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Ports predicted to drive autonomous crane market past $6 billion by 2030

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Ports are receiving significant investment to both optimize and automate daily operations.

According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, revenues for autonomous cranes in ports will surpass $6 billion globally by 2030, with Asia-Pacific (APAC) taking up over half of the market.

Ryan Wiggin, senior analyst at ABI Research, says: “The adoption of advanced technologies in port operations continues to grow in all regions but does vary based on infrastructure maturity and union resistance. [Read more…] about Ports predicted to drive autonomous crane market past $6 billion by 2030

Airobotics and HHLA Sky partner to offer drone services for terminal operations and critical infrastructure in Germany

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Airobotics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ondas Holdings, a provider of wireless networks and autonomous drones and automated data solutions, and HHLA Sky, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, a European port and transport logistics company, have entered a strategic partnership to offer advanced drone services to protect and support terminal operations, critical infrastructure and industrial operations in Germany.

This collaboration will leverage the cutting-edge autonomous drone technologies of Airobotics and HHLA Sky’s Integrated Control Center, UTM platforms and footprint in the German market, bringing “a new level of automation and precision to critical drone operations”, according to the companies.

Eric Brock, CEO of Ondas Holdings, says: “We are thrilled to partner with HHLA Sky as we enter the European market with our automated drone platforms. [Read more…] about Airobotics and HHLA Sky partner to offer drone services for terminal operations and critical infrastructure in Germany

Worldwide installations of automated guided vehicles at seaports to exceed 150,000

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Seaports globally have increased their automation solutions or kickstarted automation initiatives to mitigate port congestion.

Equipment like gantries, automated port gates, stacking cranes, and horizontal transport solutions, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that transport containers and loads to and from ships, have been the most productivity-enhancing solutions in seaports.

According to ABI Research, a global technology intelligence firm, worldwide AGV deployments in seaports will have a compound annual growth rate of over 26 percent from 2022 to 2027 and exceed 150,000 global deployments by 2027. [Read more…] about Worldwide installations of automated guided vehicles at seaports to exceed 150,000

DFI’s Bridge Crane solution provides one-off customization and worry-free management

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Industrial computing specialist DFI has unveiled its Bridge Crane solution, which it says provides one-off customization and worry-free management

An overhead crane, commonly called a bridge crane, is a type of crane found in industrial environments. An overhead crane consists of parallel runways with a traveling bridge spanning the gap.

A hoist, the lifting component of the crane, travels along the bridge. Every year in the modern ports of the world, tens of thousands of containers and bulk goods come in and out through bridge cranes.

Unlike mobile or construction cranes, overhead cranes are typically used for either manufacturing or maintenance applications, where efficiency or downtime are critical factors. [Read more…] about DFI’s Bridge Crane solution provides one-off customization and worry-free management

DFI brings accurate indoor positioning for e-commerce warehousing

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DFI’s embedded computers have helped the largest e-commerce platform in Taiwan to realize a more accurate indoor positioning in smart warehouse.

Affected by the raging Covid-19, the public avoids going out in fear of infection. Not only has e-commerce orders surged, but significant e-commerce companies must also expand the deployment of more advanced robots, such as shuttles between shelves, to increase the floor area ratio and improve storage efficiency.

Based on the needs of a top e-commerce company in Taiwan, DFI quickly customized the EC700-BT system and added an expansion card to provide a COM port compatible with RS-232/422/485 protocols and with galvanic isolation protection. [Read more…] about DFI brings accurate indoor positioning for e-commerce warehousing

TM Robotics launches new robot controller

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TM Robotics has released its new TS5000 robot controller. The company says the launch follows several years of development.

The new controller forms a launch pad for the next generation of industrial robots from Shibaura Machine – formerly known as Toshiba Machine.

TM Robotics says the TS5000 has faster position control, improves robot precision and shortens cycle times. [Read more…] about TM Robotics launches new robot controller

Kassow Robots adds three ports to its collaborative robots for end of arm tools

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Kassow Robots, a startup which launched a new collaborative robot last year, has adding ports into its machines to provide integration with end-of-arm tools.

The Danish robot manufacturer, which develops and produces its 7-axis collaborative robots in Copenhagen, says the ports provide “easy connection of end-of-arm tool directly to a Kassow Robot without cable on the outside of the robot”.

Dieter Pletscher, head of sales at Kassow Robots, says: “All our cobots have three ports with various I/Os and power supply signals. Two of the ports are for digital or analogue input/output. [Read more…] about Kassow Robots adds three ports to its collaborative robots for end of arm tools

Nokia partners on wireless digitalisation infrastructure for ports and terminals

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Kalmar, part of Cargotec, a pioneer in terminal automation and energy-efficient cargo handling, and Ukkoverkot, leading private LTE network provider, have signed a two-year co-operation agreement with Nokia to design, build and operate a private LTE network.

Nokia brings the digital automation platform that is well suited for mobile machinery and industrial Internet of Things.

A test network reflecting an actual terminal environment will be built for research and development purposes.

[Read more…] about Nokia partners on wireless digitalisation infrastructure for ports and terminals

TuSimple to launch autonomous truck for port logistics

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A startup company called TuSimple is said to be ready to launch its autonomous truck for logistics operations at seaports in China. (See video below.)

This is according to a report in the South China Morning Post, which says the company is in talks with 10 ports in the country and is just a couple of months away from rolling out is first driverless truck at one of those ports, possibly more.

The company has already conducted debut trials at the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Pilot Zone in Shanghai, where the port is the second-busiest in the world.

TuSimple is a Chinese company with big-name investors in the US, including chipmaker Nvidia.  [Read more…] about TuSimple to launch autonomous truck for port logistics

New port technology conference debuts at CeMAT

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Digital processes for ports will be the main theme at the new CeMAT Port Technology Conference making its debut on 25 April as part of CeMAT 2018 in Germany.

Experts from industrial and transport enterprises estimate that 40 to 50% of total transport costs originate in ports.

This share of the overall cost of transport chains translates into enormous savings potential for inland and sea transport carriers – provided they are capable of implementing consistent digitization strategies when moving goods.

[Read more…] about New port technology conference debuts at CeMAT