Robotics & Automation News

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Addverb and Velociti Alliance partner to automate grocery intralogistics

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Automation solutions provider Addverb has agreed a new partnership with leading technology solutions provider Velociti Alliance to “bring innovative futuristic warehouse automation and robotics to the convenience store and grocery supply chain”.

Addverb’s comprehensive portfolio of Mobile Robots, ASRS, Picking Technologies, and Software, integrated with Velociti Alliance’s solutions, will enable wholesale distribution centers and warehouses to increase storage capacity and pick throughput.

As businesses continue to navigate labor and staff shortages, integrated automation solutions with Quadron, Addverb’s Carton Shuttle, and Medius, Addverb’s Multi-Level Shuttle, combined with goods-to-person stations powered by Concinity, Addverb’s WES software, can bring efficiencies up to three times more than conventional mechanized and manually operated warehouses. [Read more…] about Addverb and Velociti Alliance partner to automate grocery intralogistics

Honeywell partners with Otto Motors to develop robotic solutions for supply chain operations

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Honeywell has agreed a strategic collaboration with Otto Motors, a division of Clearpath Robotics, giving warehouses and distribution centers throughout North America an automated option to handle some of the most labor-intensive roles in an increasingly scarce job market.

The collaboration enables Honeywell customers to increase efficiency, reduce errors and improve safety by deploying Otto’ autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in their facilities.

These AMRs provide significant productivity benefits by automating the movement of carts used to transport picked orders or returns and can travel over any floor surface smooth enough to handle a traditional cart pushed by a worker. [Read more…] about Honeywell partners with Otto Motors to develop robotic solutions for supply chain operations

Opinion: How to double up grocery logistics productivity with autonomous mobile robots

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With growing labour availability issues, how can grocery logistics operations significantly boost performance? Vincent Jacquemart, CEO at French autonomous mobile robot designer and manufacturer iFollow, offers a solution.

Faced with the likelihood of long term staff shortages and resulting rises in pay rates, warehouse and distribution centre operators in grocery and many other sectors are turning sometimes belatedly to automation. This is certainly an option but not all solutions deliver really significant productivity improvements.

Labour shortages in logistics have been building for some years, by no means just because of Brexit, and the inability to fulfil orders reliably is becoming an existential threat for many firms.

Logistics UK in October claimed that “13 percent of traders are reporting severe warehouse staff shortages”; in November the Cold Chain Federation noted “10 percent to 20 percent shortage rates” among its members. [Read more…] about Opinion: How to double up grocery logistics productivity with autonomous mobile robots

Medical robotics startup Clarapath raises $32 million in additional funding

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Clarapath, a robotics startup aimed at catalyzing change in the way pathology laboratories process human and animal tissues, has undertaken follow-on financing, extending its Series B round with an additional $15.5 million in funding, following the previous close of $16 million in Series B funding.

The round included The 4100 Group (the investment arm of Delta Dental), East Post Road Ventures (the investment arm of White Plains Hospital), Epiphron Capital, Northwell Ventures, P5 Health Ventures, and participation from other strategic organizations.

This brings the total raised to date by Clarapath to more than $38 million. [Read more…] about Medical robotics startup Clarapath raises $32 million in additional funding

New S&P Analysis: Stressed semiconductor industry needs water, gets liberal sprinkling of state support

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By Christopher Rogers, senior researcher, Panjiva, part of S&P Global

The global semiconductor industry is in the midst of a period of upheaval driven by both short- and long-term factors.

The most obvious has been the imbalance in supply versus demand shown by shortages in the automotive industry, as discussed in Panjiva’s research of May 18, resulting in higher prices.

There are also emergent challenges from water shortages in Taiwan – which accounted for 14.4 percent of global exports in 2019 – that are causing power shortages and potential semiconductor fabrication facility closures, according to Nikkei Asia. [Read more…] about New S&P Analysis: Stressed semiconductor industry needs water, gets liberal sprinkling of state support

Acieta launches new robotic machine loading cell

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Industrial automation specialist Acieta has launched a new, high-speed robotic machine loading cell. (See video below.)

The company says the system will enable manufacturers to solve labor and capacity challenges.

The global coronavirus pandemic has made it a challenging time for companies to recover fast and get production back up to speed to stay competitive in the market. [Read more…] about Acieta launches new robotic machine loading cell