automation|IT|warehouse automation Archives

Photoneo, the innovative smart automation powerhouse, has announced an investment of $21m from AI Capital, IPM Group, Earlybird, Venture to Future Fund, and Credo Ventures as well as all investors who participated in previous investment rounds. The newly raised capital will accelerate the 3D Sensor business and enable expansion of its fully automated fulfilment solutions for warehouses and dark stores called BRIGHTPICK.

Online shopping is booming. e-commerce, q-commerce, and e-grocery are all experiencing immense pressure, fuelled by rising customer demands and dynamic customer behaviour. These changes have been dramatic over the past two years. Additionally, a shrinking labour force and ever-increasing labour costs translate to sector demand for automated fulfilment solutions. These solutions will help e-commerce companies keep their customer commitments and keep up in the hyper-competitive landscape.

“We identified a gap in the order fulfilment sector. We combined our unique technologies to develop a first-of-its-kind end-to-end solution for fully automated fulfilment centres,” said Jan Zizka, co-founder and CEO of Photoneo. “The potential of this next-gen warehouse automation technology is immense as it is highly flexible and scalable, maximising throughput with minimum effort. It helps optimise processes, save space, and increase efficiency by 3 to 5 times compared to manual labour.”

Branching out into the logistics sector, Photoneo also announced its new Business Unit – BRIGHTPICK: a first and only fully-automated fulfilment solution for warehouses and grocers to support huge throughput via smart AMRs and AI powered robotic picking. Its modular structure can be tailored for a range of usage from Nano to Central Fulfilment Centres.

Photoneo’s futuristic vision as well as BRIGHTPICK’s successful pilot integrations have attracted a large number of investors who decided to support the company’s bold strategy through one of the largest investments into an automation startup in Europe, achieving a total of $21m.

“We are happy that our disruptive technologies and ability to spot market potential at the right time, and forecast its future developments, earned the trust of our investors, convincing them that Photoneo is primed to lead the next-generation automation of orders fulfilment,” says Jan Zizka.

The investment round was led by IPM Group, a global asset manager focusing on technology companies, together with Venture to Future Fund, Earlybird, Credo Ventures, and investors who participated in earlier rounds as well.

“Photoneo’s work and achievements are truly impressive. We believe in the company’s power to enhance logistics and transform the automation of e-commerce processes with its groundbreaking and much-needed solutions,” says Marian Bocek, Managing Partner at IPM Group. “Photoneo is already a well-established leader of smart automation solutions powered by original machine vision technology and artificial intelligence and supporting the company at this stage means helping them embrace the future of automation completely and on all fronts.”

With its relentless R&D activities and innovative spirit, Photoneo says it sets the standard in machine vision and intelligent automation solutions. Its worldwide acclaimed 3D sensing technology, proven best-in-class systems for vision-guided robotics, and novel end-to-end solutions for fully automated fulfilment centres make next-gen automation available and affordable for all customers who want to boost their processes with smart automation.

Retailers are now adopting micro-fulfilment strategies for instant consumer gratification and improved product accessibility, as a competitive advantage.

The supply chain industry grew during COVID-19 crisis and so did the need for faster operational processes and automation of human tasks. As part of it, the logistics sector is struggling to meet the growing consumer demands, high labour costs, regulatory measures, and siloed data, whilst complying with a dynamic environment. Complexities woven in the industry are not just occasional but tend to create a ripple effect across the infrastructure. Ultimately, the warehouse workforce strives to meet customers’ requirements by managing incoming orders through multiple layers, regardless of inventory processes.

To improve the last mile of logistics operations, companies started looking into micro-fulfilment. This hybrid model brings the inventory closer to consumers, encompassing traditional technology and automation with in-store picking. Micro-fulfilment ensures quicker product delivery to the end-users, involves efficient tech-based order picking, is easier to establish, and reduces operational costs.

Micro-fulfilment infrastructure relies on automation and, although hardware capabilities are highly relevant, the software is what determines the true value added to the whole process. Such a robust vision software enables the automated picking and stacking of random objects and ensures easy segmentation, classification, and quality control, while suggesting the best way to pick any item varying in shape, size, colour, and position. This allows robots to handle closely stacked or overlapping items, as well as transparent or highly reflective objects. Just as the camera and gripper are the eyes and arms of a robot, the vision software is the brain that translates the image and directs the robot to move accordingly.

Since we are talking about complex technologies in a very dynamic industry, it is essential for system integrators to look for a transparent long-term partnership with companies that empower them to understand the technologies used, rather than a one-time solution provider. This will allow them to remain flexible in a very fast-paced market, avoiding the hardware lock-ins of black-box solutions and ensuring they can always integrate the latest technologies in their systems. The path towards success for system integrators starts with recognising their true challenges, considering alternative solutions to tackle them, and employing the right tools to do so, all while making sure they remain self-reliant.

With trust as a driving factor of long-term success, Fizyr ensures each client receives a robust solution with proven software architecture to facilitate the successful development, management, and maintenance of installations. To stimulate system integrators’ independency, they are encouraged to consider a holistic approach by reflecting on topics, such as:

Does the vendor provide a high-quality software that escalates their logistics performance?
Will they receive additional services, such as support and maintenance?
How experienced, stable, and specialised is the software provider in the global market?
How do they manage software deployment processes?

Conclusion

Despite the pandemic, the micro-fulfilment operations are maximising the efficiency of the supply chain industry. The amplified need to incorporate automation technologies is urging companies to modify their logistics strategies for better supply chain management. Warehouse automation is crucial in responding to this growing market economy and having a robust software is pivotal.

System integrators must seek sustainable solutions that best align with their interests, can integrate seamlessly and meet end-users’ expectations. Additionally, partnering up with a software provider with extensive experience in computer vision and software development can improve their overall performance. Fizyr remains dedicated to creating an authentic value for its partners, so they can create cutting-edge logistics solutions for their clients.

Find out more about Fizyr here.

Tag: automation|IT|warehouse automation

Photoneo raises $21m Series B funding

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