RightHand Robotics Inc. yesterday announced at MODEX 2022 that it has partnered with Vanderlande to deploy piece-picking robots to meet the demands of general merchandise warehouses and distribution centers on a global scale. Vanderlande has added RightHand's RightPick item-handling system to its Smart Item Robotics, or SIR, portfolio of technologies.
“The market wants integrated robotics that work, so we’ve tested the world’s leading robot solutions,” stated Terry Verkuijlen, vice president of warehouse solutions at Vanderlande. “Our findings showed that RightHand Robotics’ use of gripper technology, vision systems, and software algorithms is the best fit for automated general merchandise warehouses.”
Established in 1949, Vanderlande said it is a global partner for logistics process automation, software, and services in the warehousing, airports, and parcel sectors. The Veghel, Netherlands-based company, which has an office in Marietta, Ga., has more than 7,500 employees and turnover of €1.8 billion ($2 billion U.S.).
Vanderlande serves global sectors
Vanderlande said its warehousing tools serve leading e-commerce players, as well as food, fashion, and general merchandise retailers. The company added that its systems can improve efficiency and reliability. They help fulfill same-day deliveries of billions of orders, with customers including nine of the 15 largest global food retailers, it said.
As a partner for “future-proof airport solutions,” Vanderlande said its baggage-handling systems can move more than 4 billion pieces of baggage around the world per year. These are active in more than 600 airports, including 12 of the world’s top 20.
Vanderlande added that its systems sort more than 52 million parcels every day at the world’s leading parcel-handling companies.
Toyota Industries Corp. acquired Vanderlande in 2017. The companies said their synergies include cross-selling, product innovations, and research and development.
RightPick joins SIR portfolio
After testing several of picking robots, Vanderlande said it ultimately selected RightPick for its features and capabilities and because it is successfully functioning in warehouses today. As labor shortages continue to increase, RightHand Robotics and Vanderlande said they will help customers as advanced automated picking becomes ubiquitous in an ever-demanding order-fulfillment climate.
“We are pleased to be included with the Smart Item Robotics portfolio of technologies,” said Leif Jentoft, co-founder and chief strategy officer of RightHand Robotics. “Warehouses are under increasing pressure to accelerate order fulfillment as e-commerce orders continue to rise.”
“We look forward to helping Vanderlande meet the needs of customers worldwide and are honored to meet their standards for advanced automated picking,” he said.
The collaboration is part of the RightHand Robotics Partner Integrator program, the company’s flagship initiative intended to make it easier for end customers to adopt the RightPick platform while still working with their preferred automation suppliers.
RightHand said it launched the program was launched to align business goals of systems integrators, OEM technology providers, certified robot integrator partners, and other related sales alliance members. The program offers strategic, commercial, and technical engagement so businesses can develop and build comprehensive systems powered by the RightPick technology.
RightHand takes its show on the road
A DARPA challenge-winning team from the Harvard Biorobotics Lab, the Yale GRAB Lab, and MIT founded RightHand Robotics in 2015. Their stated goal was to apply grasping intelligence powered by computer vision and applied machine learning to real-world problems.
The Somerville, Mass.-based company said its data-driven picking platform provides flexible and scalable automation for predictable order fulfillment. It raised $66 million in Series E funding last month. RightHand said it will be at the following events:
- MODEX 2022: The RightHand Robotics team is at Booth B8622, and the Vanderlande team is at at Booth B5406 from March 28 to 31 in Atlanta.
- LogiMAT 2022: RightHand will present RightPick 3 in Hall 7, Stand A61. Vanderlande will be in Hall 1, Stand J21 in Stuttgart, Germany, from May 31 to June 2.
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