Robotics & Automation News

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management

Autonomous forklifts ‘raise the bar on safety’, says Seegrid

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Thousands of injuries related to manually driven forklifts are reported to US health and safety authority OSHA each year, and a fatal accident involving a manual forklift occurred approximately once per week in the US in 2018.

Many companies are adopting Seegrid vision-guided vehicles (VGVs) as a safe, efficient form of transport in their facilities.

There is no comparison between human industrial vehicle drivers and their Seegrid autonomous driving counterparts – the company claims that injury and fatality statistics prove that its technology is safer.

[Read more…] about Autonomous forklifts ‘raise the bar on safety’, says Seegrid

DB presents ‘world’s first autonomous electric truck’

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DB Schenker has presented the world’s first autonomous electric truck, the T-Pod, to a wide industry audience in Germany for the first time at a transport logistics trade show in Munich in June.

The T-Pod was developed in cooperation with Einride, a Swedish startup. It is the world’s first truck approved for commercial use on public roads.

Alexander Doll, member of the management board for finance, freight transport and logistics, says: “We want to be a reliable partner for our customers in the logistics, freight transport and infrastructure segments now and in the future. We have set out to implement new ideas and innovative technology to become better, day after day.”

OnRobot installs Evoko Liso system to manage meeting rooms in its headquarters

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OnRobot, a manufacturer of end-of-arm tools for robots, has installed an Evoko Liso system to manage the meeting rooms in its headquarters.

Evoko, a Swedish manufacturer of meeting room management solutions, says its “sleek, centralised booking system” was chosen for its “smart design and ease-of-use that helps further enhance the modern look and feel of the OnRobot premises”.

Kenneth Koch, IT administrator at OnRobot, says: “When clients and new employees step into our new building and meeting rooms, the Liso’s never go unnoticed. [Read more…] about OnRobot installs Evoko Liso system to manage meeting rooms in its headquarters

Kerlink and Tata Communications launch partnership to expand LoRaWAN network deployments

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Kerlink, a specialist in solutions dedicated to the internet of things, and Tata Communications Transformation Services (TCTS), have formed a partnership to promote and deploy LoRaWAN IoT networks globally.

The partnership was announced at the LoRa Alliance three-day All Members Meeting in Berlin. LoRaWAN stands for long-range wide area network.

Kerlink and TCTS will demonstrate to telecom carriers, start-up IoT connectivity providers, cities and large multinationals how LoRa technology is one of the most responsive and reliable protocols for IoT connectivity. [Read more…] about Kerlink and Tata Communications launch partnership to expand LoRaWAN network deployments

JMP Solutions earns new control system integration certification

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JMP Solutions, industrial technology partner to Fortune 1000 companies, has earned CSIA Certified status in the Control System Integrators Association “Best Practices and Benchmarks” certification program.

This marks the 13th year JMP has held this coveted certification with CSIA, after receiving its initial certification in 2006. JMP is one of only 83 companies in the world that is CSIA certified.

JMP Solutions earned the certification following a successful audit administered by an independent consulting firm that assessed its performance against client-centric criteria in a wide range of business, project management, and system development categories. [Read more…] about JMP Solutions earns new control system integration certification

AI driving actionable sales intelligence in manufacturing

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By Barrett Thompson, Zilliant Business Solutions

The manufacturing plant floor has been automated and optimized for years; yet revenue and profit growth remain stagnant.

Seemingly everything has been process-improved with lean manufacturing principles; however, the cost of doing business remains high and the C-Suite continues its demands for an increase in revenue per transaction and gross margins.

Two functions at manufacturing organizations are prime for process improvement:

  • selling; and
  • pricing.

A closer look at the selling function reveals that despite reducing labor costs via transformational automation solutions, sales teams still manage large, antiquated portfolios. They are expected to increase their book of business while retaining current customers. [Read more…] about AI driving actionable sales intelligence in manufacturing

Digital Visual Management: Integration of Human-Centricity and Automation

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By Nicola Olivetti, Lean and Industry 4.0 Program Director, iObeya

Recently, a leading industrial journalist asked for an explanation about the pragmatic integration of human-centricity and automation. Below are my responses.

Question: How can you preserve a human-centric approach to collegial work in a highly automated environment?

Answer: Companies with an authentic Lean culture leverage automation to expand the scope of teams by granting real-time access to valuable information. This allows for important activity and relevant people (experts, partners, suppliers, customers) to co-operate in a horizontal and agile manner. [Read more…] about Digital Visual Management: Integration of Human-Centricity and Automation

CP Technologies claims to be ‘first’ rugged computer manufacturer to expand into full rack integration

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CP Technologies, a provider of ruggedized computers, is claiming to have become the “first” rugged computer manufacturer to expand into full rack integration. 

The company’s president and CEO, Mike McCormack, gave Robotics and Automation News an interview some time before the latest development in which he explained that the company’s background in the military is useful for the industrial and commercial markets. (See video below.)

For over 20 years, CP Technologies – formerly Chassis Plans – has been designing and manufacturing computers, servers, LCD displays, storage arrays, and human interface devices to defense and industrial customers. [Read more…] about CP Technologies claims to be ‘first’ rugged computer manufacturer to expand into full rack integration

Samsung enhances functional safety in its automotive semiconductors

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Samsung Electronics has received the ISO 26262 certification for functional safety in automotive components from TÜV Rheinland, a third-party testing, inspection and certification company.

The accreditation of Samsung’s new functional safety management system ensures that the company’s advanced automotive semiconductors, such as processors, image sensors, memory and light emitting diode (LED) solutions, satisfy the industry’s rigid safety standards throughout the product development process.

As the adoption of electronic components in automobiles continue to increase and the development of future applications are accelerated across industries, the importance of automotive safety standards for semiconductor components as well as their level of sophistication have also risen.

[Read more…] about Samsung enhances functional safety in its automotive semiconductors

Geek Plus Robotics to showcase warehouse automation system at Deliver Portugal

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Geek Plus Robotics, a supplier of warehouse automation technologies, is to showcase its “Picking System” at the Deliver Portugal event, at booth C7.

Deliver has been described as “the Davos of the e-commerce world”, although it takes place at various locations, such as London and, in this instance, Lisbon, Portugal, from 5-6 June 2019.

It’s an event that attracts the world’s leading e-commerce companies, as well as many technology providers. [Read more…] about Geek Plus Robotics to showcase warehouse automation system at Deliver Portugal