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How You Can Make Your Garden Stand Out and Look Great as Much as Possible

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Your garden ranks as one of the most important areas of your home, and it is hugely important to make sure you are focused on making the most of this moving forward.

You have to understand the best ways of being able to maintain your garden and make sure it looks great, and this is something that you need to make the most of as much as possible.

There are so many factors that play a role in making this process better for you, and it is vital to consider some of the leading ideas that are going to help you improve this process. [Read more…] about How You Can Make Your Garden Stand Out and Look Great as Much as Possible

5 Essential Skills for Transitioning to Cloud-Based Automation Solutions

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Switching to cloud-based automation solutions can feel overwhelming at first – like trying to drive a race car without a manual. But, trust me, with the right skills in your toolkit, you can glide through the process and even look like a pro doing it.

Below, we’ll explore five key skills that will make the transition seamless, save you headaches, and perhaps even earn you a “Cloud Champion” coffee mug at work. [Read more…] about 5 Essential Skills for Transitioning to Cloud-Based Automation Solutions

Opinion: The fundamental automation systems driving our universe

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It was Nikola Tesla who said that if you want to understand the universe, “think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration”.

That statement, in itself, doesn’t really explain anything at all to the average person like me. Maybe a scientist can make something of it, but even for scientists, such answers are incomplete. In fact, I would argue that the biggest questions all remain unanswered.

I mean questions such as, for example, What happened before the Big Bang? [Read more…] about Opinion: The fundamental automation systems driving our universe

The Benefits of Implementing RFP Automation Software

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In the competitive realm of business procurement, adopting advanced software to manage requests for proposals (RFPs) can mark the difference between success and mediocrity.

RFP automation software is increasingly becoming vital for companies seeking efficiency and effectiveness in their procurement strategies. Automating the RFP process saves time, reduces errors, and enhances collaboration.

If you’re considering upgrading your procurement process, understanding the myriad benefits of RFP automation is crucial. Below, we delve into the significant advantages and transformative potential of RFP automation software.

[Read more…] about The Benefits of Implementing RFP Automation Software

BlueStar and Exotec partner to launch ‘smarter’ warehouse automation system

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BlueStar, a global distributor of solutions-based digital identification, mobility, point-of-sale, and RFID technologies, has chosen Exotec to deliver a smarter warehouse automation solution in its distribution centres located in Europe and the United States.

Thanks to this partnership, BlueStar will increase performance, flexibility, safety, and efficiency in its warehousing operations.

Since the opening of the EMEA Distribution Centre in Eindhoven in 2019, BlueStar has experienced consistent growth while maintaining its commitment to providing more efficient service.

To meet increasing demand and customer expectations, the company decided to expand its infrastructure and optimise its processes by engaging Exotec to deliver the Skypod system in the warehouse. [Read more…] about BlueStar and Exotec partner to launch ‘smarter’ warehouse automation system

Opinion: Exploring the correlation between robotics utilisation and economic growth

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Here at RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com, we often wonder about the relationship between a nation’s reported economic growth and its utilisation of robotics and automation systems. We have a hunch that the more automated machines a country integrates into its economy, the more growth it experiences. We can’t say we prove this hunch in this article, but we think most readers will agree that it is an important correlation that deserves some investigation.

Economic growth sounds like a concept that’s easy to understand, but we don’t think it’s as straightforward as it seems. Each nation and region has its own way of calculating what is called “economic growth”, and there are countless gears turning to drive nations’ economies forward.

Among these, automation – robotics being a sub-set of automation – has emerged as one of the most powerful engines for transforming many previously small economies into global payers. Over the past few decades, while being derided for using cheap labour to gain an advantage – which undoubtedly has happened, countries like China, Japan, and South Korea have surfed the automation wave to reach remarkable economic heights. [Read more…] about Opinion: Exploring the correlation between robotics utilisation and economic growth

Locus Robotics and Geodis celebrate ‘10 million units picked’ at US distribution facility

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Locus Robotics, a warehouse automation company, working with its customer, Geodis, a global logistics provider, has surpassed 10 million units picked using Locus’s warehouse automation solution at its Carlisle, Pennsylvania, distribution center.

The companies say the milestone achievement further demonstrates the transformative impact of Locus warehouse automation technology on productivity, operational efficiency, and unmatched flexibility at an “unprecedented scale”.

Rick Faulk, CEO, Locus Robotics, says: “As a trusted collaborator for more than six years, Geodis is setting new standards for speed and efficiency within its facilities. [Read more…] about Locus Robotics and Geodis celebrate ‘10 million units picked’ at US distribution facility

Exotec expands pharmaceutical sector portfolio through partnerships with Hygie31 and Hartmann

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Exotec, a provider of warehouse automation and robotics solutions, has agreed partnerships with two new organisations in the pharmaceutical sector: Hygie31 and Hartmann Group. Both companies will adopt Exotec’s Skypod robotic system to automate warehouse processes and increase efficiency.

Hygie31, a major player in the healthcare industry has chosen Exotec to transform its pharmacy Dhygietal logistics platform, with the Skypod robots implemented at the company’s La Veuve warehouse.

The Exotec installation covers 1,500 sq m and comprises 38 Skypod robots, moving autonomously in all directions and up to 11 metres in height.

[Read more…] about Exotec expands pharmaceutical sector portfolio through partnerships with Hygie31 and Hartmann

Automating the Fleet Management Sector: Cameras, Tachograph Downloads, and More

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Companies with road vehicle fleets are prime targets for automation. Fleet managers often have to control many processes, from dispatching drivers to overseeing fuel consumption patterns.

To take care of it all, they’re utilising fleet management software, which has evolved to do more than just store data or track vehicle locations.

Fleet camera systems, remote tachograph downloads, and driver behaviour analysis are just some of the automation innovations that are transforming different vehicle-related industries. Let’s discover how!

Cameras that filter footage

These days, many companies install cameras on their vehicles for a variety of reasons, such as to get accident footage, help drivers check blindspots or for live monitoring in general.

As you can imagine, if a camera records the full journey of a long-haul truck, there’s going to be a whole lot of material to go through to find that one relevant moment.

That’s where automation kicks in – modern fleet cameras have sensors that can detect noteworthy events, such as collisions. With proper fleet management software, you can remotely view that specific moment, complete with metadata, like who was the driver, when it happened, and where.

To save even more time, fleet managers can set up and receive notifications when cameras detect relevant events. Humans are left with the most important part of the process – deciding what to do about it.

In some cases, that would mean quickly jumping to the camera’s livestream to find out more, while in other situations the material would be stored for future reference.

Automated tachograph downloads

The tachograph is an essential part of the long-haul transportation industry. It records the duration of drivers’ work and rest periods, among other things.

Where things get complicated, however, is that the data generated by a tachograph needs to be downloaded to an external storage every once in a while. Imagine having to visit hundreds of trucks and manually connect to every tachograph, then keeping the data on a specific computer in an office!

Here automation can provide a huge benefit to trucking companies. If a vehicle is equipped with a compatible telematics device, it can receive the data from the tachograph and then upload it to fleet management software.

The process is completely automatic, the download intervals can be customised, and data can be easily presented to authorities. This process is called remote tachograph download and is a no-brainer for larger fleets.

Targeted performance analysis

For the time being, most fleets still employ drivers behind the wheel. To improve their performance in terms of efficiency and safety, managers need information on what exactly to improve.

How to get it? You can, of course, sit next to them during daily routes and make notes, but what if there are hundreds of drivers? Time for automation!

Like tachograph downloads, driver behaviour analysis utilises an advanced telematics device installed on a vehicle, and a fleet management platform. The device can detect various driving actions and events, such as the usage of cruise control, sudden braking, aggressive manoeuvring, and more.

This data gets sent to the fleet management platform where it’s analysed and presented in an easy-to-understand way. Depending on the configuration, the system will assign a better or worse score for each driver. Then it’s up to the fleet manager to act on this data – provide coaching, award a bonus, and so on.

What’s more, driving behaviour analysis can be supplemented with data from other systems. Commonly, companies track fuel consumption of a vehicle and check how it fluctuates depending on who’s behind the wheel.

Another option is to use the previously mentioned fleet cameras in conjunction with a telematics device, giving fleet managers a full picture – video events plus practical driving parameters.

Automation is here to stay

These three areas – cameras, tachograph downloads, and driving performance analysis – are not the only ones when it comes to automation in the fleet management sector.

There’s an automated alert for just about any situation that’s worth alerting about; there’s automated working time tracking so drivers don’t need to worry about clocking in and out; there are even systems that can automatically assign drivers and plan the best routes for them based on a variety of factors.

All that is to say – to stay competitive, you need to start automating your fleet management!

Opinion: Enhancing employee experience with robotics and automation at DHL

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By Sally Miller, global CIO, DHL Supply Chain

As the deployment of robotics and automated solutions accelerates, we are seeing supply chain and logistics operations transform.

Over time, initial concerns that robotics would replace the human workforce have gradually given way to a deeper understanding of how these technologies complement and enhance human roles.

The integration of robotics and automation into supply chains is proving to be a powerful tool which works alongside employees to drive efficiency while reducing manual strain and creating new career development opportunities.

[Read more…] about Opinion: Enhancing employee experience with robotics and automation at DHL