WORCESTER, Mass.—If all politics is local, so too are opportunities to develop workforces and boost regional economies with robotics. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative last week held its third annual Massachusetts Manufacturing Mash-Up at Polar Park, showcasing collaboration among business, academia, and government to innovate, educate, and grow. About 1,500 people attended the event, 25% growth over 2022, according to the event organizers. This year's Mash-Up included the 8th Annual Manufacturing Awards Ceremony, the announcement of the Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program (MMAP) grant winner, and exhibits by technology companies, as well as student networking and challenges. “Our organization is proud to…
IAM Robotics this week announced that it has changed its name to Onward Robotics, with a new logo, visual identity, and website. The Pittsburgh-based company said it has evolved from a developer of mobile manipulation systems to a provider of software and hardware for person-to-goods automation. “This transition has been an exciting and transformational process for us,” said CEO Lance VandenBrook in a press release. “Onward Robotics better reflects the organization’s strong forward trajectory, our bold and purposeful team, and most importantly, our commitment to moving our clients and the global supply chain forward.” Founded in 2012, IAM Robotics had…
Diligent Robotics yesterday announced $25 million in new financing that it plans to use to expand its network of Moxi robots in hospitals across the U.S., further develop the product, and triple its market reach. “The incredible demand we've seen for Moxi is [not only] a testament to the clear value of using robotic automation to augment and support frontline hospital care teams, but also our highly customer-centric approach to bringing new technology and operational change into healthcare,” said Andrea Thomaz, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Diligent Robotics, in a release. “We approach our work with deep empathy for the…
RiACT and Phoenix Mecano AB this week announced that they have partnered to create XtendR, a system to give collaborative robots greater flexibility and efficiency. XtendR integrates a high-grade industrial lifting column from Phoenix Mecano’s X2 Technology brand with any cobot and any gripper, allowing the cobot to extend its reach and access different working heights. RiACT said its RiFLEX software enables users to easily program and control the lifting column and the robot. ”XtendR is a game-changer for cobot applications,” stated Bjarne Grossmann, CEO of RiACT. “It gives the user the freedom to choose the best cobot and gripper…
Clevon today announced that its robots have delivered close to 1,500 packages for DHL Express Estonia since they began their partnership in the summer of 2022. The partners reported that customers have welcomed the service, and they plan to expand their collaboration. “Initially, there was a lot of uncertainty because neither our nor DHL's global team had previously tested such a solution,” stated Kristina Laaneots, managing director of DHL Express Estonia. “However, over the past year, our extensive collaboration has proven that this technology has great potential.” DHL Express is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, which generated revenues of…
V and B—Vin et Bière, or Wine and Beer—has been growing, with 262 bar stores, and 80% of them franchised. The French company plans to open a new 7,200 sq. m (77,500 sq. ft.) warehouse in January 2024 in Château Gontier sur Mayenne. V and B has decided to use SCALLOG robots to meet its performance, agility, and corporate social responsibility objectives. The concept behind the V and B franchise is a combination of a wine and beer cellar with a bar for people to meet after work to “share good times around good products.” With 20 to 25 openings…
The Manifest Vegas 2024 team has shared a sneak peek of what attendees can expect to see and hear on the Plenary Stage on both Feb. 6 and 7, 2024. A collection of C-level executives, recent winners of Alcott Global's Leaders of Supply Chain Awards 2023 and Gartner Inc.'s No. 1 Top Global Supply Chain company will take the stage at the Las Vegas event. This group includes: Amiee Bayer-Thomas, chief supply chain officer of Ulta Beauty Harald Emberger, chief supply chain officer of Beiersdorf Kenneth Engel, senior vice president for global supply ghain, North America, at Schneider Electric Sally…
Brightpick yesterday announced strong global sales growth for its Autopicker robots, which debuted in February. The privately held company said it has ramped up operations to fill the demand, and it is now manufacturing hundreds of robots annually for installations around the world at its plant in Europe. “Demand for Brightpick Autopicker has far exceeded our expectations,” said Jan Zizka, co-founder and CEO of Brightpick, in a release. “E-commerce and e-grocery companies seem to quickly understand the operational enhancements that a fleet of Brightpick Autopicker robots can provide,” he said. “Our strongest traction is in grocery and pharmaceuticals, probably because…
Körber Business Area Supply Chain and Geekplus Technology Co. today celebrated three years of strategic partnership. The companies said the anniversary is “an important milestone in Körber's journey to provide businesses worldwide with efficient, scalable, and sustainable end-to-end logistics solutions.” The partners said they have successfully deployed thousands of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in 30 implementations in eight regions. Körber and Geek+ claimed that their joint customers have more than doubled productivity, improved accuracy up to 99.99%, and reduced distances walked by warehouse associates by up to 82%. Customers throughout Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific are currently relying on Geek+'s expertise…
One of the most promising areas for autonomous vehicles is in logistics yards. Fernride GmbH today announced that it has obtained $19 million in funding, bringing its today Series A round to $50 million. “By closing our Series A at $50M, we have established an investor base consisting of multiple corporates and large venture funds that can provide us many key strategic advantages along the value chain, as well as fund our ambitious growth plans to build the global category leader for autonomous, electric trucking,” stated Hendrik Kramer, co-founder and CEO of Fernride. Kramer, Maximilian Fisser, and Jean-Michael Georg founded…
FANUC Corp. yesterday announced that it has produced 1 million industrial robots. The company said its robots are used in factories “all over the world to assemble, handle, package, paint, and weld products of every shape and size.” “Companies are striving to achieve their goals as they face an increasing labor shortage,” stated Mike Cicco, president and CEO of FANUC America Corp., in a release. “Whether it’s a small shop or large assembly operation, we’re seeing more requests for easy-to-use automated solutions that will provide a quick ROI [return on investment] – FANUC is well-positioned to meet those needs.” FANUC…
