• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Your Membership
    • Edit Your Profile
  • Services
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsored posts
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Events

Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

  • News
  • Features
  • Video
  • Webinars
  • White papers
  • Press releases
  • Featured companies
    • BlueBotics
    • SICK Sensor Intelligence
    • Vicor Power
axium Distribution-center-robotic-depalletizing

Giant distribution centers look to robots to deal with increasing e-commerce orders

August 18, 2016 by Sam Francis

axium Distribution-center-robotic-depalletizing

Changes taking place in consumer behavior have drawn a new map, a new type of building and a new kind of automation for the retail sector.

Growth has taken place in both the number and size of the facilities that turn e-commerce orders into product deliveries. The distribution center, or operation fulfillment center, is increasingly emerging in locations that experience low real estate costs, offer tax incentives to locate there, have an available workforce for seasonal surges and offer multiple ways of transporting goods from their locations.

In the US, that means areas close to major metropolises, such as New Jersey and Oakland, CA, Midwestern hubs that are unencumbered by traffic-congested highways, such as Omaha, NB and Kansas City, MO, and traditional port cities such as Houston, TX, Norfolk, VA, and Savannah, GA.

The distribution centers being built are usually large-scale, multi-level operations that take up enormous tracts of land. The eBay Enterprise Richwood Fulfillment Center in Kentucky is almost 1.2 million sq ft., while the Target import warehouse in Washington is one of the largest at 2 million sq ft.

As consumers expect next-day delivery, distribution operations look at how they can get the product to individuals’ addresses as quickly as possible. Many businesses now supplement their large centers with smaller warehouses or brick-and-mortar stores for the all-important “last mile” of delivery.

But for those large distribution centers, the only way to go is up and they are taking a page from the post-war high rises that needed to house a growing population. What’s growing this time is the number of SKUs that each company has to handle, not to mention all that consumer expectation. So, many of the new centers are multi-storey facilities.

Fulfilling numerous orders of different products through a maze of geography requires robotics. Companies design their distribution centers using the latest in automation. There are many ways that robotics have acted as midwives to these companies’ huge transformations into e-commerce providers. These have included the use of warehouse management systems (WMS), robotic layer depalletizing, shuttle systems for product storage, robotic mixed load palletizing and automated guided vehicles (AGV).

E-commerce is growing, the hubs that service them are also growing, and the robotics that make it all happen efficiently are at the heart of that growth.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Skype
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Pocket

You might also like…

Filed Under: Logistics, News, Transportation Tagged With: automation, centers, distribution, e-commerce, facilities, fulfillment, hubs, map, orders, robotic, robotics, robots, warehouse

Join the Robotics & Automation News community

Primary Sidebar

Latest articles

  • Reasons to Consider a Career in the Manufacturing Industry
  • Why is My Car Key Stuck in the Ignition?
  • Bachmann Engineering gains certification from Universal Robots for its robot module solution
  • Walmart and Symbotic expand partnership to implement automation system
  • Comau brings high-speed robotic precision to the cosmetics industry
  • EAVX unveils autonomous ‘walk-in van’ prototype
  • MassRobotics launches $50,000 robotics competition
  • Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen
  • Radial expands relationship with Locus Robotics
  • Things to consider while choosing a 45ft flat rack container

Most Read

  • Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
    Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
  • Track your lost Android
    Track your lost Android
  • Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
    Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
  • Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen
    Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen
  • Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
    Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
  • Top 25 vertical farming companies
    Top 25 vertical farming companies
  • The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
    The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
  • Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
    Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
  • What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
    What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
  • Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible
    Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible

Overused words

abb ai applications automated automation automotive autonomous business china companies company control customers data design development digital electric global industrial industry logistics machine manufacturing market mobile platform process production robot robotic robotics robots safety software solution solutions system systems technologies technology time vehicle vehicles warehouse

Secondary Sidebar

Latest news

  • Reasons to Consider a Career in the Manufacturing Industry
  • Why is My Car Key Stuck in the Ignition?
  • Bachmann Engineering gains certification from Universal Robots for its robot module solution
  • Walmart and Symbotic expand partnership to implement automation system
  • Comau brings high-speed robotic precision to the cosmetics industry
  • EAVX unveils autonomous ‘walk-in van’ prototype
  • MassRobotics launches $50,000 robotics competition
  • Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen
  • Radial expands relationship with Locus Robotics
  • Things to consider while choosing a 45ft flat rack container

Footer

We are…

Robotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.

Please consider supporting us by becoming a paying subscriber, or through advertising and sponsorships, or by purchasing products and services through our shop – or a combination of all of the above.

Thank you.

Independent

Archivists

August 2016
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jul   Sep »

Complex

Old-skool

This website and its associated magazine, and weekly newsletter, are all produced by a small team of experienced journalists and media professionals.

If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact us at any of the email addresses on our contact page.

We’d be happy to hear from you, and will always reply as soon as possible.

Future-facing

Free, fair and legal

We support the principles of net neutrality and equal opportunities.

Member of The Internet Defense League

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT