Market trends and business perspectives
by Sam Francis
LG Electronics to establish an artificial intelligence research laboratory in partnership with the University of Toronto, in Canada.
The company says the new facility is an expansion of its AI research and development work in North America.
LG already has an AI lab in Silicon Valley, in the US. The company says it is a multimillion-dollar, long-term commitment. [Read more…] about LG Electronics to establish AI lab in Canada
by Sam Francis
The growing popularity and sales of electric vehicle will not strain the power grid, according to an analysis by McKinsey, one of the world’s leading management consultancies.
McKinsey says its analysis suggests “the projected growth in e-mobility will not drive substantial increases in total electrical-grid power demand in the near- to mid-term, limiting the need for new electricity-generation capacity during that period”.
The authors of the report used Germany as an example and found that electric vehicle sales may grow to the extent that five extra gigawatts of power will be required, but that is only 1 percent of total supply. [Read more…] about Growth in electric vehicle sales will not strain the power grid, says McKinsey
by Mai Tao
Apple claims its company runs on 100 percent clean energy, and now, the tech giant has agreed a partnership with 10 suppliers to jointly invest in climate change solutions in China.
Apple says this is a “new, first-of-its-kind investment fund in China” to connect suppliers with renewable energy sources.
The company says that, as part of its “commitment to address climate change and increase the use of renewable energy” within its supply chain, 10 initial suppliers and Apple will jointly invest nearly $300 million over the next four years into the China Clean Energy Fund. [Read more…] about Apple launches new $300 million clean energy fund in China
by Sam Francis
Nitco has launched a new wireless forklift fleet management technology, which it says is “game-changing”. (See video below.)
The company says it adds telemetry capabilities to materials handling equipment which could lead to “improvements in safety and accountability while eliminating inefficiencies and lowering your overall cost of operation”.
Nitco says the modules are equipped with sensors, GPS and telemetry technology, enabling machines to “collect helpful, actionable data that provides new insight into countless aspects of your operation”. [Read more…] about Nitco introduces wireless forklift fleet management technology
by Mai Tao
South Korean industrial giant Hanwha has made a presentation at the United Nations in which it explained more about its so-called “Solar Forest” project.
Hanwha claims to be “the world’s leading solar energy solutions provider”, and established its Solar Forest project in 2011.
Since then, Hanwha claims to have planted 490,000 trees in six new forests in China, Mongolia, and South Korea. [Read more…] about Hanwha presents ‘Solar Forest’ project to United Nations
by Sam Francis
Southwest Research Institute has established a collaborative robotics laboratory to deliver advanced automation technology to the heavy industry and manufacturing sectors. (See video below.)
The facility features collaborative robots, or “cobots”, in a flexible lab where engineers can develop agile, mobile, automated capabilities.
Lab facilities include meeting rooms for industry events and training. [Read more…] about SwRI launches collaborative robotics laboratory in Texas
Kuka has published an interim report of its financial results for the first half of 2018, and sales revenues are just over $1.8 billion.
This is less than the sales revenue Kuka generated in the first half of last year, which was $2 billion, and that seems to be the case for orders received and orders backlog – all slight below figures from last year’s first half.
Kuka’s order backlog has risen to €2.3 billion as at June 30, 2018. The order backlog for the first half of 2017 was €2.2 billion. [Read more…] about Kuka generates $1.8 billion in revenues in first half of 2018
by Mai Tao
Swisslog, a warehouse automation provider and part of the Kuka Group, has won “a major order” from Spritzer, known as the manufacturer of Malaysia’s best-selling natural mineral water.
The company says the order value is in the “double-digit million euro range” and was booked in the second quarter of 2018.
The bottled water products maker Spritzer has allocated €13.8 million to expand its warehousing facilities and production capacity. [Read more…] about Swisslog wins multimillion-dollar order from Spritzer in Malaysia
Bosch has unveiled a long list of ideas for future trucks, which it envisions as having much more autonomous technology and being powered by an electric engine.
Apparently, the company also believes digital side-view mirrors are the way forward, as well as a “digital instrument cluster”, which is probably the same as a “virtual dashboard”.
In fact, “digital” is at the heart of almost all the new ideas, with computers being used for cloud connectivity, predictive diagnostics and many other new functions and services. [Read more…] about Bosch reveals ideas for autonomous technology for trucks
by Anna
Nestlé, the world’s largest food and drink company, and XPO Logistics, a global provider of transport and logistics solutions, are co-creating a 638,000-square-foot distribution centre at the new SEGRO East Midlands Gateway Logistics Park in Leicestershire, UK.
The facility, a digital warehouse of the future, will be occupied predominantly by Nestlé for its consumer packaged goods and will function as a testbed environment for XPO technology prototypes prior to global release.
The custom-designed distribution centre, scheduled for completion in 2020, will feature advanced sorting systems and robotics alongside state-of-the-art automation co-developed with Swisslog Logistics Automation.
[Read more…] about Nestlé and XPO Logistics build a digital warehouse in the UK
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