• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Advertise
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Features list
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsor an article
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Subscribe to Newsletter

Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Editorial Sections A-Z
    • Agriculture
    • Aircraft
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Automation
    • Autonomous Vehicles
    • Business
    • Computing
    • Construction
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Drones
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial robots
    • Industry
    • Infrastructure
    • Investments
    • Logistics
    • Manufacturing
    • Marine
    • Material handling
    • Materials
    • Mining
    • Promoted
    • Research
    • Robotics
    • Science
    • Sensors
    • Service robots
    • Software
    • Space
    • Technology
    • Transportation
    • Warehouse robots
    • Wearables
  • Press releases
  • Events

Robots reduce training time in material handling sector, says Yale

August 26, 2020 by David Edwards

Reducing the time companies spend training new employees are among the many benefits robots bring to the industrial sector, says Yale.

The 100-year-old locksmith’s company partners with Balyo to offer robotic solutions such as autonomous forklift trucks for the material handling industry.

Yale Europe Materials Handling says it now offers “sophisticated robotic solutions” which can adjust to changes in their surroundings.

All trucks in the Yale robotics range can be linked to a warehouse management system and feature a touchscreen interface to give instructions to the robot.

Yale adds that its robotic solutions also offer manual operation at the touch of a button.

Working with the robots

Robotics and humans working together, the workforce of the future – or is it? For the materials handling industry, this is already possible.

Ron Farr, warehouse solutions manager for Yale, says: “Many people might believe robots in logistics are in their infancy.

“At Yale, we’ve implemented the technology and software in order to offer sophisticated robotic solutions that can adjust to changes in their surroundings, for greater flexibility than solutions that require dedicated navigation infrastructure.”

How the robot interacts with its environment

The Yale robotics MC-10-15 counterbalance stacker can interact with and access pallets at height – for example, on conveyor belts or second or third shelves up to a height of 1.8 meters.

The front laser allows the robot to sense the pallet, and the barcode scanner identifies the correct pallet to fulfil the instruction.

Farr says: “The Yale robots, driven by Balyo geoguidance technology, are fitted with advanced obstacle detection technology which enables it to react to the situation.

“Once the robot has detected something ahead, it can control its speed in a smooth and efficient movement to minimise stops and shocks, slowing down to a complete stop if needed.”

An additional rear scanner is installed for instances when the counterbalance stacker is travelling in the forks-forward direction. A curtain laser scans for additional above-ground obstacles, while side lasers provide a full 360 degree coverage at all times.

Farr says: “The robot also informs those working in the environment of its status, emitting an audio warning and projecting a blue LED spotlight on to the ground when it is in motion.

“A light mounted at eye-level flashes if the truck is about to turn, which flashes more rapidly while the truck is completing a turn.”

Ease of communication

All trucks in the Yale robotics range, which includes the MO50-70T robotic tow tractor and MO10-25 low level order picker, feature a touchscreen interface to give instructions to the robot, and can all be switched to manual mode at the touch of a button to complete tasks outside of the truck’s pre-programmed parameters.

Logistics operators can interact with the robot with real-time truck management. The software can integrate with existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).

Farr says: “The software can be used to assign tasks to individual trucks and is used to control the flow of traffic.

“The robotic solutions can be linked to other equipment in the warehouse, for example the conveyers can call the robot to remove a product. Fire alarms can tell the truck to stop in a safe area that does not hinder pedestrians exiting.

“Warehouse Managers can schedule the charging of the robots, which enables the use of cheaper night time rates.

“The trucks can go on charge on rotation, rather than all the robots arriving at lunchtime. This can help with the running costs of the vehicle, as well as maintenance, as it’s all very predictable.”

Reduced training time

Training new employees can be time-consuming, but by integrating robotics solutions into applications companies can reduce the time it takes new‑hires to get up to speed.

Adopting automated solutions can help applications simplify tasks reserved for employees and foster a collaborative environment. In goods-to-operator fulfilment workflows for example, employees can focus on picking and packing orders as quickly as possible from inventory, brought to them by a robotic solution.

The Yale MO50-70T robotic tow tractor offers horizontal transportation over short and long distances, and brings individual items together as one unit to employees that require them.

Interconnectivity expands to the wider infrastructure too – sensors on conveyor belts can be used to detect pallets at the end of the line and call for the robotic solution to collect the pallet to transport it to its next location.

Robotics trucks are ideal for performing repetitive tasks such as movement of pallets in the warehouse environment and loading and unloading.

The MO25 low level order picker offers cost efficient transfer and a regular, sustained constant flow, taking care of stock replenishment and transporting goods.

Farr says: “Robotics can liberate employees to conduct tasks that humans do best.

“Having robots working alongside humans leverages the strengths of both to make repetitive tasks and more complex, value-added functions more efficient.

“It can also provide new opportunities for people with physical limitations to serve as integral parts of the process, as robots can move inventory to pickers and help keep the operation flowing.

“Autonomous solutions drive proven cost savings by increasing labour efficiency, reducing turnover, extending asset life and increasing throughput. What really solidifies them as a smart investment is their flexibility.

“It enables practical accommodation for manual intervention, minimises ongoing costs in the event of minor layout adjustments and the need to supplement future initiatives such as Industry 4.0.”

Yale says that, working in unison, the company’s “sophisticated robotics solutions are ready to be deployed in appropriate applications, working in harmony with humans to drive productivity”.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Related stories you might also like…

Filed Under: Features, Logistics Tagged With: employees, environment, farr, handling, humans, mo, robot, robotic, robotics, robots, solutions, tasks, time, training, truck, trucks, warehouse, working, yale

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

Latest articles

  • Safety standards and innovations in human-robot collaboration
  • Outrider builds ‘first-in-industry’ safety system for driverless yard operations
  • Foundation EGI raises $23 million to build ‘world’s first engineering general intelligence platform’
  • How advanced automation is transforming waste management
  • Augmentus raises $11 million to scale physical AI for complex robotic surface finishing and welding
  • GreenBot unveils autonomous system for weeding woody crop areas
  • The Rise of the Autonomous Fab Shop: Why Waterjet Cutting is Leading the Automation Revolution
  • Mendaera receives FDA clearance for handheld robotic system for ultrasound-guided needle placement
  • Prime Vision robots optimize K-Parts order picking for motorbike spares
  • Vidnoz Review: The Free AI Video Generator That’s Redefining Content Creation

Secondary Sidebar

Copyright © 2025 · 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