Robotics & Automation News

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AutoStore unveils Innovation Hub to test and replicate variety of supply chain environments

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AutoStore unveils Innovation Hub to test and replicate supply chain environments including earthquakes and multi-climate simulations.

AutoStore, a robotic technology company, has unveiled its new Innovation Hub located in Karmøy, Norway, a pioneering new center for testing and replicating diverse in-store and warehouse environments.

As the suppliers of robotic storage and fulfilment technology for Puma, Gucci and Asda among many global brands, AutoStore is experiencing a continued growth in revenue and clients. [Read more…] about AutoStore unveils Innovation Hub to test and replicate variety of supply chain environments

Bosch produces its first semiconductor wafers through ‘fully automated’ fabrication process

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Bosch says it has produced the first semiconductor wafers through its “fully automated” fabrication process at its facility in Dresden, Germany.

The industrial giant describes it as “a milestone on the path to the chip factory of the future”.

Bosch says this is a key step toward the start of production operations at the factory, which is scheduled for late 2021. [Read more…] about Bosch produces its first semiconductor wafers through ‘fully automated’ fabrication process

How a top automotive manufacturer went ‘fork free’ to boost productivity and safety

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By Rob Sullivan, president and CEO, AutoGuide Mobile Robots

With forklifts an ongoing contributor to workplace accidents, and skilled operators difficult to find and retain in today’s competitive manufacturing environment, automating material transport is solving both issues.

A few years ago, a top-tier automotive manufacturer wanted to reduce how often employees had to manually lift and move heavy objects, and eliminate the risk of forklift-related injuries.

They understood that they needed safer and more efficient solutions for transporting engines and other materials from assembly to testing within their 40,000 square foot facility. [Read more…] about How a top automotive manufacturer went ‘fork free’ to boost productivity and safety

JPB Système secures government funding for new €30 million project

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JPB Système, a manufacturer of efficiency-enhancing technology solutions for aerospace, aeronautic and other industries, has received funding from the French government’s Ministry for Economy and Finance to support a project to establish a new purpose-built, state-of-the art production facility in Villaroche, south of Paris.

The grant was secured through the government’s Francerelance plan, part of its Territoires d’Industrie programme designed to accelerate industry growth and help manufacturing companies revive operations amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

For JPB Système, the funding will contribute towards its ambitious JPB Villaroche 2025 project – an initiative valued at more than €30 million that will see the company establish an advanced factory of the future adjacent to its current facility. [Read more…] about JPB Système secures government funding for new €30 million project

Autonomous Mobile Robots Deliver on the Promise of Safer Operations

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Rob Sullivan, President, AutoGuide Mobile Robots

You need to move material but moving that material is risky business. Ninety percent of all forklifts in the US will be in an accident during their useful life, and almost 35,000 people per year suffer severe injuries in forklift-related incidents.

Accidents happen and people are injured when a forklift driver’s view is obscured by the load they’re carrying. It happens all the time but there’s a better way.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Robots that can navigate autonomously along pre-determined paths using only the natural features of the facility. They have built-in sensors and LiDAR scanners that detect objects and personnel in their path to substantially reduce accidents of all kinds. [Read more…] about Autonomous Mobile Robots Deliver on the Promise of Safer Operations

FBI installs AutoStore for centralized automated record filing and retrieval solution

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The General Service Administration (GSA) has installed an automated record filing and retrieval system from robotics technology company AutoStore inside a recently completed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) central records complex in Winchester, Virginia.

The facility includes the country’s first robotic filing and retrieval warehouse in a GSA project.

Certified by the National Archives and Records Administration, this secure, “state-of-the-art”, 250,000-square-foot facility was built to consolidate and contain records previously housed within 256 field offices around the world. [Read more…] about FBI installs AutoStore for centralized automated record filing and retrieval solution

Astrobotic unveils new 47,000 sq ft headquarters in Pittsburgh

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Space robotics startup Astrobotic has officially opened its new headquarters in Pittsburgh in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 47,000 square foot complex is the largest private facility in the world dedicated to lunar logistics. Astrobotic’s Peregrine and Griffin lunar landers will be built on-site, with Peregrine set to become the first commercial mission to the Moon, and the first American lander on the Moon since the Apollo missions.

John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic, says: “I like to say we’re a 13-year overnight success story. [Read more…] about Astrobotic unveils new 47,000 sq ft headquarters in Pittsburgh

Automated Warehousing: Playbook for Introducing AI to Your Operation

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In the eCommerce industry, businesses need to reduce their costs and streamline the distribution process if they want to succeed.

With the number of physical goods ordered online skyrocketing across the country, Amazon has raised the bar in terms of the delivery timeline and customer service.

Small delays in the supply chain or order fulfilment process could leave your customers dissatisfied. [Read more…] about Automated Warehousing: Playbook for Introducing AI to Your Operation

SVV claims China’s first dedicated low-volume manufacturing facility

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Product development and engineering company Shenzen Valley Ventures (SVV) says its​ new manufacturing facility in China is its “first tier-1 facility” in the country. (See 3D tour of the facility.)

Located on the 9th floor of a skyscraper, SVV says it is “the most impressionable manufacturing facility in the Greater Bay Area’s Shenzhen”.

The platform is designed solely to accommodate the low-volume production needs of complex business-to-business devices, something which other manufacturers are unable to support, at least at a tier-1 level.  [Read more…] about SVV claims China’s first dedicated low-volume manufacturing facility

Nippon Express opens ‘cutting-edge, showroom-style’ logistics facility

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Nippon Express has completed the construction of its what it describes as a “cutting-edge, showroom-style logistics facility”.

NEX-Auto Logistics Facility (NEX-ALFA) is located within a warehouse estate in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, andfeatures artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies.

Nippon Express says declining birthrates and a shrinking population have resulted in serious labor shortages in recent years for Japan’s logistics industry, which has been pursuing “work style reform” as advocated by the government. [Read more…] about Nippon Express opens ‘cutting-edge, showroom-style’ logistics facility