Robotics & Automation News

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Logistics

Dematic launches new micro-fulfilment solution

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Intralogistics giant Dematic has launched its new micro-fulfilment solution, and has immediately found a large-scale customer.

Dematic says its new micro-fulfilment solution is designed to “help retailers across industries address increased consumer demand for rapid online order fulfilment in a small footprint”.

The Dematic solution empowers customers with high throughput requirements to maximise space and achieve profitability with e-commerce ordering, ultimately, advancing their omni-channel distribution strategy to give customers what they want when they want it with one-hour fulfilment. [Read more…] about Dematic launches new micro-fulfilment solution

GROUND unveils new autonomous mobile robot for warehouses

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GROUND has unveiled a new autonomous collaborative robot that will start selling in Japan at the end of 2019.

The autonomous mobile robot was exhibited at the Daiwa House Group booth at the “1st Kansai Logistics Exhibition” held at INTEX Osaka recently.

GROUND is jointly researching and developing the machine jointly with China’s leading robot company HIT Robot Group. [Read more…] about GROUND unveils new autonomous mobile robot for warehouses

AutoStore wins prestigious prize at the European Business Awards

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Norwegian robotics company AutoStore won Business of the Year with Turnover of €150 million or higher at the European Business Awards presented earlier this week in Warsaw, Poland. 

The Awards are one of the most established business competitions, which recognises Europe’s leading companies each year.

Headquartered in Nedre Vats in Rogaland, AutoStore is one of the world leaders in high-density storage with an existing award-winning robotic cube-based, storage and retrieval system that has transformed the logistics and delivery process for businesses across the globe. [Read more…] about AutoStore wins prestigious prize at the European Business Awards

Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

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It’s getting close to Christmas and that means it’s time for e-commerce fulfillment managers to start getting worried about the availability of labor for the holiday season.

According to a recent article in Supply Chain Dive, “this year’s peak season promises additional challenges in recruiting new hires as the pool of available labor shrinks”.

As the article points out, the US unemployment rate hit a 50-year low in September 2019. [Read more…] about Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

Automation and digitalization will re-shape the logistics industry, says DHL

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DHL, the world’s largest logistics company, has highlighted technologies such as robotics and digitalisation in a new strategy, which it unveiled at its Bering Technology Campus – or “Smart Warehouse” – in the Netherlands.

“Automation and digitalization will re-shape the logistics industry”, says DHL, and these technologies are central to the company’s Strategy 2025, launched by Oscar de Bok, CEO DHL Supply Chain last week amid ever-greater challenges facing the logistics industry.

DHL Supply Chain already runs one of its Smart Warehouses and serves customers across Europe with “highly automated and digitalized” contract logistics solutions. [Read more…] about Automation and digitalization will re-shape the logistics industry, says DHL

Omron launches its highest-payload autonomous mobile robot

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Industrial automation giant Omron has started selling a new autonomous mobile robot for logistics, called the LD-250, with a payload capacity of 250 kg.

Omron says the LD-250 is the strongest and newest addition to the company’s LD series of mobile robots.

The robot’s integrated Fleet Manager software enables the control of multiple mobile robots with different payloads through one system, “for the first time in the industry”, according to Omron. [Read more…] about Omron launches its highest-payload autonomous mobile robot

How robotics and AI are changing the fashion industry and warehousing sector

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The fashion industry is investing huge amounts of money in artificial intelligence systems that can provide what is called “sentiment analysis”, which is similar to customer feedback, except that it’s indirectly acquired.

Typically, sentiment analytics systems can gather information from social media pages as well as through natural language processing, perhaps through listening to customer phone calls.

A massive number of data points can be collated and analysed – a quantity of information that only an AI system can process. And after processing it all, conclusions can be drawn. [Read more…] about How robotics and AI are changing the fashion industry and warehousing sector

Alibaba increases stake in Cainiao by $3.3 billion

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Alibaba, the world’s largest e-commerce company, has increased its equity stake in Cainiao, a provider of automated logistics systems. The two companies have been partners for some time and last year opened what was reported to be the largest robot-operated warehouse in China. 

The additional investment in Cainiao Smart Logistics Network totals RMB23.3 billion (US$3.3 billion) and increases Alibaba’s equity from approximately 51 per cent to approximately 63 per cent.

The investment method used involved subscribing for newly issued Cainiao ordinary shares in its latest financing round and purchasing certain equity interest from an existing Cainiao shareholder. [Read more…] about Alibaba increases stake in Cainiao by $3.3 billion

Geek+ smart warehouses break Single’s Day record with 8 million orders delivered in 72 hours

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Geek+ says it implemented and completed large-scale scheduling of more than 4,000 robots in its smart warehouses during this year’s 11.11 Singles’ Day shopping festival.

China’s largest smart warehouse network processed a record 8 million orders in 72 hours.

Geek+ says “the successful deployment is a fantastic validation of the strength of the robotics-as-a-service business model” and the flexibility and efficiency of smart warehouses during periods of peak orders, including the ultimate challenge of the world’s largest shopping festival. [Read more…] about Geek+ smart warehouses break Single’s Day record with 8 million orders delivered in 72 hours

Komatsu to supply 37 autonomous trucks to Brazil mine

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Komatsu says it has been contracted to supply 37 autonomous trucks to a mine in Brazil – the Carajás mine owned by Vale, a Brazilian mining company wth annual revenues of around $34 billion. 

The Carajás mine is said to be the largest mine in Vale’s 77-year history. The company says it is on a drive to leverage innovative technology to “reduce impact on the environment and enhance health, safety and operational efficiency”.

The 37 Komatsu vehicles are its 930E ultra-class electrical dump trucks (main picture), and they will form part of an Autonomous Haulage System at the Vale mine. [Read more…] about Komatsu to supply 37 autonomous trucks to Brazil mine