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Getting your warehouse holiday-ready: How technology can help you ride the tide during the busiest time of the year

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By Pieter Feenstra is the CEO of Addverb Technologies’ EMEA region

The holiday season is right around the corner and hype is in the air. With customers in their deal-hunting mode getting ready to score the best deals, and businesses offering competitive discounts for limited periods to trigger a sense of urgency, it sure is the busiest time of the year.

Customers are starting their holiday shopping earlier than usual this year to spread their spending across more paychecks to minimise financial strain.

This also means that those who facilitate the smooth running of operations during this peak season are under considerable pressure to meet growing demands, largely propelled by e-commerce sales. [Read more…] about Getting your warehouse holiday-ready: How technology can help you ride the tide during the busiest time of the year

Formic launches industry’s ‘first turnkey palletizer’

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Formic, a provider of robotic technologies on a pay-as-you-go basis, has released its SL20 Palletizer – the inaugural product in a new catalog of certified, off-the-shelf, robotics-as-a-service solutions available at a “low cost per hour”.

Built by Sourcelink Solutions, Formic says its new offering further underlines its “commitment to removing the barriers to automation” so that small to mid-sized businesses can onboard the technology and thrive amid today’s challenges.

Buying a robot is largely untenable for the majority of manufacturers due to the risk, complexity, upfront capital, and expertise required. [Read more…] about Formic launches industry’s ‘first turnkey palletizer’

Electronic component manufacturer Stego expands headquarters

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Stego, a manufacturer of electronic components, is expanding its capacity at the group’s headquarters in Schwäbisch Hall, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

A doubling of warehouse volume for production is already complete. The construction of an office block is now starting. This should be completed by the end of 2023 and provide space for over 70 employees with 1,500 square metres.

The Stego Group in Schwäbisch Hall is growing. Even during the pandemic. Almost without restraint. Rising product demand has led to a strain on material supply and logistics. [Read more…] about Electronic component manufacturer Stego expands headquarters

Vallarta Supermarkets test retail robot from Badger Technologies

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Badger Technologies, a product division of Jabil and leader in retail automation, has deployed a pilot program with Vallarta Supermarkets, a chain of 53 full-service markets throughout California, to reinforce operational and customer-service excellence.

Badger Technologies multipurpose autonomous robots support the retailer by identifying hazards at five Vallarta Supermarkets in Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

Vallarta also is testing the robot’s inventory management capabilities at a sixth location aimed at improving on-shelf product availability. [Read more…] about Vallarta Supermarkets test retail robot from Badger Technologies

What Are the Benefits of Network Automation to IT Companies?

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In the past few years, we have seen huge advancements in the field of technology and everything has changed drastically because of these technological advancements and networking is no different, it has become complex in the past few years owing to rapid technological advancement and changes.

Due to networks becoming increasingly complex, it has been difficult for companies to operate without automation.

Network automation is the process of automating different tasks such as configuring, provisioning, managing, and testing network equipment using the latest technology. [Read more…] about What Are the Benefits of Network Automation to IT Companies?

Kärcher and Brain Corp debut first professional robotic scrubber

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Kärcher has expanded its autonomous product line by introducing a professional robotic scrubber. The KIRA B 100 R is powered by Brain Corp’s BrainOS, a software platform for powering autonomous mobile robots operating in indoor public spaces.

KIRA is an acronym for Kärcher Intelligent Robotic Applications.

Rex Shull, VP of product management and engineering, says: “We at Kärcher are pleased to offer yet another innovative robotic solution. [Read more…] about Kärcher and Brain Corp debut first professional robotic scrubber

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

Badger Technologies sends autonomous security robot to patrol US National Veterans Memorial and Museum

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Badger Technologies, a product division of Jabil and leader in retail automation, is collaborating with TrackTik Software, a leader in cloud-based security workforce management, to automate manual security checks at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio.

A pilot program is under way using Badger PatrolBot autonomous robot and TrackTik software to augment the museum’s 24/7 security team, safeguard world-class exhibits and offer an extra measure of protection to museum visitors and staff.

As the nation’s first and only memorial dedicated solely to telling the stories of veterans, NVMM is honoring the courageous women who have served their country by naming the robot “Deborah” after Deborah Sampson. [Read more…] about Badger Technologies sends autonomous security robot to patrol US National Veterans Memorial and Museum

Universal Robots’ latest results are ‘a strong indication of growth to come’, says president

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Collaborative industrial robot maker Universal Robots’ latest results are “a strong indication” of future growth, says its president, Kim Poylsen.

Universal Robots, which has just released its Q3 results for 2021, has reported record quarterly revenue of $78 million, up 46 percent on last year’s Q3 revenue and 31 percent up from its pre-pandemic Q3 revenue of 2019.

Since creating the world’s first commercially viable collaborative robot in 2008, the Danish company has gone on to sell over 50,000 of its ‘cobots’ for use across a range of industrial uses, primarily in the manufacturing sector. [Read more…] about Universal Robots’ latest results are ‘a strong indication of growth to come’, says president

Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

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By Skip Snyder, senior partner, IBM Consulting and Mike Pollitt, chief sales officer, Boston Dynamics

The demand for AI-driven robotics is increasing in operations like those in manufacturing and warehouse settings to help organizations with data and analytics that identify problems in real time, improve decision making, and perform tasks more efficiently. But to experience the true benefits, these operations need AI as close to the origin of the data as possible.

According to an IBM Institute for Business Value survey, 56 percent of manufacturers have implemented AI-driven robotics to make autonomous decisions, while 83 percent agree intelligent automation will help their organization meet strategic challenges and improve business results. However, businesses point out that most edge and IoT devices today are stationary, inflexible and often incapable of responding to rapidly changing environments.

To address this challenge, IBM and Boston Dynamics have announced a new alliance focused on delivering data analysis at the edge to help industrial companies improve worker safety, optimize field operations, and boost maintenance productivity in environments like manufacturing facilities, power plants, warehouses and more. Enabled by AI and hybrid cloud innovations from IBM Research, IBM Consulting will develop edge payloads that integrate with Spot, the agile, mobile robot from Boston Dynamics. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations