Month: April 2020

Geek+, a global leading AMR provider, and Bosch Rexroth, one of the world’s leading supplier of drive and control technologies, has announced a technology partnership to develop and leverage the latest technologies for autonomous mobile robots (AMR) that will bring enhanced smart logistics solutions to customers around the world.

Geek+&Bosch Rexroth Thomas Fechner (SVP Product Area New Business at Bosch Rexroth) and Jackson Zhang (VP Europe Geek+)
Geek+& Bosch Rexroth Joerg Heckel (PD Intralogistics Robotics at Bosch Rexroth), Thomas Fechner (SVP Product Area New Business at Bosch Rexroth) and Jackson Zhang (VP Europe Geek+)(PD Intralogistics Robotics at Bosch Rexroth), Thomas Fechner (SVP Product Area New Business at Bosch Rexroth) and Jackson Zhang (VP Europe Geek+)

As part of this partnership, both parties will collaborate on advanced mobile robotics technologies and software development to enhance AMR intelligence and performance, empowering customers worldwide.

As a pioneer in AMR and smart logistics, Geek+ has seen rapid business growth and accelerated expansion into new geographies. According to Interact Analysis, a leading international market research consultancy in automation, Geek+ is the global No.1 in the AMR sector with a 10% market share. The company delivers best-in-class robotics solutions to some of the world’s leading brands across industries including Nike, Decathlon, Walmart, and Dell, among others.

As one of the world’s leading suppliers of drive and control technologies, Bosch Rexroth ensures efficient, powerful and safe movement in machines and systems of any size. Its Intralogistics Robotics project provides modular software and hardware components for a wide range of AGV manufacturers. For innovative software-solutions, the company combines maximum flexibility at start-up level with intensive research and profound application knowledge in the field of autonomous driving within the Bosch Group.

The partnership will bring together the expertise of the two industry leaders in their respective domains to create value-added solutions for Geek+ customers to improve their own logistics operations.

“For instance, the Locator, a localization software for the reliable positioning and orientation of mobile robots, offers maximum flexibility and an outstanding usability,” said Jörg Heckel, project director Intralogistics Robotics at Bosch Rexroth. “Geek+ has presented a flexible, professional and collaborative mindset to meet the fast growing demands of automation projects. We are looking forward to shape a dynamic robotics market together.”

Global logistics provider, GEFCO has transported a large shipment of medical supplies on special charter flights from Shanghai to Bratislava to help PENTA tackle COVID-19 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The deliveries took place from March 31-April 01 using two Boeing 787 planes that were temporarily converted to carry cargo. The aircraft were loaded with more than 64 tons of medical supplies, including 6 million face masks, 20,000 respirators and 8,000 non-contact thermometers, as well as 60 pallets of vitamins and food supplements.

On arrival, the shipments were unloaded, sorted and palletized by GEFCO at Bratislava Airport for overland distribution to Penta’s network of Dr. Max pharmacies and Svet Zdravia / Pro Care hospitals in the two countries.

Slovakia and the neighbouring Czech Republic are the first two countries in Europe to impose mandatory mask-wearing and have over 3,000 cases of the virus to date.

Ladislav Balogh, Country Manager, GEFCO Air & Sea, who supervised the operation commented: “These supplies are acutely needed to protect our citizens in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. I’m very proud of my team, who consolidated the cargo from seven different suppliers in China, organised all the export documents and coordinated the dispatch by two charter flights to Bratislava, all in record time. Their safety is of course paramount and we’re doing everything we can to maintain this.”

“Earlier this year, after watching a TV report on the spread of COVID-19 in China and the shortage of protective face masks, I wrote to my Chinese colleagues to ask whether they needed help in procuring them. Our local Air & Sea teams ordered protective masks and arranged their transport to Hong Kong. We had no idea that six weeks later we would handle the consignment of medical supplies in the opposite direction and in much larger volumes.”

Transfesa Logistics has a new 2,000m² warehouse in Valencia specifically for food products. It is the first of these characteristics of the group in the region, and its implementation in other operating centres is already being studied to consolidate its position in a sector with growing demand.

The company has completed the process of accommodating this area to the technical specifications included in the current legislation and to comply with the maximum food quality and safety standards of the BRC, FSSC22000 and IFS standards.

The complete enclosure of a seven-metre-high room, the installation of sandwich walls totally isolated from the outside and double gates, as well as the application of paint in accordance with the regulations, stand out amidst all the work completed.

According to Luis Ferrer, Logistics Project Leader of Transfesa Logistics, “The project started from scratch after a request from a large company in the food sector, however, after we saw the opportunity to create multipurpose multi-client facilities, we wanted to go further. With its launch, new options open up to serve numerous potential companies in a growing market. ”

Fulfilment automator Cimcorp has named Derek Rickard, Distribution Systems Sales Manager, as its new Director of Sales for North America. He will focus on expanding Cimcorp’s share of the warehouse and distribution market in the territory. He will also be responsible for aligning the North American sales team with the Cimcorp Group’s global corporate strategy for its two main business domains, the tyre industry and consumer product distribution.

Rickard (above) brings more than 20 years of experience in the supply chain industry, having worked on many of the first fully automated picking systems in North America, with some of the largest projects exceeding 1 million cases per week. This experience has enabled him to recommend and develop solutions for Cimcorp customers in a wide range of industries, helping them leverage the latest in robotics, automation and software to solve key operational challenges, such as speed of fulfillment, space utilization, labor shortage and seasonal fluctuations in demand.

Kai Tuomisaari, Vice President, Sales, said, “At Cimcorp, we have been fortunate to have installed robotic systems for manufacturers and distribution centres in over 40 countries and six continents. Within North America, we have all seen the tremendous results generated by Derek and his team there. This closer alignment between our global teams will only strengthen our commitment and ability to meet the unique needs of customers in all regions, with fully customised automation–for maximum impact, at minimal costs.”