Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.63
…shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kia Motors has announced that production of face shields has begun at its manufacturing plant in West Point, GA. Initial donations of medical use face shields assembled at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) will be made in Georgia, Alabama, New York and California. With a monthly capacity of 200,000 units, the face shields are being assembled by paid volunteers from KMMG, which has implemented a series of safety measures to protect team members, including: conducting temperature scans, providing face masks and gloves, and staggering work stations. Materials are being…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.48
The outbreak of COVID-19 has created a crippling effect, not only on service industries, but also on manufacturing enterprises, including 5G infrastructure vendors. Despite the current ongoing discussion on OpenRAN and open networks, most advanced 5G networks still rely on Tier One infrastructure vendors and their supply chain has been disrupted. The shortages of component manufacturing and/or network workforce deployment, such as integration engineers, are the main reasons of this disruption. These disruptions will cause 2020 5G network infrastructure revenue to fall as much as 10% of the forecasted US$2.1 billion, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research. “The…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.41
…solutions for health care workers to help fight the COVID-19 crisis in the Washington area and around the world. The company has created a design for reusable face shields and is providing them to health care teams in hospitals around the Greater Washington Metro area. The company also just opened up its patented design of its sterile 3D printer by waiving licensing fees globally for any application of the printers related to fighting the current public health pandemic. Face shields The face shields, which Robotic Research is printing on standard industrial 3D printers at its robotics engineering facility in Clarksburg,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.33
…and a shrinking labor pool weren’t pressure enough, add Covid-19 to the list of challenges confronting warehouse and distribution center (DC) managers as they transform their operations. As the market recovers, and demand picks back up, flexibility and scalability will be more important than ever—putting a premium on the adoption of software, flexible automation, mobile solutions and emerging next-generation technologies. In this Virtual Summit, the editorial team of Modern Materials Handling has designed sessions to help warehouse and DC managers navigate disruption and find success in the new, digital world. In the end, these sessions will help to ensure that…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.23
For many firms, the outbreak of COVID-19 has meant staff working from home and more use of teleconferencing rather than face to face meetings. However, according to global tech market advisory firm ABI Research, it’s a different situation for manufacturers because, despite investments in automation and reducing the need for staff on assembly lines, they still need to receive raw materials. The impact of Coronavirus is both global and unpredictable, and the supply chain shock it is causing will most definitely and substantially cut into the worldwide manufacturing revenue of US$15 trillion currently forecasted for 2020 by global tech market…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.20
…Siemens’ automation controls in the first quarter of 2021. “COVID-19 underlined the incredibly rapid and flexible nature of our combined factory automation technologies and additive manufacturing capabilities compared to traditional manufacturing and demonstrates how vulnerable the global manufacturing supply chain is to unexpected disruptions,” says Tim Bell, head of Additive Manufacturing, Siemens. “Working together with Nexa3D, we are bringing decades of proven Siemens factory automation experience and technology to additive manufacturing to help customers mainstream mission critical production tools for future manufacturing strategies.” Throughout COVID-19, both companies continue to expand their product portfolios as well as their partnerships and collaborations.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.18
…for 3D printing materials has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but plenty of market drivers point to a strong future, according to research by business intelligence firm IDTechEx, published as “3D Printed Materials Market 2020-2030 - COVID Edition.” Indeed, IDTechEx forecasts that the global market for 3D printing materials will be worth $18.4 billion in 2030. Dr. Jonathan Harrop, director of IDTechEx, has recently published an article on the topic of 3D printed materials. This article follows the release of the new IDTechEx report, “3D Printed Materials Market 2020-2030: COVID Edition.” 3D printing is moving into mainstream manufacturing and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.14
COVID-19 shaping Digital Transformation In some respects, the imperative to pursue Digital Transformation is even more urgent in light of the pandemic and its repercussions. Also, the crisis has significant implications for the way artificial intelligence (AI) - a core component of DT - is deployed in the supply chain domain. Digital Transformation-derived flexibility gaining currency The pandemic is testing the resilience of supply chains as never before, and the consequences for how supply chains are designed and operated will take years to play out. However, what is already clear is that DT will help to define what we mean…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.10
…collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs; and the COVID-19 Maker Challenge, a joint event by Challenge America and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Innovation Ecosystem. “Both of these opportunities seek to tap into the amazing innovation we’ve seen to date from the entire AM community during this crisis,” says America Makes Executive Director John Wilczynski. “This industry is uniquely positioned to take on these challenges as we have the ability to rapidly design and test products that will solve very real problems for frontline workers.” Fit to Face-Mask Design Challenge: Now until April 26, 2020 The America Makes Innovation…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.07
…brought about by limited labor availability and, most recently, COVID-19 social distancing requirements,” said Bart J. Cera, president and COO of VARGO. “The marriage of these application-based technologies, like Kindred’s pick and place robots, teamed with the appropriate distribution center design, equipment and execution software, provides our customers with highly efficient and industry-leading distribution solutions. We look forward to continuing to partner with Kindred in bringing the latest technologies to our customers.” To create a safe working environment for its employees amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Kindred and VARGO customers use SORT AI-powered warehouse robots to increase social distancing measures. Rather…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.06
…and foldable field hospital that could aid in the COVID-19 pandemic. “Two years ago, I had the idea for an expandable chamber that could be deployed on the International Space Station with the ability to monitor astronaut health,” Ning says. “When COVID-19 started to spread, I thought this idea could be useful on Earth.” The two-year, $265,000 grant is a part of the “EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research” (EAGER) program that funds early stage research with transformative potential. The first step in Ning’s project is to develop a stretchable sensor that fits to a patient’s chest and abdomen. “It will…
Found in Robotics White Papers & Archives, with a score of 2.96
…circumstances facing shoppers, retailers and carriers alike. Ever since COVID-19 brought sports leagues, schools and many businesses to an abrupt halt, economies have been in various stages of recovery and reopening. Preparing for peak season is no longer as simple as increasing headcount. With a labor shortage and warehouse turnover reaching a five-year high in 2020, operations are critically strapped for workers just as e-commerce volumes are reaching new highs. Success this peak season relies on more strategic preparation – and that begins now. Download this white paper for guidance on how to: Embrace automation as a tool to scale…