems can transform operations "to deliver competitive advantage for enterprises serving today’s connected consumers." It customers include Global 100 retailers and logistics service providers.

Swisslog joins partner alliance

“Both Berkshire Grey and Swisslog have broad portfolios of complementary solutions and the same goal: providing automation that helps customers meet ongoing consumer demand for anything, anytime, anywhere order fulfillment,” said Steve Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Berkshire Grey.

“We’re focused on leveraging Swisslog’s experience working closely with customers to identify and implement automation technologies that meet business objectives alongside our advanced robotics solutions for joint customers – ultimately helping companies use automation to streamline their operations and maximize productivity,” he said.

Swisslog and Berkshire Grey said they are jointly providing robots to global enterprises addressing the challenge of real-time order fulfillment through automation. Swisslog said it is now part of Berkshire Grey's Partner Alliance program as a strategic systems integration partner that provides customers with scalable robotic solutions developed to improve fulfillment throughput while driving down operational costs.

Both companies will be exhibiting at MODEX 2022 next week at the World Congress Center in Atlanta. Berkshire Grey will be at Booth B4207, and Swisslog will be at Booth B7661.