As warehouses and distribution centers become more sophisticated, the equipment within them has also advanced. The e-commerce surge and persistent labor shortages have driven vendor innovation, resulting in a host of put walls with new features that address companies’ current and future needs. A type of warehouse racking system, a put wall can batch work in large fulfillment centers. They consist of long, narrow walls made with individualized compartments—each of which holds a single order. Put walls can cut down on the time it takes for an employee to walk back and forth between the packing area and the picking…
The optimization, integration, automation, and management of material goods and data within the four walls of a warehouse or distribution center have been getting a lot of attention lately. Interest in intralogistics has grown because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, persistent labor shortages, spiking e-commerce orders, and ever-evolving consumer preferences. The exhibition hall at the recent MODEX trade show, one of the leading materials handling events in the world, brought the current state of warehouse robotics into clear focus, all under one roof. There, hundreds of vendors from all over the world were showcasing their innovations, most of which were…
Oceaneering International (Booth B9408) has completely revamped its autonomous mobile robots (AMR) product portfolio and announced the North American launch of three new mobile robots. The UniMover D 100 is a small underride vehicle, designed to transport light goods such as boxes, totes and trays. The UniMover O 600 is an underride vehicle suitable for transporting a variety of bulk items such as engineered parts, food, laundry, medical equipment, packaging and pharmaceuticals. The MaxMover CB D 2000 is designed as a true replacement of conventional counterbalance forklifts. Oceaneering selected BlueBotics to provide navigation technology for its industrial autonomous mobile robots.…
Big Joe Forklifts (Booths B3219 & B3419) is previewing several new products, including the company’s vision for a new breed of semi-autonomous machines known as “co-bots,” or collaborative robots, that keep humans in the loop within materials handling workflows to deliver maximum value. Nicknamed “BUD,” Big Joe’s User Directed Pallet Mover showcases the company’s User Directed Automation concept. It features a simple onboard tablet and Cloud connection to drive autonomously on custom missions once an operator manually loads a pallet and tells it where to go. “Automation as we know it in material handling is about to be turned upside…
Warehouses and distribution centers have been a hotbed for new technologies over the last few years, with everything from packing stations to picking equipment to materials handling equipment feeling the impact of these innovations. Not to be left out of the conversation, the loading dock was also ripe for improvement and, as such, is getting more intelligent and safer thanks to new hardware, software and tools. “There’s no question that companies are realizing the significance of the dock, and the difference between uptime and downtime out on the dock,” says Walt Swietlik, director of customer relations and sales support at…
The push is on to the automate the modern warehouse, disconnect the “wires” that can hamper productivity, and find new ways to keep workers safe in the current environment. As part of their overall commitment to digital transformation, many companies were already deploying automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) solutions in their warehousing and distribution operations. COVID-19 added fuel to that fire by putting “touch-free” on the front burner for companies that suddenly had to comply with workplace social distancing rules and other requirements. As these changes took place, the AIDC market found itself well positioned to support a physically…
Vecna Robotics (Booth 9807) is showcasing its innovative, autonomous materials handling solutions this week at Modex. Focused on maximizing both human and robotic capability, the company is transcending traditional automation to help create fulfilling jobs, increase productivity and encourage innovation. The world’s first continuously improving multi-agent orchestration engine, Pivotal transforms any OEM piece of materials handling equipment into a flexible, autonomous system. A proprietary, continuously improving software, the orchestration engine delivers value for customers in the distribution, warehousing and manufacturing sectors. It automates crossdocking, line-side delivery, replenishment, case-picking, and oversized/non-standard SKU delivery. “Pivotal not only manages the orchestration, but it…
Innovative robotics pioneer Soft Robotics (Booth 3627) has announced the first robotic solution specifically designed for the handling of product returns. An extension of the SuperPick plat-form, the SuperPick Polybag Picking System is a new, end-to-end robotic materials handling solution designed to solve unconstrained materials handling challenges in labor starved mar-kets and can integrate across a variety of applications. “Reverse logistics and returns handling have become the center of attention for many e-commerce companies as recent studies have shown that 41% of people who purchase items online do so with the intention of returning at least part of their order,”…
Conveyco Technologies (Booth 1614) is showcasing its new Proof of Concept (POC) program for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). The new program allows organizations to conceptualize, emulate and validate AMR system’s performance prior to financially committing to an entire system. “Organizations are seeing the results AMRs can deliver. However, they are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options that are available and where this technology can be applied within their operations,” said Ray Cocozza, president. “The Conveyco AMR POC Program is designed to address this fear by providing a scalable approach to select the best technology and tune the concept before…
At a press conference at Modex 2020, Knapp (Booth 5406) discussed its strong business growth over the last year, gave an overview of its latest products, and showed how a partnership with Covariant is helping it create AI-enabled robots for the fulfillment environment. Knapp’s executives gave the audience an update on the OSR Shuttle Evo, of which the company has sold more than 15,000 units since introducing it two years ago. Launched last year, the Pick-It-Easy Evo offers a modular option that can be adapted to any facility. Knapp’s PIE Robot is cloud integrated and features self-learning capabilities that build…
As robots, automated equipment, artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies continue to make their way into the world’s warehouses and DCs, the number of companies using them is also proliferating. Driven by the need to manage high-velocity operations with limited labor resources while meeting the ever-changing needs of their customers, more companies are looking to automation to help them solve their most pressing fulfillment problems. Modern’s 2019 “Usage and Implementation of Warehouse and DC Automation Solutions” survey more than proves this point and paints a picture of a distribution landscape that’s ripe for innovation. Conducted by Peerless Research Group…
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…