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Month: January 2023

Cross-Platform Robotic Automation Partners

Posted on by David Priestman

Berkshire Grey, Inc., a leader in AI-enabled robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, and Locus Robotics, a leader in Autonomous Mobile Robotics (AMR) for logistics and distribution warehouses, have announced their formal partnership with the unveiling of their combined solution that integrates the Berkshire Grey Robotic Shuttle Put Wall (BG RSPWi) with Locus Origin and Locus Vector bots. This innovative integrated solution deploys end-to-end robotic automation solutions for retail and eCommerce customers looking to maximize their supply chain productivity and throughput while addressing growing labour shortages.

Ongoing labour availability and inflation challenges continue to put growing pressures on supply chain and distribution frameworks. Retail and eCommerce businesses are strained to keep up with growing customer demands while managing the supply chain issues and keeping operational costs in control. Customers are demanding flexible and seamlessly integrated best of breed robotic automation solutions to address these challenges and deliver top-quality customer experiences.

“Partnering with Berkshire Grey allows our customers to reap the benefits of enterprise-level robotic automation across some of their most business-critical supply chain processes,” said Mike Johnson, President at Locus Robotics. “Berkshire Grey and Locus Robotics have been operating in the supply chain industry for many years now, and it’s great to see us join forces to deliver seamlessly integrated, proven, and impactful automation solutions that help our customers grow and succeed, now and into the future.”

Steve Johnson, President and COO at Berkshire Grey agreed saying, “We have seen a growing number of customers asking for solutions that they can deploy holistically versus piecemeal innovation. Locus Robotics has a distinct value proposition in enabling greater flexibility in the supply chain industry with their robotic automation solutions. Now with Locus Robotics, we believe we can take our combined solutions to a wider market.”

This new solution helps retailers and eCommerce businesses maximize their throughput by:
• Delivering a fast and packaged solution for order fulfilment and store replenishment
• Processing a wide range of SKUs, surpassing SKU coverage of other alternatives
• Enabling a fully-automated, end-to-end supply chain ecosystem
• Augmenting supply chain operations with optimized labour and costs

Berkshire Grey and Locus Robotics are also exploring the future integrations of Berkshire Grey’s Robotic Product Sortation (BG RPS), Robotic Shuttle Product Sortation (BG RSPS), Robotic Pick and Pack for eCommerce Auto-bagging (BG RPPi). With this end-to-end package of robotic solutions, businesses can fully automate their order fulfilment, auto-bagging and store replenishment processes while seeing immediate ROI and throughput improvements.

Berkshire Grey, Inc., (Nasdaq: BGRY) helps customers radically change the essential way they do business by delivering game-changing technology that combines AI and robotics to automate fulfilment, supply chain, and logistics operations. Berkshire Grey solutions are a fundamental engine of change that transform pick, pack, move, store, organize, and sort operations to deliver competitive advantage for enterprises serving today’s connected consumers. Berkshire Grey customers include Global 100 retailers and logistics service providers.

Locus Robotics is a leader in revolutionary, enterprise-level, warehouse automation solutions, incorporating powerful and intelligent autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that operate collaboratively with human workers to dramatically improve product movement and productivity 2–3x. Named to the Inc. 500 two years in a row, and winning over 17 industry and technology awards, the Locus solution dramatically increases order fulfilment productivity, lowers operational costs, and improves workplace quality, safety, and ergonomics for workers. Supporting over 100+ of the world’s top brands and deployed at 250+ sites around the world, Locus Robotics enables retailers, 3PLs and specialty warehouses to efficiently meet and exceed the increasingly complex and demanding requirements of today’s fulfilment environments

UK Railfreight Service Launch by Freightliner

Posted on by David Priestman

On January 17th a new Freightliner railfreight service made its first journey travelling from Southampton to Crewe, UK. For this journey, Ocean Network Express (ONE) purchased GD+ fuel to cover 100% of the fuel volume required. The train then continued its journey to Freightliner Coatbridge terminal, Scotland, using an electric locomotive, making this one of the greenest rail freight routes in UK Rail. This innovative service will be the first of its kind in the UK and demonstrates an ambitious environmental commitment by Freightliner, ONE and their customers.

GD+ is a type of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and can be used as a diesel replacement. This drop-in fuel is made entirely from waste and residue oils and is defined as renewable, environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and sustainable. Its supply chain is traceable and independently verified, a prerequisite for both organisations. GD+ generates significantly lower CO₂e emissions compared to diesel. Apart from the significant CO₂e savings, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and methane (CH4) are also reduced.

The train’s CO2e emission savings during its 700 KM journey are approximately 80%1, with 70% of emissions avoided utilising electricity and 92%2 reduced by running on GD+ when compared to diesel. With only 38%3 of the UK’s rail network electrified, adopting alternative fuels could be a quick and effective transition to drastically reduce the country’s emissions.

“This is an exciting and significant step forward in delivering impactful environmental benefits for the UK rail freight industry, and we are delighted to be partnering with ONE to make this happen,” said Andrew Daly, Chief Commercial Officer for Freightliner. “We are leading the UK rail freight industry when it comes to delivering decarbonisation benefits, and this initiative is further evidence of our commitment to a greener future for UK rail freight through committed customer partnerships. We will continue to invest and lead the way in this critical area of decarbonisation.”

Simon Parsons, Director of the Ocean Network Express UK Agency, comments:
“As a global carrier, we aim to be the link between customer and supplier to accelerate the transition towards a fully green supply chain. Our long-term relationship with Freightliner has enabled us to align our green ambitions and act swiftly to support the logistical needs of our customers between Scotland and Southampton. We are very hopeful to further expand our green network throughout the UK moving forward.”

Sustainable Power for Warehousing

Posted on by David Priestman

Tritax Symmetry has entered into its first joint enterprise project with BasePower, a developer and operator of sustainable energy services, to supply clients at Symmetry Park Biggleswade with uninterrupted greener, cheaper warehousing power solutions, through the creation of a new on site 2MW energy centre.

Located on a greenfield site where the grid is constrained, the centre will augment the grid with renewable and resilient generation from a number of sources including rooftop solar PV, batteries and a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant.

The announcement is the latest in a series of sustainability measures the developer has taken in recent years to de-carbonise its schemes including achieving net zero carbon in construction across all of its construction programmes.

The project was specified, designed, procured and built by BasePower who will continue to develop energy systems in line with the evolving needs of the tenants.

The principal contractors on the project included Rolls Royce, whose Power Systems division installed the mtu-brand CHP systems, battery units and standby generators. Powersystems UK acted as the high voltage (HV) specialist partner for the electrical infrastructure. Service personnel from Rolls-Royce Power System’s UK subsidiary will provide ongoing maintenance to ensure operational excellence.

Speaking about the alliance, Tom Leeming, development director at Tritax Symmetry commented: “One of the priorities our clients have when deciding on a new location for their business is power. As a responsible developer, we realised the need to supplement and enhance the national grid supply to ensure a continuous, robust and greener alternative power supply for our occupiers.
“The installation of energy centres on our parks will provide tenants at the site with greater resilience, more competitive energy and a pathway to fully net zero carbon in occupation. As the energy centre is managed by a separate entity, all maintenance and repairs are delivered cost free with no risk to the occupier. We estimate a saving of between five and ten percent on grid energy bills, and the energy centres are also upgradable if extra power is needed, such as by adding additional PV.”

Dan Poulson, co-founder at BasePower continued: “The need for the creation of alternative energy resources has never been greater and we are proud to have been selected by Tritax Symmetry for this project in Biggleswade along with multiple energy projects on their other sites. Across our business we currently operate ten energy centres in the UK with a further 20 in development. Through their lifecycles we invest to enhance each site to deliver increasing levels of decarbonisation as client requirements evolve.”

Rob Pitt, Director – Operations at Rolls-Royce Solutions UK commented: “This project has been a great opportunity for collaboration and partnership with the client team from initial concept design through to project delivery and ongoing operational support. Our extensive product portfolio and system capabilities enabled us to provide an integrated microgrid solution that enhances the local grid supply and delivers on the brief for cleaner, resilient power that can flex in line with site demands”.

SSI Schaefer Completes DS Automotion Acquisition

Posted on by David Priestman

The SSI Schaefer Group, a leading international provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions employing some 10,000 people, and DS Automotion GmbH, a leading provider of mobile robotics (AGV – Automated Guided Vehicles and AMR – Autonomous Mobile Robots) headquartered in Linz, signed an agreement under which SSI Schaefer will acquire all shares in DS Automotion GmbH.

SSI Schaefer will thus expand the minority interest it has held since 2018 to reflect the growing importance of autonomous and mobile robotics and the AGV business in intralogistics. The acquisition of the remaining shares will take effect on March 1st, 2023 and is subject to approval by Austria’s Federal Competition Authority.

The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price of the shares. The management team led by Managing Directors Manfred Hummenberger and Wolfgang Hillinger will stay on board. DS Automotion will continue to operate independently with its well-established brand.

“The partnership with DS Automotion has been clearly intensified over the past two years, and the AGV business in intralogistics is growing very dynamically,” says Steffen Bersch, CEO of the SSI Schaefer Group. “Therefore, we are very pleased that the company, which is a leading player in the international market, will become a full member of the SSI Schaefer Group. Together, we will continue our growth story in robotics.”

The further development of autonomous mobile robots (AMR) is one of the key joint initiatives in the context of the general realignment of the robotics business. Characterized by simple commissioning and flexible applications, this product segment is becoming increasingly important and offers excellent growth opportunities. DS Automotion has developed standards such as Plannable Autonomy and Cooperative Navigation in this product segment, which help combine the benefits of flexibility with the reliability and availability of industrial systems. This transformation is based on DS Automotion’s high in-house technology expertise, which builds on 40 years of navigation and control know-how.

“DS Automotion has grown strongly and continuously over the past years, and by placing a stronger focus on technology and product standardization, we have greatly increased the quality and performance of the company,” says Manfred Hummenberger, CEO of DS Automotion. “To continue to keep pace with the rapid developments in this industry, now is the right time to take the cooperation with SSI Schaefer to a new level and to participate in the global growth opportunities of the robotics sector by joining forces.”

The acquisition of the remaining shares in DS Automotion represents an important milestone in expanding the technology leadership of the SSI Schaefer Group and will strengthen its competitiveness and innovation power in robotics and automation, which are pioneering for intralogistics.

At the same time, DS Automotion will continue to operate in the established fields such as production and healthcare logistics as well as assembly systems. These segments will continue to be further expanded with a focus on innovation and existing customer relationships will be strengthened.

Mosca 2027 Sustainability Strategy

Posted on by David Priestman

Mosca is making its corporate commitment transparent and offering an overview of future goals with its first in-depth sustainability strategy report. One key focus is on employee involvement and a commitment to minimal packaging. Mosca also supports customers and partners in their sustainability efforts.

The newly published sustainability report for 2021 outlines the company’s progress on its commitment to sustainability. It also includes a comprehensive materiality analysis and a detailed description of resource consumption along with numerous starting points/targets for new and ongoing sustainability projects. The industry’s technology leader also offers an outlook on upcoming changes that go hand in hand with Mosca’s Nonstop responsibility 2027 sustainability strategy.

Simone Mosca, CEO and head of the Mosca Sustainability Committee, explains: “We are deeply aware of our responsibilities as a manufacturing company. The Nonstop responsibility 2027 strategy reflects our approach to leading the way in our industry. This report enables us to spotlight the company’s social and ecological commitment over the years and to outline our goals for further improving sustainability in our corporate development.”

Sustainability report focuses on commitment

To create a sound basis, sustainability officer Ann Mertens and the sustainability committee analysed the current status in detail. “The year 2021 serves as a starting point from which we can present and evaluate our development based on the data,” Mertens explains. Based on this data, the company has already initiated actions aimed at reducing resource consumption. “So far, we launched heat and energy-efficiency projects. These included the conversion to local heating systems and LED lighting at the Waldbrunn site.”

Mertens identified other focal points: “In the coming months, we will be looking at how we view and communicate sustainability in-house and how we promote and support sustainability among our customers and partners.”

Minimise resource consumption and support employees

Mosca is committed to encouraging more staff involvement. The new ‘pitch day’ event format gives employees a chance to present their ideas for enhancing the company’s development in a three-minute time slot. The aim is to stimulate in-house communication. Mosca is also planning to expand its training and education programmes along with its social support. With a wider range of social counselling services, the company wants to focus on the mental health of employees and offer support in difficult situations.

Test centre, CO2 product calculator and digital services support customers

Mosca is also expanding its products and structures in the service sector. “We have a global service network with over 130 technicians. The expansion of our network and development of digital services enable us to minimise travel distances and continue to reliably support our customers in a targeted way,” Ann Mertens says.

Advisory services for customers on securing their loading units are also provided. A CO2 product calculator developed by Mosca will enable customers to estimate and optimise the resource consumption and carbon emissions of a specific packaging solution. Mertens explains: “This is where we can use our expertise to minimise packaging and demonstrate sustainable alternatives. At the same time, it enables us to support sustainability in our industry and beyond.”

Warehouse Tech for Gen Z Workforce

Posted on by David Priestman

Distribution centre technology provider Lucas Systems announced today its rollout of new technologies promising productivity, comfort and ease of use to a Gen Z warehouse workforce of the future.

The technologies – built to serve the new “iGeneration” of workers born between 1997 and 2012 – promise reduction of worker stress, a less physically-taxing work experience, and help for on-floor supervisors by providing the tools needed to be more agile. New technologies include:

• An all-new supervisor management console which provides leadership with a high degree of flexibility and agility to customize data, dashboards, and analytics specific to their operation and needs. Supervisors and managers can get actionable information in a way that’s easy to understand and use through fully-customizable consoles.

• Improvements in reducing worker travel. Lucas Systems new algorithms and machine learning smarts help workers take up to 50% less steps inside the warehouse by showing them the optimal path to navigate. This is relief to physically-stressed on-floor workers as they can often walk 5-10 miles in just one day.

• Ability for on-floor workers to use the smallest wearables for scanning. Lucas Systems certified its voice-enabled optimization suite, Jennifer, to run on a Zebra WS50, the world’s smallest all-in-one Android enterprise-class wearable mobile computer.

These solutions and other insights around technology training, warehouse environments and new methods for division of labour resulted from Lucas Systems in-depth interviews with warehouse workers as well as a commissioned study, polling 500 U.S. warehouse workers nationwide. The research examined workers’ relationships with technology as well as their fears, expectations, and perceptions about their daily jobs.

Additional insights were released today in Lucas Systems guide, Competing for The Warehouse Workforce of the Future, along with recommendations for attracting and retaining a future workforce with unique attitudes around loyalty, work-life balance and workplace satisfaction. One insight is that a majority of Gen Z workers (73%) say robots will help them achieve greater accuracy and speed in their jobs.

“These are all signs that tomorrow’s warehouses will need to operate differently than they do today,” says Lucas Systems CMO Ken Ramoutar. “Gen Z workers expect to use modern technologies like they use at home. Handheld and personalized, tech must be easy to use and must help them save time and mitigate exertion.”

Ramoutar says Lucas Systems recent tech advancements and its research insights offer a warning shot to warehouse operators who aren’t willing to adapt and change.

Mezzanine Floors Help Warehouses Save

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Mezzanine floors aren’t just a great space saving tool, they’re also money savers that are sure to help your business in the long run. Alfa Industrial, a leading engineering solutions provider, told us how you can save money by building a new floor within your warehouse.

Energy saving
Mezzanine floors are placed high off the ground. As you heat your warehouse during the winter, the warmth will rise to the top, making your mezzanine floor the perfect place for an office, meeting room or staff room.

Having a mezzanine floor also means you will have a smaller area of space to heat, as opposed to having multiple rooms, allowing you to save a considerable amount on energy bills.

No need to expand your facilities
By expanding your warehouse space through traditional means (building extra rooms or relocating) you will spend a large sum of money that you can otherwise avoid with a new mezzanine floor. These systems provide a solution to your lack of space by allowing you to expand your warehouse for a much cheaper price.

Less time shutting down operations
Mezzanine floors can be built in as little time as one day, allowing you to shut down your operations for only the minimal amount of time possible. This will ensure that you only lose a minimal amount of revenue from the shut down of your facility.

Dismountable
Avoid spending money on sizing down on your equipment with a mezzanine floor! Mezzanine floors can be dismounted and built again, allowing you to move your infrastructure anywhere your business takes you next. This permanent expansion option will allow you to keep your preferred layout for your equipment wherever you go.

No planning permission cost in some cases
Section 55(2)(a) of the UK Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows internal works without the need for planning permission. However, Article 44 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 (SI 2015/595) details that you cannot make internal alterations of more than 200 square metres for buildings used for the retail sale of goods other than hot food, so make sure you plan accordingly.

If you do not need planning permission to build a mezzanine within your warehouse, you are able to save a lot of time and thousands of pounds.

Keep your money within the business
If you own a business, you know how important it is to keep production costs low and to ensure the money you spend is done so wisely. If you decide to expand your warehouse with a mezzanine floor instead of renting a new warehouse, you’ll be able to keep that money as an investment for your business as opposed to giving that money to a landlord.

Increase in speed of workflow
By increasing the amount of space available for your employees to work in, Alfa Industrial say, you can improve the workflow in your facility. Increasing the speed at which your warehouse produces your products will create more revenue, allowing your new mezzanine floor to pay for itself.

New Distributor of Lift Trucks in New Zealand

Posted on by David Priestman

From 1 December 2022, heavy equipment dealer AB Equipment became the distributor of Konecranes Lift Trucks throughout New Zealand. This has improved the options available to lift trucks customers in the region.

Established in 1878, AB Equipment has long been a New Zealand market leader in industrial equipment for materials handling, construction, forestry and city maintenance. Working with an extensive range of global brands, it has 18 branches across the country that deliver 24/7 service support and genuine parts. The addition of Konecranes to their product and aftermarket portfolio follows AB Equipment’s business strategy as it focuses on keeping local businesses moving as effectively and efficiently as possible.

“Becoming the distributor for Konecranes Lift Trucks in New Zealand enables us to offer our customers greater choice and further strengthen our leadership position in forklifts and access equipment,” says Peter Escott, CEO of AB Equipment. “The iconic Konecranes brand is associated with strength, performance and reliability, and we’re excited to show their award-winning electric forklift E-VER to our local customers. With high durability and intelligent controls, all of their lift trucks offer smart and fuel-efficient solutions for Kiwi businesses.”

AB Equipment can now provide New Zealand with the full range of Konecranes forklifts, reach stackers and container handlers, including Ecolifting driveline options to save fuel and reduce emissions, along with the Konecranes flagship E-VER, Konecranes’ first heavy-duty fully-electric Li-ion forklift. TRUCONNECT® Remote Monitoring will help AB Equipment customers to optimize their operations and maintenance by collecting their lift truck usage data and presenting it through the online portal yourKONECRANES.com.

“Konecranes Lift Trucks has had a presence in New Zealand for some time,” says Patrik Lundbäck, VP, Sales and Distribution, Lift Trucks, Konecranes. “Through AB Equipment, we’re now able to provide our customers across the country with a more comprehensive product portfolio and a whole new level of service support. We’re excited to begin this new partnership and look forward to working with AB Equipment for many years to come.”

Hellmann Logistics Expands in North Germany

Posted on by David Priestman

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has opened a new branch in Neumuenster. From the site located 50 km north of Hamburg, road activities in Schleswig-Holstein are to be further expanded. The aim is to develop the company’s own network in the strategically important region between Hamburg and the Danish border and to establish further general cargo lines. At the same time, the logistics company wants to further enter the Scandinavian region through strategic expansion in the north. With the opening of the new location, Hellmann is also responding to the increased demand for storage facilities available at short notice between the Port of Hamburg and Scandinavia.

Both the location and the technically state-of-the-art 4,500 m² logistics facility offer long-term and strategic advantages for the distribution network. Thus, the new branch also has the corresponding growth capacities to meet the needs of both existing and new customers. At the same time, the location will be integrated into the general cargo network called NG.network, which was successfully launched under the new brand on January 1, 2023. As the largest network partner and as a shareholder, Hellmann is now represented in the cooperation with 17 branches and, together with NG.network, is significantly driving the further development of the joint Germany-wide network.

“The decision to open our own branch in Neumuenster was made for various reasons: The region in the triangle of Neumuenster, Crivitz near Schwerin and Hamburg offers a lot of potential, especially with regard to the food industry as well as renewable energies, which we want to use even more in the future. By selecting this location, we are strengthening the network and thus also our capacity and service quality,” says Jonathan Adeoye, COO Road Germany & West Europe, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

Since its foundation over 150 years ago, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has developed into one of the largest international logistics providers in the world. With more than 12,300 employees, the company is active in 60 countries and generated sales of around EUR 4 billion in 2021.The range of services includes classic forwarding services by truck, rail, air and sea freight, as well as a comprehensive range of CEP services, contract logistics, industry and IT solutions.

Traceable Sporting Goods Collection

Posted on by David Priestman

Sourcemap, a global provider of supply chain transparency and traceability software, today announced that Amer Sports – the parent company of premier athletic apparel and equipment brands such as Arc’teryx, Wilson, Salomon and others – has signed on to track and trace critical commodities such as cotton and viscose, also called rayon.

Amer Sports will leverage Sourcemap’s full-suite supply chain transparency solution to collect transaction certificates for certified materials and independently verify the company’s and its subsidiaries’ entire chain of custody, from raw material to finished product, across its supply chain spanning five continents.

Two common raw materials for everyday and activewear across the apparel industry, cotton and viscose traverse through a number of intermediary stops, from the forest or farm at which it is sourced to retailer shelves. Between ginners, traders, fabric mills, sewers and other middlemen, thoroughly checking and controlling how and where these materials move is typically a costly and technically difficult challenge. In the U.S., legislation like the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act has forced importers to irrefutably prove how their cotton and viscose are sourced or risk legal and financial repercussions, but fewer than 20 percent of apparel companies surveyed by KPMG reported having full visibility into their supply chains.

The parent company of established consumer brands such as Arc’teryx, Salomon, Peak Performance, Atomic, Wilson, Armada, ENVE Composites, Louisville Slugger, DeMarini and Sports Tracker, Amer provides everything from household hardgoods such as sports equipment to high-performance outdoor apparel. With such complex supply chains, Amer relies on real-time commodity mapping to ensure material compliance.

“Customer satisfaction is one of our main priorities, and we achieve this when we create total transparency and compliance with local and international mandates within our complete supply chain,” said Pascal Covatta, VP of Global Sourcing at Amer Sports. “Sourcemap is the integral partner enabling us to answer these customer needs and compliance expectations for our end-to-end supply chain transparency.”

Pioneered by Sourcemap, the supplier discovery process connects direct and indirect suppliers, sites, shipping lanes and transactions for an up-to-date graph of entire global operations. On average, Sourcemap customers discover more than 10,000 suppliers during the process; since signing on as a customer, Amer already has undergone Sourcemap’s supplier discovery program for one of its essential commodities: cotton, identifying upstream suppliers from farms to mills to factories within its supply chain.

Ahead of its peers, Sourcemap offers a certification workflow, a customizable solution that ensures brand protection and credibility along every tier of the supply chain. Thoroughly collecting an audit trail of evidence for future reporting, Sourcemap’s certification workflows are multi-brand, multi-certification and multi-commodity, ensuring every component of the value chain is verified. By utilizing Sourcemap’s certification workflow, Amer is able to manage its intricate supply chains with end-to-end visibility into the entire value chain, an essential undertaking to remain compliant and competitive.

“We will continue to see forward-thinking brands like Amer with complex supply chains that span nearly every corner of the world move beyond legacy mapping systems,” said Sourcemap CEO and founder Leo Bonanni (pictured). “As global companies continue to build resilient supply chains, traceability and transparency move even closer toward the centre of successful business planning. Sourcemap is key to helping companies across all sectors stay one step ahead.”

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