Robotics & Automation News

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DHL opens new ‘highly automated’ fulfillment center for flatpack furniture giant IKEA

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DHL Supply Chain, Deutsche Post DHL Group’s contract logistics specialist, is opening a new, “highly automated” fulfillment center in Bergkamen, Germany, for its customer, the Swedish flatpack furniture giant IKEA.

The new state-of-the-art DHL facility has been commissioned to help the home furnishings group handle its fast-growing B2C online business in Germany, which grew significantly during the pandemic and required IKEA to rapidly expand its B2C fulfillment capabilities.

The multi-customer site in Bergkamen boasts 40,000 square meters of warehouse space and is part of the neighboring DHL Supply Chain Unna Campus, which is less than 10 kilometers away. [Read more…] about DHL opens new ‘highly automated’ fulfillment center for flatpack furniture giant IKEA

Yaskawa completes new plant for manufacturing mounting boards and electronic units in China

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Yaskawa Electric, parent company of Yaskawa Mechatronics, one of the world’s largest industrial robot makers, has completed a new plant in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, in China.

The facility has already begun the mass production of mounting boards for servo amplifiers and AC drives as well as electronic units for robot control panels used in its production bases in China.

Yaskawa says that, in China, economic activities are currently “stagnant” because of Covid-19 but demand for factory automation at production sites is increasing due to labor shortages caused by the low birth rate and ageing population, rising labor costs, and the risk of coronavirus spreading. [Read more…] about Yaskawa completes new plant for manufacturing mounting boards and electronic units in China

Universal Robots reports revenue of $83 million in Q2

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Universal Robots, the Danish collaborative robot maker, has reported Q2 revenue of $83 million, describing it as “robust growth” for the company.

Kim Povlsen, president of Universal Robots, says: “In headline terms, second quarter revenue is up 8 percent on the same period last year but in local Danish currency the company has seen growth of 22 percent for Q2.”

Povlsen adds that, measured this way, Universal Robots has seen growth of 30 percent across the first two quarters of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021. [Read more…] about Universal Robots reports revenue of $83 million in Q2

Robots in retail: Delivering the goods in 2022

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By Ritukar Vijay, CEO at Ottonomy

Retailers are feeling the heat from rising labor costs, and are increasingly looking to automated solutions to keep worker costs down.

According to a February 28, 2022 story in The Wall Street Journal, US retailers spent 4 percent more cash on labor costs in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.

Big box brands like Target, Costco, and Walmart are all raising wages above beyond the $15 minimum wage level to secure the staffing they need to stay competitive. For retailers, restaurants, and other consumer-facing businesses, the wage growth issue stems from a burgeoning problem – not enough workers. [Read more…] about Robots in retail: Delivering the goods in 2022

Ambi Robotics returns to Berkeley and expands headquarters

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Ambi Robotics, a provider of AI-powered robotic parcel sorting systems for supply chain operations, has unveiled its new headquarters in Berkeley, California to support company growth and new product development.

Ambi Robotics is ramping up installations of AmbiSort systems ahead of peak season as more shipping and logistics brands grapple with surging ecommerce demand.

The new headquarters boasts 33,000 square feet of space for the company to continue its mission to solve the supply chain’s most complex problems while helping people handle more than ever before. [Read more…] about Ambi Robotics returns to Berkeley and expands headquarters

South Korea AutoStore integrator Asetec joins the RightHand Robotics partner integrator network

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RightHand Robotics, a provider of autonomous robotic picking solutions for order fulfillment, and Asetec, a logistics automation ICT company, have partnered for future robotic logistics center integration projects in South Korea.

As an AutoStore integrator, Asetec will combine the world’s leading robotic storage system and other matched technologies with RightHand Robotics’ award-winning RightPick item-handling solution to expand its offerings with a diversified range of automation.

Founded in 1996, Asetec is a turnkey integrator for logistics centers, providing customers with consulting and engineering, automation design and construction, and AI software solutions (WMS/TMS/OMS/WCS). [Read more…] about South Korea AutoStore integrator Asetec joins the RightHand Robotics partner integrator network

Global robotics venture capital investment reaches $5.7 billion in 2021

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Global robotics venture capital investments reached $5.7 billion in 2021, a 38 percent year-on-year growth, according to a report by ABI Research, a technology intelligence firm.

The growth was driven by successful startups from key markets such as the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Israel. Leading startups demonstrated strong capabilities in three major domains: mobility, autonomy, and collaboration, specifically human-machine collaboration.

The investment market worldwide was relatively muted in 2020, as fewer deals were concluded due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the current labor shortage induced by Covid-19 and the ongoing supply chain crunch are leading more businesses to look for ways to automate labor-intensive, repetitive, and hazardous tasks. [Read more…] about Global robotics venture capital investment reaches $5.7 billion in 2021

Global spending on semiconductor fabrication equipment expected to reach record $109 billion

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Global fab equipment spending for front-end facilities is expected to increase 20 percent year-over-year to an all-time high of $109 billion in 2022, marking a third consecutive year of growth following a 42 percent surge in 2021.

This is according to industry association SEMI, which published the figure in its latest quarterly World Fab Forecast report. Fab equipment investment in 2023 is expected to remain strong.

Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI, says: “The global semiconductor equipment industry remains on track to cross the $100 billion threshold for the first time as shown in our latest update of the World Fab Forecast. [Read more…] about Global spending on semiconductor fabrication equipment expected to reach record $109 billion

Ericsson, TIM and Comau test the ‘factory of the future’

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Ericsson, TIM and Comau say they are testing the “factory of the future” through something called “5G network slicing”.

The three companies have joined forces to develop, on an experimental basis, innovative solutions for Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing by leveraging the potential of the 5G network. This initiative is part of the EU-funded 5Growth project.

Thanks to TIM and Ericsson’s deployment of a 5G network at Comau’s headquarters in Turin (Italy), three new applications have been launched to demonstrate the advantages of the new technology, and in particular those arising from the slicing functionality of the network, within an industrial environment. [Read more…] about Ericsson, TIM and Comau test the ‘factory of the future’

Continental and Octiva to develop autonomous mobile robots for agriculture

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Continental and Dutch-Belgian technology company Octiva are partnering to develop autonomous mobile robotic solutions for horticulture applications.

The agreement follows Continental’s announcement that it has started the volume production of autonomous mobile robots for intralogistics.

The new AMRs being developed with Octiva will become part of Continental’s second product line “Agriculture” in the market of autonomous mobile robots. [Read more…] about Continental and Octiva to develop autonomous mobile robots for agriculture