Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.81
Robots and Humans Working Together In Robots in the Supply Chain: The Perfect Employee? Merril Douglas paints a picture of a time in the near future when robots and humans will work side-by-side to help companies gain speed, increase accuracy, cut costs, and handle the grunt work. “We're sitting in the middle of a perfect storm for robots in the supply chain. E-commerce sales continue to climb, forcing retailers to pick up the pace in their fulfillment and distribution centers,” Douglas writes. “But these days, it's hard to find workers to keep product moving in any kind of warehouse e-commerce…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.67
Vecna Robotics, a leader in autonomous material handling, recently separated from Vecna Technologies, creating distinct companies. As a standalone business, Vecna Robotics plans to play a major role in the coming transformation of industrial automation and robotics. Powering this transformation, Vecna Robotics finalized an investment led by Drive Capital this summer to chart a new direction that will maximize both robotics and human workflow in the industrial sector. The New Vecna Robotics The separation allows Vecna Robotics to focus on developing innovative, adaptive, future-proof hardware and software solutions in warehouse and industrial automation. Moving Vecna Robotics to a standalone business…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.24
A friend of mine is having a dickens of a time selling her home in Columbus, Ohio. It’s in a great neighborhood with one of the best school systems in the area. And, at over 4,000 square feet with a nice big yard it’s the kind of house people my age aspired to. What’s not to like? Apparently, it’s the size. The realtors have told her that the houses selling right now are smaller because today’s buyer doesn’t want to take care of all that property. Sometimes, it pays to think small. Something similar might be happening in the warehouse…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.78
It’s November, which means the holiday season is right around the corner. For most retailers, gearing up for peak is a matter of getting the right inventory in the right locations and hiring enough people to get the projected orders out the door. Those tasks are daunting enough. But, how do you recover when a facility you were counting on for the upcoming season catches fire roughly nine weeks before the first of November? Shawn Curran (left) is executive vice president of Global Supply Chain and Product Operations for Gap Inc. and Kevin Kuntz (right) is senior vice president of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.08
Challenge of Scalability in the Ecommerce Warehouse Perhaps no warehouse has to deal with a greater level of volatility and unpredictability as an ecommerce or omnichannel fulfillment center. When you look at a line chart of ecommerce growth over the last five years, it has been remarkably consistent. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone, retail ecommerce growth rose from $298 billion in 2014 to $342 billion in 2015 to $390 billion in 2016 to $452 billion in 2017. That’s an average growth rate of more than 13 percent per year. But, of course, growth in an individual warehouse often…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.95
With the goal of developing an increasingly productive, efficient, and fully flexible automated warehousing environment, global logistics provider DB Schenker is collaborating with IAM Robotics to blend leading-edge logistics technology into its operations. This new collaboration is intended to serve as a foundational platform for the use of automation and robotics technologies to help shippers work smarter, better, and faster. “This is an exciting time for the logistics industry, where a lot of great technologies and solutions are emerging,” said Joel Reed, CEO at IAM Robotics, a maker of mobile piece-picking robots that has been recognized by many organizations for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.10
Intelligent Warehouse Automation Global transportation and logistics solutions provider XPO Logistics has announced plans to deploy 5,000 intelligent robots throughout its logistics sites in North America and Europe. The robots, which are designed to collaborate with humans, will supplement XPO's existing workforce and support future growth. XPO has a strategic partnership with robotics manufacturer GreyOrange Pte. Ltd. that makes XPO the exclusive logistics provider for use of its robots in North America, the United Kingdom, and eight European countries. XPO Logistics Chairman & CEO, Brad Jacobs said: “We've developed our logistics technology to integrate the latest intelligent automation and adapt…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.57
High inventory costs, constant stock-outs, low SKU turnover rates and getting stuck with too much obsolete inventory are just a handful of the challenges that companies run into when they don’t use good inventory management practices. In today’s fast-paced, e-commerce/omni-channel distribution world, any one of these challenges can have a negative impact on the bottom line. However, achieving optimal inventory levels requires a delicate balance. Procure too little of a product and you wind up with stock-outs, lost sales or unhappy customers. Buy too much and your carrying and storage costs go through the roof right along with the number…
Found in Robotics Companies & Businesses, with a score of 39.26
Synopsys Simpleware™ 3D image Processing Solutions Synopsys Simpleware™ software provides industry-leading solutions for the conversion of 3D scan data (MRI, CT, micro-CT…) into high quality design, simulation and 3D printing models. Synopsys Simpleware ™ Software is used in fields such as Life Sciences, Materials Science, Industrial Reverse Engineering, and NDE. Easy-to-learn and use, Synopsys Simpleware™ Software offers a robust bridge between the latest imaging technologies and multiple design and simulation applications. Learn more at www.synopsys.com/simpleware About Synopsys Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) is the Silicon to Software™ partner for innovative companies developing the electronic products and software applications we rely on…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.36
Warehouse automation has evolved over the past few decades - from the use of sortation systems to conveyors/AGV’s to RFID systems to complex WMS and WCS systems. In recent years, the focus on being able to profitably cater to customer’s preferences and omnichannel fulfillment strategies has led companies to aggressively seek advanced automation and robotics solutions. The pressure of managing labor shortages in concert with wage hikes while improving speed and accuracy of operations to increase productivity per square foot are driving organizations to look at advancements in technologies to help them control the three big costs—labor, time and real…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.64
GreyOrange, the global leader in AI-powered robotics systems for flexible automation across fulfillment centers in supply chain, has announced US$140 million in Series C funding, marking the largest round ever raised by an industrial robotics company. Mithril Capital, co-founded by Ajay Royan and Peter Thiel, led this round, which included Binny Bansal and other existing investors including Blume Ventures. They join Mitsubishi, Flipkart, and the Project Verte as investors in the company. Ajay Royan, Co-Founder and Managing General Partner of Mithril Capital, will join the GreyOrange board. “As a global investor focused on emerging category leaders, Mithril is proud to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.95
Aerial Inventory Robots Unlike their highly publicized home delivery cousins, drones designed for warehouse uses have been flying under the radar. However, a high-profile board appointment to an indoor drone pioneer could mean aerial inventory robots are ready to come out of the shadows. In August, Chris Sultemeier, former executive vice president of logistics for Walmart, joined the board of warehouse drone pioneer PINC to help roll out the company's new technology. Read the Article: Former Walmart Executive Chris Sultemeier Joins Warehouse Drone Pioneer PINC “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing the PINC team for almost four years now,” Sultemeier…