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EasyMile raises €55 million to scale up its autonomous vehicles business

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EasyMile, a developer of driverless vehicle solutions for material handling and shared passenger transport, has closed a €55 million Series B funding round.

Led by Searchlight Capital Partners, a private investment firm, with McWin and NextStage AM, the round saw all EasyMile’s earlier investors, including Alstom, Bpifrance and Continental, also participating.

The funding will facilitate the completion of EasyMile’s product and technology roadmap while accelerating its international expansion and client service. [Read more…] about EasyMile raises €55 million to scale up its autonomous vehicles business

UPS installs AutoStore system in warehouse and increases capacity by 400 percent

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When UPS Global Logistics & Distribution in Europe needed to add capacity at a fulfillment center in the Netherlands, the team used an innovation driven approach to think inside the box and find a better way to utilize the existing space rather than build another warehouse.

The solution was implementing a leading automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS).

Automated storage and retrieval systems are revolutionizing traditional warehousing and order fulfillment. Sprawling buildings filled with tall racks, wide rows and loud forklifts are being replaced by grids and bins with robotic arms and workstations. [Read more…] about UPS installs AutoStore system in warehouse and increases capacity by 400 percent

Continental to increase investment into developing autonomous mobility systems

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Continental is planning to increase its investment into developing autonomous mobility systems from €200 million to €250 million this year.

The company, which is mainly known as a manufacturer of tyres and related technologies, says it will create a separate business unit for autonomous mobility in 2022.

The reason for the additional funds in the area is because of the trends in the industry. [Read more…] about Continental to increase investment into developing autonomous mobility systems

Plus One Robotics raises $33 million to fuel expansion

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of vision software for logistics robots, has raised $33 million in Series B funding.

McRock Capital and TransLink Ventures co-led the round, with participation from BMWi Ventures, Kensington Capital Partners, and Ironspring Ventures alongside existing investors.

Whitney Rockley of McRock Capital and Toshi Otani of TransLink will join the company’s board of directors. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics raises $33 million to fuel expansion

Gnarlywood chooses inVia Robotics to optimize fulfillment operations

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inVia Robotics, a provider of e-commerce warehouse automation solutions, says that the Gnarlywood Group, a provider of backend merchandising fulfillment solutions for entertainment brands, has selected inVia Logic AI-powered warehouse execution system software to modernize its Carlsbad, California warehouse.

The software will bring immediate picking and replenishment productivity gains that will later be increased with the addition of inVia Picker autonomous mobile robots.

Gnarlywood has seen unprecedented growth in demand for its entertainment merchandise and has chosen inVia’s software to bring efficiency to its fulfillment processes. [Read more…] about Gnarlywood chooses inVia Robotics to optimize fulfillment operations

Intralogistics market forecast to grow at 15 percent a year

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The global intralogistics market is expected to surge at a compound annual growth rate of 15.5 percent from 2020 to 2030, according to FactMR.com., which would provide more opportunities for automated guided vehicle and autonomous mobile robot suppliers. 

The market burgeoned at a spritely rate of 14.3 percent over the last five years owing to transcendent demand for increased productivity and efficiency across industries, globally.

Moreover, commencement of industry 4.0 has comprehensively compelled industry verticals to go digital with their supply chain networks. [Read more…] about Intralogistics market forecast to grow at 15 percent a year

2020 saw ‘significant organizational growth and progress in autonomous vehicle market’, says industry group

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2020 saw “significant organizational growth and progress” in the autonomous vehicle market, according to the Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium, a global group of automotive and technology industry leaders cooperating to help accelerate the delivery of automated and assisted driving compute solutions.

AVCC members have finalized two key foundation documents, new working groups have kicked off work, and critical topics such as cybersecurity are now being addressed. Additional work and liaisons are kicking off in 2021, and new members are invited to help drive these initiatives forward.

Armando Pereira, president of AVCC, says: “The need for AVCC’s guidance for autonomous vehicle computing has gained importance over the past year, and we are proud of our technical committees’ work to unite and build consensus around industry recommendations. [Read more…] about 2020 saw ‘significant organizational growth and progress in autonomous vehicle market’, says industry group

Berkshire Grey valued at $2.7 billion after merger with Revolution Acceleration

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Berkshire Grey, a developer of integrated artificial intelligence and robotic solutions for e-commerce, retail replenishment, and logistics, has entered into a definitive agreement with Revolution Acceleration Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company, to create a leading publicly listed robotics and automation solutions company with a post-transaction equity value of up to $2.7 billion.

Founded in 2013 by the current chief executive officer, Tom Wagner, PhD, the former chief technology officer at iRobot, BG is a pure-play robotics company offering fully integrated, AI-based software and hardware solutions to automate business operations in warehouses and logistics fulfillment centers.

The company’s solutions help retailers and logistics companies meet the exponential growth of e-commerce and ever-increasing consumer demands. BG’s management, engineering, and commercial teams each have extensive robotics expertise and deep industry experience. [Read more…] about Berkshire Grey valued at $2.7 billion after merger with Revolution Acceleration

Global service robots market forecast to reach $110 billion by 2027

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The global professional service robots market is expected to be valued at $109.91 billion by the end of 2027, growing at an annual rate of 24.5 percent from 2020 to 2027, as highlighted in a report published by Coherent Market Insights.

Rising funding for research and development in robotics is expected to drive growth of the global professional service robots market during the forecast period.

Since professional service robots are being used in a variety of fields, many sectors (both public and private) have started investing in robotics research and development. [Read more…] about Global service robots market forecast to reach $110 billion by 2027

Ahold Delhaize expands micro-fulfillment with Swisslog and AutoStore

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Ahold Delhaize is expanding its micro-fulfillment capabilities as part of its omnichannel supply chain using warehouse automation technology from Swisslog and AutoStore.

Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is the parent company for Ahold Delhaize’s US companies, including its local brands, which comprise:

  • Food Lion;
  • Giant Food;
  • The Giant Company;
  • Hannaford and Stop & Shop;
  • Retail Business Services, a US support services company providing services to the brands; and
  • Peapod Digital Labs, its digital, e-commerce and commercial engine.

When considered together, the local brands of Ahold Delhaize USA comprise the largest grocery retail group on the East Coast and the fourth largest grocery retail group in the nation, operating more than 2,000 stores and distribution centers across more than 20 states and serving millions of customers each week through a wide variety of store formats with thousands of food and non-food items. [Read more…] about Ahold Delhaize expands micro-fulfillment with Swisslog and AutoStore