Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

grocery

stow Robotics and Phononic collaborate to design cold chain fulfillment solutions

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stow Robotics, the warehouse automation business unit within stow Group, and Phononic, a provider of solid state cooling technology, have formed a strategic alliance to provide cold chain fulfillment solutions that serve the retail grocery industry across North America and Europe.

Combining stow Robotics’ automation expertise with Phononic’s sustainable active cooling technology, the two companies are collaborating to design, develop and scale solutions for cold chain fulfillment, particularly for grocery automated fulfillment centers.

stow Group is one of the leading suppliers of industrial storage solutions. Through stow Robotics, stow Group is implementing warehouse automation for every industrial need with its growing platform of scalable and innovative automated technologies. [Read more…] about stow Robotics and Phononic collaborate to design cold chain fulfillment solutions

2023 Predictions & Forecasts: Berkshire Grey expects RaaS to get bigger

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Insights from Chris Geyer, VP at Berkshire Grey

Since Berkshire Grey designs and deploys AI and robotics technology to Fortune100 customers like FedEx, Target and Walmart, they have an expansive view of what’s happening across retail, e-commerce, grocery, package handling and logistics industries.

Chris Geyer, vice president at Berkshire Grey, works closely with these customers on product development and implementation and is well-equipped to see what the new year has in store. [Read more…] about 2023 Predictions & Forecasts: Berkshire Grey expects RaaS to get bigger

Addverb and Velociti Alliance partner to automate grocery intralogistics

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Automation solutions provider Addverb has agreed a new partnership with leading technology solutions provider Velociti Alliance to “bring innovative futuristic warehouse automation and robotics to the convenience store and grocery supply chain”.

Addverb’s comprehensive portfolio of Mobile Robots, ASRS, Picking Technologies, and Software, integrated with Velociti Alliance’s solutions, will enable wholesale distribution centers and warehouses to increase storage capacity and pick throughput.

As businesses continue to navigate labor and staff shortages, integrated automation solutions with Quadron, Addverb’s Carton Shuttle, and Medius, Addverb’s Multi-Level Shuttle, combined with goods-to-person stations powered by Concinity, Addverb’s WES software, can bring efficiencies up to three times more than conventional mechanized and manually operated warehouses. [Read more…] about Addverb and Velociti Alliance partner to automate grocery intralogistics

Starship launches grocery delivery service in Bay Area

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Starship Technologies, a provider of autonomous delivery services using a tiny sidewalk robot, is now delivering groceries in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Starship is expanding its partnership with The Save Mart Companies for the exclusive launch of an on-demand grocery delivery service at its Lucky California flagship store in Pleasanton, California.

Lucky is the first grocery store in the San Francisco Bay Area to partner with Starship. [Read more…] about Starship launches grocery delivery service in Bay Area

iFollow to showcase its ‘slimline’ autonomous mobile robots at IntraLogisteX

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iFollow will be showcasing its “premium, slimline autonomous mobile robots” at IntraLogisteX 2022, which takes place at the CBS Arena, Coventry on 29-30 March 2022.

Frazer Watson, UK-Ireland country manager at iFollow, says: “IntraLogisteX provides the perfect opportunity to meet the iFollow team on Stand 130.

“We will be discussing the latest agile automated intralogistics techniques involving robots for a broad range of applications in different sectors including grocery, manufacturing and logistics. We look forward to meeting you there.” [Read more…] about iFollow to showcase its ‘slimline’ autonomous mobile robots at IntraLogisteX

Opinion: How to double up grocery logistics productivity with autonomous mobile robots

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With growing labour availability issues, how can grocery logistics operations significantly boost performance? Vincent Jacquemart, CEO at French autonomous mobile robot designer and manufacturer iFollow, offers a solution.

Faced with the likelihood of long term staff shortages and resulting rises in pay rates, warehouse and distribution centre operators in grocery and many other sectors are turning sometimes belatedly to automation. This is certainly an option but not all solutions deliver really significant productivity improvements.

Labour shortages in logistics have been building for some years, by no means just because of Brexit, and the inability to fulfil orders reliably is becoming an existential threat for many firms.

Logistics UK in October claimed that “13 percent of traders are reporting severe warehouse staff shortages”; in November the Cold Chain Federation noted “10 percent to 20 percent shortage rates” among its members. [Read more…] about Opinion: How to double up grocery logistics productivity with autonomous mobile robots

Delivery robot company Coco launches new model in partnership with Segway

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Coco, the robot based delivery service, has launched Coco 1, a larger, more advanced version of its signature pink bot.

The Coco 1 is a first of its kind delivery robot designed and manufactured in partnership with the largest micro mobility hardware manufacturer, Segway.

Coco is currently implementing 1,000s of Coco 1 robots to serve local merchants in multiple cities, over the next few months. With its increased carrying capacity, the Coco 1 will deliver larger orders for a wider range of merchants, further eliminating the need for car-based delivery. [Read more…] about Delivery robot company Coco launches new model in partnership with Segway

Berkshire Grey secures $23 million order for grocery picking robots

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Berkshire Grey, a provider of robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, has secured a $23 million multi-phase order with a global retailer for online same day grocery fulfillment.

The Berkshire Grey Intelligent Enterprise Robotics (IER) solutions robotically pick grocery items from inventory and pack the items into customer bags to fill orders that are placed online and via mobile apps.

Berkshire Grey’s robotic solutions can operate back-of-store, putting the operation close to current shoppers for rapid pickup and delivery, and in larger dedicated fulfillment and distribution centers. [Read more…] about Berkshire Grey secures $23 million order for grocery picking robots

Sole Source Capital acquires Peak-Ryzex and Optical Phusion

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Sole Source Capital, an industrial-focused private equity firm, has acquired Peak-Ryzex from Keystone Capital and Optical Phusion from its founders, two leading providers of automatic identification, data capture and factory automation solutions.

The companies will be merged and led by Peak-Ryzex CEO Juliann Larimer, CFO Michele Adams and Optical Phusion president Tony Rivers. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

The combination will yield significant technological and operational synergies as well as deliver enhanced cross-selling opportunities to a broad set of clients ranging from small and medium sized businesses to Fortune 500 companies – all seeking supply-chain logistical support. [Read more…] about Sole Source Capital acquires Peak-Ryzex and Optical Phusion

German online grocer opts for Geek+ warehouse robots

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Geek+, a provider of autonomous mobile robots for warehouses, has been selected by myEnso, a German-based online grocery supplier, to upgrade the company’s distribution center for fast moving consumer goods with a goods-to-person robotics solution.

Having received governmental support and financing, the robotics-driven e-commerce platform will enable regional producers, startups, as well as well-known brands to connect and serve online shoppers all over Germany.

Jackson Zhang, vice president of Geek+ Europe, says: “We are excited to see myEnso join our growing European customer base and view the project as the beginning of an extensive cooperation that will enable them to streamline logistics operations and better serve their online customers. [Read more…] about German online grocer opts for Geek+ warehouse robots