Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for November 4, 2021

Universal Robots’ latest results are ‘a strong indication of growth to come’, says president

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Collaborative industrial robot maker Universal Robots’ latest results are “a strong indication” of future growth, says its president, Kim Poylsen.

Universal Robots, which has just released its Q3 results for 2021, has reported record quarterly revenue of $78 million, up 46 percent on last year’s Q3 revenue and 31 percent up from its pre-pandemic Q3 revenue of 2019.

Since creating the world’s first commercially viable collaborative robot in 2008, the Danish company has gone on to sell over 50,000 of its ‘cobots’ for use across a range of industrial uses, primarily in the manufacturing sector. [Read more…] about Universal Robots’ latest results are ‘a strong indication of growth to come’, says president

Autonomous electric truck startup Einride launches in the US

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Einride, a Swedish freight technology company that provides digital, electric, and autonomous shipping, says its transportation solutions are now live and running in the United States.

In conjunction with the official launch, Einride has also signed an impressive list of versatile partners including technical partners Ericsson and Siemens as well as customers Oatly, Bridgestone and GE Appliances, a Haier company.

Robert Falck, founder, and CEO of Einride, says: “The innovative spirit of the US is the standard by which all others are measured, and the American transportation market is the biggest in the world. [Read more…] about Autonomous electric truck startup Einride launches in the US

Berkshire Grey launches new robotic shuttle solution

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Berkshire Grey, a provider of AI-enabled robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, has launched its Robotic Shuttle Product Sortation (RSPS) solution for order fulfillment.

The system supports filling e-commerce orders through stores and in-person shopping by automating store replenishment, allocation order processing, split-case cross docking, sortation, and packing.

RSPS increases processing capacity and throughput for existing operations without adding labor, helps right-size store inventories, and enables e-commerce fulfillment from stores to scale. Following a series of successful installations at major US retailers, the solution is now generally available for global deployments. [Read more…] about Berkshire Grey launches new robotic shuttle solution

Welding and automation integration company Central McGowan completes its third acquisition of the year

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Central McGowan, a supplier of gases and technology for manufacturing the upper Midwest and a Fanuc- and Lincoln-authorized integrator, has completed the acquisition of Preferred Welder Sales in Mankato, Minnesota – bringing its acquisition roster for 2021 to three. 

The company acquired Metro Welding Supply in Minneapolis, Minnesota. in April and Fessler Carbonic Gas in Des Moines, Iowa in March.

According to Joe Francis, president/CEO, these acquisitions complement Central McGowan’s current business while strengthening its presence in key market areas. All three of these companies were independently operated, highly successful businesses with owners seeking to retire and wanting a way to continue what they each started. [Read more…] about Welding and automation integration company Central McGowan completes its third acquisition of the year

Local Motors selects Ouster lidar for its next-generation autonomous shuttles

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Ouster, a provider of high-resolution digital lidar sensors, has signed a strategic customer agreement with electric autonomous vehicle company, Local Motors.

The agreement includes a binding commitment for over one thousand OS digital lidar sensors through 2023 and a non-binding forecast of over 20,000 sensors through 2025 which will be used to meet production demand for Local Motors’ next-generation shuttles.

Local Motors intends to equip its next-generation 3D printed autonomous shuttles with the full suite of Ouster OS sensors. This includes wide field of view, mid-range, and long-range digital lidar sensors for complete coverage as Local Motors aims to meet demand for Level 3 autonomous vehicles operating on mapped routes within campuses, city centers, and municipalities. [Read more…] about Local Motors selects Ouster lidar for its next-generation autonomous shuttles

Yandex partners with Majid Al Futtaim to bring autonomous robot delivery to Dubai

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Yandex Self-Driving Group has signed an agreement with Majid Al Futtaim Retail – a shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure company with interests across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia – to enhance Carrefour’s last-mile delivery capabilities via autonomous technology solutions.

The partnership will make Carrefour the first omnichannel retailer in the region to use self-driving robots to deliver orders.

Carrefour customers in selected neighborhoods across the UAE will be able to receive their online orders via Yandex autonomous delivery robots, as part of a pilot program set to launch in early 2022. [Read more…] about Yandex partners with Majid Al Futtaim to bring autonomous robot delivery to Dubai

SME and CESMII partner to accelerate smart manufacturing adoption

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SME, a non-profit professional association dedicated to advancing manufacturing, and CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute, are partnering to drive smart manufacturing further and faster by aligning their resources and educating the industry, helping companies boost productivity, build a strong talent pipeline, and reduce manufacturers’ carbon footprint.

Robert Willig, CEO, SME, says: “The past decade has revealed an unprecedented flattening and even decline in our manufacturing productivity by (per average) worker.

“Together, CESMII and SME will optimize our strengths and resources to accelerate the transformation and democratization of the smart manufacturing ecosystem and jumpstart productivity.” [Read more…] about SME and CESMII partner to accelerate smart manufacturing adoption

Software that is Helping the Development of Robotics

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Are robotics something to get excited about?

When we think of robotics, we think of terminator, C3PO, and Wall-E, but there is so much more to it than just our beloved fictional characters, with developments in robotics having real-world consequences. Over the past few decades, the explosion in robotic technology has meant that we have been able to put a rover on Mars and send probes into deep space.

These robots of the future are not your stereotypical robots from pop culture, but they are incredible nonetheless and will change the world we know forever. We have passed the point of no return, and with the development of AI coming along too, things are really heating up. [Read more…] about Software that is Helping the Development of Robotics