Much of the excitement in warehouse robotics is about what the systems can do next, such as trailer unloading, parcel piece picking, or autonomous case handling. But there is also plenty of enthusiasm about the robotics-as-a-service, or RaaS, model for adopting automation. Like the established software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, RaaS bundles the costs of running a system into a tidy regular fee. That moves capital investments in warehouse robotics into the realm of operational expenses or “opex.” The advantages cascade from there, from opening up solutions to a wider base of users to making it easier to scale fleets, say industry…
From warehouses to wind farms, Combilift has expanded its offerings as it marked its 25th anniversary this week. During the celebrations at its headquarters in Monaghan, Ireland, the company launched a new product designed to meet the load-handling demands of manufacturers of large-scale offshore energy systems. “We are thrilled to have launched this new product—the Combi-LC—and we hope it will act as a gateway for us to further progress within our venture into the wind energy sector,” stated Josh Moffett, heavy equipment manager at Combilift. “The scale of offshore wind projects around the world leads to a very unique set…
For a technology writer, spending a couple of days at the Automate show is like being a kid in a candy store. There are industrial robots, collaborative robot arms, autonomous mobile robots, and plenty of exhibitors with warehouse robotics solutions. The annual event—put on by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3)—has evolved to include solutions of value to multiple industries and processes. These days, it’s not just a show about industrial robots used to “make” or assemble goods in factories. There were many exhibitors offering materials handling solutions, ranging from palletizing, to order fulfillment of finished goods in warehouses. Just…
CHICAGO—Last week’s ProMat was a welcome return to the excitement of the last live edition of the event, back in 2019. In 2021, MHI ran the virtual ProMat DX. First off, this year's materials handling trade show was packed and informative. Registration set a record with 50,924 industry professionals across more than 1,000 exhibitor booths in two large halls. Things were hopping, even more so than at last year’s successful MODEX, also put on by MHI. [Editor's note: Peerless Media, the parent organization of Robotics 24/7 and Modern Materials Handling, is a partner of MHI.] Looking back on the industry…
Growth is good for businesses, though it can strain the limits of existing manual and automated processes in distribution centers. This was the case for Waytek, a distributor of automotive electrical components. The company faced fulfillment growing pains before it implemented a flexible system using autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs. Founded in 1970, Waytek is a family-owned distributor of electrical components to manufacturers and upfitters specializing in wire harnesses and mobile equipment. The Chanhassen, Minn.-based company said its mission is to make it easy for for its customers to source electrical parts. In 2007, Waytek had moved into its present…
More automation doesn’t necessarily mean better automation. That’s why a deployment with an impressive number of autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, in a mobile robot fleet isn’t necessarily more effective than one with just a handful. While it’s common for mobile robot deployments to start small and get bigger, success with AMRs takes more than growing the fleet. You need to consider how quickly and easily you can add more automation and people into a robotic-enabled workflow to handle spikes in demand, as well as software capabilities and the ability to integrate with other systems. Mobile robots come in various…
The next packaging solution that comes into your DC may look less like a traditional automated pack out line and more like a robotic work cell in manufacturing. Not that packaging with robots is an entirely new frontier—they are often used to package goods coming off manufacturing lines. The difference today is that robots are edging further into e-commerce pack-out, where rather than dealing with one SKU, the robot needs the intelligence to handle thousands of SKUs that may come its way. What’s more, the leveraging of intelligent robotics for e-commerce packaging isn’t futuristic, it’s actually being done. Companies like…
More companies with materials handling operations are turning to autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, to automate processes like raw material container movements in a flexible manner, without the need for fixed infrastructure. AMR vendors typically offer fleet software to manage routes and missions and monitor fleet productivity, making mobile robots relatively easy to deploy. However, to get the most from AMRs, mobile robotic equipment (MRE) has emerged. MREs such as top rollers and top modules can help user organizations achieve higher effective payloads from AMRs, as well as help the robots interoperate with fixed automation like conveyors or other machinery.…
The market for warehouse automation is exploding because companies with fulfillment operations can’t find enough workers to stick with largely manual processes in the face of rapidly growing e-commerce volumes. At least that's what conventional wisdom posits. That idea has companies looking at autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and other types of warehouse automation, such as robotic, high-density goods-to-person (GTP) systems, as well as more traditional automation, to do more with less for crucial processes. All of this thinking is true, but it glosses over a fundamental challenge operations face as they implement more automation: getting multiple systems to work together…
The Association for Advancing Automation, or A3, had some encouraging growth news at the start of its Automate show in Detroit last week: After a record year in North America for industrial robot orders in 2021, that momentum carried into the first quarter of 2022. A3’s figures showed that North American companies started the year by purchasing the most robots ever in a single quarter, with 11,595 robots sold at a value of $646 million. That’s up by 28% by units and 43% in dollars over the first quarter of 2021, and 7% and 25% respectively over the previous best…
SpaceGuard Products (Booth B6629) launched a new guarding solution for robotic automation systems, dubbed RageWire, on Monday at a booth press conference. RageWire Robotic Guarding consists of five essential components: 5-foot wide panels; 6 foot, 7 foot, 8 foot tall universal posts; wire panel hanger brackets; universal swing and slide door access; and electric interlock access. Additionally, its design and wire mesh opening size of 1.25 x 4-inch vertical grid pattern conforms to RIA/ANSI Standards allowing for a 17.5-inch compact, clear distance between the machine and the enclosure. This distance between the robot and the guarding is important because it…
A new survey by Peerless Research Group reported that interest in automation is increasing among warehouse and distribution center operators. The “Annual Warehouse and Distribution Center Equipment Survey” found that usage and budgets for materials handling systems, including mobile robots, have increased. Peerless Research, which is owned by Peerless Media LLC along with Robotics 24/7, asked readers about their spending plans for warehouse automation, materials handling equipment, and related software. The findings suggested that operators are interested in more than a crude swap of human labor for robots. Respondents also said that they expect to spend more on labor and…