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The demand for picking robots has reached an inflection point. “I’ve never seen so much interest, if not desperation, to improve fulfillment,” said James Lawton, vice president and general manager of robotics automation at Zebra Technologies. And that’s true for companies as diverse as FedEx and iHerb. They and many others have recently turned to piece-picking automation to solve their…
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I’ve never seen so much interest, if not desperation, to improve fulfillment,” says James Lawton, vice president and general manager of robotics automation at Zebra Technologies. And that’s true for companies as diverse as FedEx and iHerb. Both companies, and many others in between, have recently turned to piece picking robotic systems to solve their fulfillment challenges. But we are…
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We both know people who have trouble distinguishing between their wants and needs. You’ve probably got someone in mind already. We do live in a society with options we never realized were possible just a short time ago. Remember, only Steve Jobs knew each of us needed a smart phone before 2007. Kind of makes you smile, doesn’t it? That…
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“Pain point.” That’s not a bad summary of reverse logistics these days. However, there doesn’t seem to be enough pain in reverse logistics to get many companies to fix their generally inadequate and manual processes. Instead, they continue to receive, review, reallocate, and repeat in the same awkward way. To begin, plenty of returns are out there. Industry estimates for…
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While the past year hasn’t been normal for anyone, Covid has certainly left its mark on the auto industry. First, sales fell roughly by half in the United States before making a bit of a comeback. But this year, the auto industry says that a Covid-induced chip shortage will shave $60 billion off worldwide sales. Meanwhile, the Boston Consulting Group…
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No one likes unpredictability. It’s unsettling. Usually disruptive. Costly, too. But the unpredictability that most plant and DC managers would never tolerate in their processes and workflows, they often accept in maintenance. In fact, many not only live with maintenance unpredictability but almost expect it. Some go so far as to embrace it by accepting a fix-it-when-it-breaks philosophy. That’s a…
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Mobility has long been a prized asset in the distribution center. And, it has typically been best known for its small terminals, tablets, scanners and more that allow DC associates to roam from one end of the facility to the other as the workflow demands. But, there’s a new world emerging as you read this. The devices themselves are evolving…
From geometry preparation to AI-assisted analysis, integrated CFD workflows…
Software-based GripperAI manages mixed picking through basic geometry
Safety, communication and motion control components enable smooth operation
North America’s largest robotics and automation event winds down
