Market trends and business perspectives
A Japanese startup company called SkyDrive has unveiled what it claims is the world’s smallest flying car. (See video below.)
Designed to carry one person, the vehicle could be said to be the aerial equivalent of a motorcycle.
SkyDrive says it can put the what we’ll call the “airbike” into mass production in just two years’ time, by which time there should be more regulations about aerial vehicles. [Read more…] about SkyDrive launches ‘world’s smallest flying car’
Hanwha Energy hosted an event at its Daesan Industrial Complex in Seosan, Korea to celebrated the completion of a hydrogen-fuel-cell power plant that only uses recycled hydrogen.
At the event, Hanwha Energy CEO In-Sub Jung was joined by South Korea’s Prime Minister Sye-kyun Chung, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Seung-il Chung, Chungcheongnam-do Governor Seung-jo Yang, Member of the National Assembly Myung-sun Kim, and Seosan Mayor Jeong-ho Maeng.
Built by Hanwha Engineering & Construction, the new byproduct-hydrogen-fuel-cell power plant cost $212 million. It occupies 20,000 sq m of the Daesan Industrial Complex. [Read more…] about Hanwha Energy celebrates completion of ‘world’s first and largest’ hydrogen fuel cell power plant
Geek+, a global provider of advanced robotics for logistics, has closed its Series C funding round at over $200 million in early 2020.
Geek+ continues to lead the industry with the largest fundraising to date, following a $150 million B series in November 2018, already the largest in the industry.
C1 was led by GGV Capital, D1 Capital Partners along with Warburg Pincus in Summer 2019, while C2, finalized earlier this year, was led by V Fund, along with Redview Capital and Vertex Ventures. [Read more…] about Geek+ raises more than $200 million in latest funding round
Hitachi Elevator Asia has been awarded the contract for the supply and installation of 300 lifts by the Housing & Development Board of Singapore.
This is the largest single order for the Hitachi group’s lifts and escalators business in Singapore.
Hitachi Elevator Asia will see the supply, delivery and installation of the 300 lifts at HDB blocks. [Read more…] about Hitachi awarded its ‘largest order’ to install 300 lifts at Singapore apartments
Denso, one of the world’s largest advanced automotive technology suppliers, has invested in Certhon Group, a developer and builder of automated greenshouses.
Certhon operated mainly in Europe and the United States and will collaborate with Denso to expand its horticulture business in the global market, specifically by developing and providing automated greenhouse solutions.
While food demand increases as the global population continues to grow, the number of the agricultural population is decreasing due to demographic aging, unstable wages, and strict work environment. [Read more…] about Denso invests in automated greenhouse provider Certhon Group
On-demand fulfillment services startup Fabric has raised an additional investment to its Series B round from Evolv Ventures, the investment arm of Kraft Heinz, one of the largest global food and beverage companies in the world.
Led by a team of food, startup, and venture capital veterans, Evolv Ventures is focused on strategic investments in emerging technologies across the food value chain.
Their undisclosed additional investment to the $110 million-dollar round is a resounding vote of confidence from a leading food tech investor and the iconic food company. [Read more…] about Fabric raises $110 million in new investment round backed by Kraft Heinz
Teradyne has embarked on a project to build what it says will be “the world’s largest collaborative robotics hub” when it is finished.
The facility (main illustration) is located in Denmark and its eventual cost is estimated at approximately $36 million.
Denmark’s minister of industry, business and financial affairs, Simon Kollerup, unveiled what will become the new home of Teradyne’s robotics business units, Mobile Industrial Robots and Universal Robots, both of which it acquired in the past year or so. [Read more…] about Teradyne to build ‘world’s largest’ collaborative robotics hub at a cost of $36 million
Industrial automation giant Kuka is launching a new industrial robot range, the KR IonTec, which the company says is “a robot for any task in the 30 to 70 kg payload category”.
Kuka is market-launching the new product series, which it says is the successor to the KR 60-3.
Kuka says the KR IonTec “sets standards in terms of flexibility in the medium payload category”. [Read more…] about Kuka launches new industrial robot range
Velo3D, a manufacturer of metal additive manufacturing systems or 3D printers, has delivered its seventh Sapphire printer to its largest production customer, which has already ordered a total of 12 systems in the past year.
All previously installed systems are in full production creating mission-critical parts for aerospace applications. The balance of the systems will ship before the end of Q1 2020.
The combination of 12 systems and their productivity makes this one of the largest concentrations of metal additive-manufacturing capacity in the world. [Read more…] about Velo3D ships seventh Sapphire printer to aerospace production customer
Geek+ says it implemented and completed large-scale scheduling of more than 4,000 robots in its smart warehouses during this year’s 11.11 Singles’ Day shopping festival.
China’s largest smart warehouse network processed a record 8 million orders in 72 hours.
Geek+ says “the successful deployment is a fantastic validation of the strength of the robotics-as-a-service business model” and the flexibility and efficiency of smart warehouses during periods of peak orders, including the ultimate challenge of the world’s largest shopping festival. [Read more…] about Geek+ smart warehouses break Single’s Day record with 8 million orders delivered in 72 hours
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