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Tompkins Robotics says its automation is delivering ‘big benefits’ for Kmart Australia

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Tompkins Robotics, a provider of robotic automation for distribution operations, says it is delivering “big benefits” to Kmart Australia.

Kmart Australia, which owns more than 300 stores in Australia and New Zealand, selected Tompkins Robotics’ tSort automation solution to optimize its Auckland fulfillment operations.

Implemented in less than five months, Tompkins Robotics’ tSort System immediately improved the scalability of Kmart’s distributed logistics network, requiring a lower investment and utilizing 60 percent less operational space. [Read more…] about Tompkins Robotics says its automation is delivering ‘big benefits’ for Kmart Australia

How to automate pre-employment checks at your workplace

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The Human Resources department is one of the busiest in any company. They don’t generate profit in a direct way – they’re not the one manufacturing or selling goods, they don’t interact with the clients, but their job is even more important than that.

They keep the whole place running and this is a high responsibility. Fortunately, HR managers in Australia can use digital technology to automate many of their routine jobs, so the personnel can focus on economic forecasts and streamlining the company’s activity.

Here are a few ideas to automate pre-employment checks in your company. [Read more…] about How to automate pre-employment checks at your workplace

Popcar promotes car sharing in Australia

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Shared mobility is also developing in Australia. The big cities in particular are relying increasingly on car sharing and the number of users is rising nationwide.

Popcar has been one of the Australian providers on the continent’s shared mobility market since 2016. In addition to the topics of environmental protection and sustainability, Popcar also wants to score points with user comfort and service. Popcar relies on the shared mobility platform MOQO.

MOQO has been developed by the company Digital Mobility Solutions GmbH in Aachen, Germany, and is being used by growing numbers of shared mobility providers worldwide. [Read more…] about Popcar promotes car sharing in Australia

Ocious Technology to provide Australia with autonomous boats to watch out for refugees at sea

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A startup company called Ocious Technology is to provide Australia with autonomous boats to watch out for refugees at sea. 

The company was awarded $5.5 million a couple of months ago by the Australian government’s Department of Defence to continue developing its autonomous unmanned surface vessels.

Following on from that, Ocious is to launch a total of five of its “Bluebottle” small autonomous vessels by next year. [Read more…] about Ocious Technology to provide Australia with autonomous boats to watch out for refugees at sea

Lyro Robotics secures seed funding to build pick-and-pack robots

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Lyro Robotics has secured seed funding to build artificial intelligence-powered pick-and-pack robots.

The Australian company says its software will enable robots to work alongside humans, and enable them to “see and understand the job at hand”.

The company’s plan is to install Lyro’s solutions into the robots which can then be used in call-out duties in time-critical industries. [Read more…] about Lyro Robotics secures seed funding to build pick-and-pack robots

Micrologistics startup Takeoff Technologies raises $25 million

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Takeoff Technologies has closed its Series C fundraising with an additional $25 million in investment for 5 percent of the company, with a valuation of $500 million, bringing the total funds raised to $86 million.

The Series C funding was led by Forrestal Capital. This funding is set to propel a rollout scale across North America, Europe and Australia.

Takeoff is at the forefront of microfulfillment as the first and only solution provider with several operating sites in partnership with major grocery retail chains. [Read more…] about Micrologistics startup Takeoff Technologies raises $25 million

Agtech startup Robotics Plus wins prestigious award

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Robotics Plus, a developer of robotics and automation technologies for the agriculture sector, has won a prestigious award in its home region of Australia-New Zealand. 

The startup has won an ANZLF Trans-Tasman Innovation and Growth Award, from the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum.

The awards, which celebrate innovation, growth and impact of emerging businesses in Australia and New Zealand, were presented by Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern at a reception in Auckland this week. [Read more…] about Agtech startup Robotics Plus wins prestigious award

Komatsu supplies 41 giant autonomous haulage trucks to BHP

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Komatsu has supplied 41 giant autonomous haulage trucks to mining behemoth BHP. 

The vehicles are the “new model” Komatsu 930E-5 ultra-class haul trucks, made “autonomous-ready”, and will be operated at BHP’s new South Flank iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, from next month.

Sean Taylor, Komatsu Australia’s CEO and managing director, says: “People-powered technology is our central philosophy at Komatsu, and it’s this people-first approach to technology that we feel we share with BHP.” [Read more…] about Komatsu supplies 41 giant autonomous haulage trucks to BHP

Australian university focuses on future food systems

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Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers will play a key part in developing smart logistics to link growers with their markets and high-tech methods of growing customised food, with the announcement of the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre.

The Future Food Systems CRC will involve more than 50 commercial and research partners, with the Federal Government injecting AUS$35 million in funding over 10 years along with almost AUS$150 million in support from the research centre’s educational and commercial participants.

QUT’s involvement in the CRC is spread across the centre’s three research and development programs of planning and logistics in linking growers to their markets, developing smart automated indoor cropping and creating nutrient-dense foods and hybrid food and medical goods tailored to growing domestic and export markets.

[Read more…] about Australian university focuses on future food systems

Australians developing robotic sheep-shearing system

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Australia is facing a human labor shortage in the area of sheep-shearing, just at a time when demand for wool has been increasing. The country has around 73 million sheep and approximately 2,800 shearers.

To try and tackle this problem, the industry association Australian Wool Innovation has been researching and developing robotic sheep-shearing systems. (See video below.)

The organization has been testing delta robots as well as robotic arms. The ones shown in the main picture above were made by Rethink Robotics, which was recently effectively taken over by Hahn Group.  [Read more…] about Australians developing robotic sheep-shearing system