In warehousing and other sectors, tasks such as moving carts through a pick area or sending completed orders and totes downstream to packing or a conveyor system are increasingly carried out by mobile robots, not people pushing carts. Better coordination of people and robots can lead to even greater efficiencies, according to Zebra Technologies Corp. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can reduce much of the travel involved in conventional pick-to-cart operations, and they often work closely with warehouse associates as part of the actual pick task. The optimization of workflows to account for the activities of both humans and robots can…
Inventory control at the warehouse level is simple, right? You just need to follow warehouse management system processes, set some minimum SKU levels, and be diligent about scan verifications to track consumption. While that worked 20 years ago, in today’s world, with automated systems to store inventory, you may need a warehouse execution system or WES. Forget global supply chain snarls for a moment, and consider another changing reality for inventory management—the increasingly complex flow of goods and transactions in fulfillment centers. While warehouse management systems (WMS) have long been responsible for inventory control in distribution centers (DCs), this complexity…
The first phase of warehouse robotics may be coming to close. That’s because vendors today are talking more about fulfillment processes, integration, and software rather than the robots. The types of robotic systems available has matured and diversified. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can assist warehouse associates with picking efficiency. There are also AMRs that move larger loads, autonomous lift trucks, goods-to-person automation, and mobile manipulators. In the past couple of years, rapid progress has been made with pick-and-place systems that use artificial intelligence and articulating robotic arms. This proliferation of warehouse robotics has come pretty fast and already has brought…
Most of the major lift truck manufacturers are using technologies that can benefit both fully autonomous systems as well as help human operators be more effective. On balance, most lift truck technology advances today center on making operators more connected, comfortable, and productive. They include telematics and fleet software, operator assist and ergonomic features that use sensors, as well as motive power technology such as lithium-ion batteries that cut out battery-swap procedures. “Much of our truck technology today is centered around making the trucks we have smarter and more intuitive, both for the operators and the managers,” said John Slavik,…
Micro-fulfillment is on everyone’s lips these days, or so it seems. Major supermarket chains including Kroger, Walmart, and H-E-B have started micro-fulfillment center projects, tapping automation companies that offer robotic, high-density storage and picking systems, which can be placed inside a store or a so-called “dark store” that fulfills online orders for a compact geographic area. But for all the attention on the micro-fulfillment center (MFC) trend to date, it’s mainly taking hold in grocery. It does, however, overlap with the concept of hyperlocal fulfillment, which almost every retailer or e-commerce brand is trying to achieve in some form. The…
If ever a time was ripe for robotic lift truck sales to take off, right now might be it. With the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating e-commerce demand for many types of goods, factories and fulfillment centers need to move a high volume of pallets to keep stores stocked and e-commerce order-picking systems or manual pick locations topped off with goods. Vendors say that return on investment (ROI) in two years or less is possible for automated lift trucks, but some complexities are involved, like knowing how to phase them into an operation and identifying automated or semi-automated applications that make the…
Robots are hot in warehouses right now, with strong double-digit growth projected by most analysts over the next few years. There’s a big difference, however, between knowing that robotics has market momentum, and knowing how to properly scope an automation solution. The dilemma with scoping robotics for a distribution center (DC) is that plenty of “it depends” are involved in finding a good fit. It depends on what warehouse workflow you want to automate. It depends on order mix and volume, product dimensions, layout and labor considerations. That said, if you back up from these parameters, some best practices emerge…
It is still early days for widespread use of technologies like mobile robots and artificial intelligence in warehousing, but robots and AI seem to be everywhere in industry announcements. Plenty of attention is also on startups that offer these technologies, and the significant amount of funding they’re attracting. The reasons for all this buzz goes beyond the visual “wow” factor of tote-laden autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) zipping around warehouse floors, reducing much of the walking involved with more manual methods of order fulfillment. The drivers revolve around the intersection of the pressing end-user needs for fulfilling orders more rapidly and…
Berkshire Grey (BG), a developer of integrated artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic solutions for e-commerce, retail replenishment, and logistics, has entered into a definitive agreement with Revolution Acceleration Acquisition Corp. (RAAC), a special purpose acquisition company, to create a leading publicly listed robotics and automation solutions company. Founded in 2013 by the current CEO Tom Wagner, Ph.D., the former chief technology officer at iRobot, BG offers fully integrated, AI-based software and hardware to automate business operations in warehouses and logistics fulfillment centers. The company’s solutions help retailers and logistics companies meet the exponential growth of e-commerce and ever-increasing consumer demands.…
The workforce keeps fulfillment on track Even with the growing use of warehouse automation, it’s the workforce that keeps fulfillment on track. From associates picking orders to a cart with direction from a mobile device, those on a voice-directed system, or an associate who is the “person” in a goods-to-person automation set-up, people remain essential to efficiently getting the orders out the door on time. That makes labor management systems (LMS) solutions increasingly important, even with the move to more automation. Add in the need to keep warehouse associates motivated and retained when warehouse labor remains challenging to find, and…
Keeping consumers supplied with fresh baked goods has been part of convenience store chain Kwik Trip’s recipe for success. At its stores, consumers can buy many types of fresh goods, including bakery items that are labor intensive to produce and distribute without significant automation. With future growth in mind, Kwik Trip took an automated approach, including a new facility with automated order picking and storage and warehouse control system (WCS) software to orchestrate the picking of orders needed by stores. The new facility and automation meet the throughput needs of the growing chain, and they also make for a safer,…
If ever a time was ripe for robotic lift truck sales to take off, right now might be it. With the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating e-commerce for many types of goods, fulfillment centers and manufacturing plants need to move a high volume of pallets to keep stores stocked up and e-commerce order picking systems or manual pick locations topped off with goods. And while unemployment has risen since last year, it remains challenging to secure enough workers—including skilled lift truck operators—to keep goods flowing to consumers. Sales of driverless robotic trucks stand to benefit under these conditions. Vendors say that return…