Tag: automation|robotics|warehouse automation

Locus Robotics, a leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfilment warehouses, is primed for expansion across the UK and Europe after completing an important milestone in its development – the opening of its European headquarters.

The opening of the new facility in Amsterdam is the culmination of a busy autumn for the US company, which has seen it conclude its first major acquisition and complete its second major funding deal in the space of 12 months.

Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics, said: “Our decision to expand our presence in the European market was a logical step in our business growth strategy. Choosing Amsterdam gives us a central location that is ideal for serving our customer base, as well as giving us access to a vibrant and diverse talent pool to recruit from.”

Fresh from a successful Logistics Business Show, the company is now primed for sustained growth as it looks to capitalise on new opportunities emerging in the warehouse fulfilment sector. The strategy has been boosted by the completion of a significant step in the company’s expansion programme, the acquisition of Waypoint Robotics, an industry leader in industrial strength, autonomous, omnidirectional mobile robots.

The acquisition broadens the Locus product line of proven AMR solutions designed to address use cases from e-commerce, case-picking, and pallet-picking to scenarios requiring larger, heavier payloads and fulfilment modalities.

Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics, said: “Locus is the proven leader in the development of highly productive and innovative AMR technology that efficiently solves our customers’ needs for total warehouse optimisation.

“As order fulfilment and labour shortages continue to grow around the world, the acquisition of Waypoint Robotics will accelerate our ability to meet these global needs in just months rather than years, helping us drive the digital transformation of the warehouse.”

Waypoint Robotics, based in Nashua, New Hampshire, develop and manufacture omnidirectional autonomous mobile robots for automated material transport. Like the LocusBot, its robots can be put to work immediately, supporting an existing workforce, increasing their efficiency, and improving productivity.

“Waypoint shares Locus’s commitment to technology excellence in pursuit of customer success,” said Jason Walker, CEO of Waypoint Robotics. “We’re excited to contribute to the expansion of the Locus product family in order to deliver a broader range of solutions, as well as access to new market segments.”

Waypoint’s innovative Vector and MAV3K are industrial-strength, flexible mobile robot platforms that feature omnidirectional mobility, and can be fitted with a wide variety of modules and attachments, making them versatile and scalable for a host of applications. The Vector has two payload options – 136kg (300lb) or 272kg (600lb), while the MAV3K is for more heavy-duty lifts with a payload capacity of 1,360kg (3,000lb).

Creating synergy with the LocusBot, they are interoperable with other robots and can easily communicate with machines and IoT devices throughout a facility.

With the ability to offer customers a choice, or a combination of robots, the acquisition gives Locus the opportunity to target new sectors, such as the manufacturing sector.

Jordan K. Speer, Research Manager, Global Supply Chains, IDC Retail Insights, said: “Warehouses and fulfilment centres benefit by harnessing the strengths of humans and robots working in collaboration. These cobotic environments are further optimised when a range of differently ‘skilled’ AMRs are employed. With the acquisition of Waypoint Robotics, Locus Robotics is able to bring more capability to the fulfilment floor.”

Investors have also been keen to support Locus’s expansion. Tiger Global Management is an investment firm that focuses on private and public companies in the internet, software, consumer, and payments industries. Earlier this year it was one of group of investors that pumped US$150m into Locus. Tiger Global Management has now injected an additional US$50m into the business to facilitate continued growth and expansion into new markets.

“At a time of increasing volumes and ongoing labour shortages, this new round of funding underscores how critical flexible, scalable, intelligent robotics automation has become to the warehouse and the supply chain,” added Locus CEO Rick Faulk.

With existing fulfilment operations expanding and new operations coming on stream to serve the growing e-commerce sector, the fulfilment industry, whether in the UK or Europe is creating major growth opportunities for those supplying proven fulfilment solutions.

The Locus AMR solution is very much one of those to be proven, helping businesses cost-effectively double, even triple their productivity when compared to traditional fulfilment options.

The innovative and award-winning technology behind the company’s multi-bot solution has now helped to pick more than half-a-billion units in warehouses around the world.

Such has been the rapid adoption of the fulfilment solution by logistics operators globally, together with the explosion in online order volumes over the past 18 months, that the latest landmark was attained just 94 days after Locus reached its 400-millionth pick.

The 500-millionth pick was made at a VF Corporation Fulfilment Centre in Prague, Czech Republic and the item picked was a pair of Vans Old Skool shoes.

It is little surprise that logistics operators globally are increasingly making Locus their number one fulfilment solution.

DHL, the world’s largest logistics company with over 1,400 warehouses and offices in more than 55 countries and territories, has recently signed a 2,000-bot deal with Locus as part of its efforts to digitalise its supply chain processes.

“DHL Supply Chain and Locus Robotics have established a productive partnership based on a highly successful integration of the Locus autonomous mobile robot solution into our customers’ operations, and we value the emphasis they have placed on listening to our needs,” said Sally Miller, CIO, DHL Supply Chain North America.

 

Geek+, a global AMR leader, has won the European Product Design Award in the industrial robot category with RoboShuttle, the double deep tote-picking robot for high-density storage.

The award recognises the combination of flexibility and functionality that permeates the entire design, from robot to solution, and the ability to create, innovate and produce solutions that solve logistics bottlenecks to help businesses flexible grow and compete.

Jackson Zhang, President of Geek+ Europe, says: “We are very proud to receive this award and see it as a recognition of the ability of our engineers and designers to develop products that solve actual logistics bottlenecks by targeting the physical issue of space as well as a more e-commerce-driven business environment. Today, RoboShuttle has been deployed in over 10 countries. There is exponential interest in the solution, which optimises space, ensures the safety of employees, and brings accuracy and flexibility to warehouse operations.”

The Double Deep RoboShuttle can operate 1m narrow aisles, reach 5m high shelves, and use its extended telescopic arms of 1.5m reach to access totes of varying depth in one location. Equipped with high-precision sensors, the robot will adjust the depth of the telescopic arms to pick totes at varying depths accurately and safely. Due to the flexible and slim chassis design, the RoboShuttle can operate in varying ground conditions and access totes stored as low as 215mm. It can also carry up to five totes in one go to and from a picking station for more efficient and fast order fulfillment. RoboShuttle can be adjusted to match different shelf heights. The robot can also work in dark warehouse environments, using safety lights and self-charging capabilities, enabling 24/7 safe, efficient, and energy-saving logistics operations.

Zihan Yu, Industrial Designer at Geek+, says: “As logistics processes grow increasingly complex, we have to leave the one-size-fits-all mentality behind and see optimisation in terms of customisation. At Geek+, we provide tailored solutions using both hardware and software. While it is our intelligent software platform that analyses the customer’s order history and adjusts operations accordingly, it is the ability to produce versatile robots that allows us to optimise the physical reality of each customer’s warehouse.”

RoboShuttle is a high-density solution that creates a safer work environment for warehouse employees, improves storage capacity by 2-3x, and streamlines logistics processes with intelligent applications incorporating real-time demand such as logical task management and route and maintenance management.

 

 

Locus Robotics, a leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfilment warehouses, has announced it has acquired Waypoint Robotics, an industry leader in industrial strength, autonomous, omnidirectional mobile robots.

“Locus is the proven leader in the development of highly productive and innovative AMR technology that efficiently solves our customers’ needs for total warehouse optimisation,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “As order fulfilment and labour shortages continue to grow around the world, the acquisition of Waypoint Robotics will accelerate our ability to meet these global needs in just months rather than years, helping us drive the digital transformation of the warehouse.”

The acquisition broadens the Locus product line of proven and powerful AMR solutions that address use cases from ecommerce, case-picking, and pallet-picking to scenarios requiring larger, heavier payloads and fulfilment modalities.

“Waypoint shares Locus’s commitment to technology excellence in pursuit of customer success,” said Jason Walker, CEO of Waypoint Robotics. “We’re excited to contribute to the expansion of the Locus product family in order to deliver a broader range of solutions, as well as access to new market segments.”

Waypoint’s innovative Vector and MAV3K are industrial-strength, flexible mobile robot platforms that feature omnidirectional mobility, and can be fitted with a wide variety of modules and attachments, making them versatile and scalable for a host of applications. They are interoperable with other robots and can easily communicate with machines and IoT devices throughout a facility.

DHL, the world’s largest logistics company with over 1,400 warehouses and offices in more than 55 countries and territories, had recently signed a 2,000-bot deal with Locus as part of its efforts to digitalise its supply chain processes.

“DHL Supply Chain and Locus Robotics have established a productive partnership based on a highly successful integration of the Locus autonomous mobile robot solution into our customers’ operations, and we value the emphasis they have placed on listening to our needs,” said Sally Miller, CIO, DHL Supply Chain North America.

“This acquisition, which adds a larger, heavier-weight autonomous robot capability to their portfolio, is a good reflection of how they continue to address the customer requirements at the heart of their strategy. I believe it will open up promising new opportunities in our partnership, support DHL’s ongoing efforts to deploy technologies that improve our customers’ supply chains and contribute to the continued advancement of a competitive robotics market.”

“Warehouses and fulfilment centres benefit by harnessing the strengths of humans and robots working in collaboration. These cobotic environments are further optimised when a range of differently ‘skilled’ AMRs are employed. With the acquisition of Waypoint Robotics, Locus Robotics is able to bring more capability to the fulfilment floor,” said Jordan K. Speer, Research Manager, Global Supply Chains, IDC Retail Insights.

“Furthermore, introducing combinations of differently ‘skilled’ AMRs that are interoperable with each other enables new functional capabilities where robots hand off product to each other. Without intelligent automation that can handle a wide variety of tasks on the fulfilment floor — including returns, putaway, and sortation – organisations will not be able to thrive in today’s market.”

Cowen and Company LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Waypoint Robotics.

Vanderlande has signed a new contract with Australia’s largest food and grocery retailer, Woolworths, to deliver STOREPICK, a robotised, end-to-end automated case picking (ACP) warehouse solution.

The system will be installed in a new, innovative regional DC in Moorebank Logistics Park in Sydney and will supply over 200 stores in New South Wales from 2025. This will be the second Australian state where a Woolworths DC will be using Vanderlande’s STOREPICK solution.

Woolworths Group’s supply chain arm, Primary Connect, will build and operate the state-of-the-art DC, with the aim of enhancing customer shopping experiences, as well as improving efficiency in stores.

STOREPICK allows for the optimisation of all processes in the entire value chain. It effectively handles both incoming and outgoing goods, and thanks to Vanderlande’s Load Forming Logic (LFL) software, guarantees store-friendly deliveries across multiple store formats. This is combined with a redundant design and optimum usage of the DC’s footprint, which contributes to a safe working environment for Woolworths’ operations team.

In addition, the solution has been designed using the latest technologies in material handling, including the Vanderlande ADAPTO shuttle system with flexible in-rack shuttles, free-roaming AGVs, intelligent robots for case picking and Goods-to-Picker workstations.

Primary Connect Managing Director and Woolworths Chief Supply Chain Officer, Paul Graham, explains: “The facility will transform the way we serve our New South Wales stores, strengthen our network, and deliver on our ambition to create Australia’s best food and grocery supply chain. We will be able to carry up to 8,000 additional products, which will help in unlocking a much better shopping experience for our customers.

“To keep pace with growing demand and ever-evolving customer expectations, we need to continue to invest in new technology and capacity to power our next-generation supply chain. We’re pleased to be on this journey with our trusted technology partners at Vanderlande.”

Vanderlande’s Managing Director Warehousing Solutions for Australia and New Zealand, Roald de Groot, adds: “It’s been an incredible journey over the past two years for the local and overseas teams from Vanderlande who have worked closely together with Woolworths’ design team to make this project happen. We are extremely proud to provide Woolworths with this state-of-the-art fully automated solution and are keen to further build on this established partnership in the future.”

The relationship between both organisations has been a significant positive for Vanderlande’s Vice President Warehouse Solutions Terry Verkuijlen: “Vanderlande is proud to have been highly involved in this key partnership with Australia’s largest supermarket chain. Woolworths has strong ambitions in terms of its growth, product offering and customer experience, so we’re delighted to help play our part in this continued success story. By providing our automated end-to-end STOREPICK solution, it will enable Woolworths to maximise efficiencies within its new DC in Sydney.”

According to Statista, the logistics market costs surpassed €1.6bn in Europe alone in 2019 with that figure only expected to rise. As logistical operations continue to scale in complexity and demand, how can your company ensure you’re offering the same level of quality, consistency and safety with each delivery?

ENTER INDUSTRY 4.0

In Universal Robots’ latest free webinar, Mark Gray, Country Manager UK & IRL, discusses the latest challenges that logistics Operational Teams face and the value cobots can bring as we continue to navigate the uncertainties that the COVID-19 climate brings.

Join us on 11th May 2021 at 11am (BST)

Mark will offer exclusive insight into how cobots can:

• Increase the speed from specification to fulfilment
• Refine and scale your fulfilment resource in your production line
• Optimise and mobilise the end-of-line palletising process
• Rapidly deploy and scale logistics operations to meet ongoing and ever-changing market demands
• Support team utilisation on an operational level
• Shortlist stock locations to automate and minimise the fulfilment-to-error ratio

Using the link below, sign up for your free place and start transforming your logistical operations today.

Click here to sign up for free! 

Waypoint Robotics has teamed with Productive Robotics to make mobile manipulation accessible for small to mid-sized companies.

Combine the easiest to use, most capable omnidirectional autonomous mobile robot with the simplest and most flexible 7-axis collaborative robot arm, and it has never been easier or more cost-effective to deploy a mobile manipulator for manufacturing and logistics applications. Workers can use this mobile platform to perform repetitive tasks such as machine tending, quality assurance sampling, material replenishment, packaging, and many others, so they can focus on the high-skilled jobs for which they are uniquely qualified.

“The fast and intuitive set-up process of the Productive Robotics OB7 perfectly aligns with our Vector AMR that is built for factory and warehouse workers to deploy in minutes rather than hours or days,” said Waypoint Robotics CEO & Co-Founder Jason Walker.  “And the extraordinary dexterity of Productive’s 7-axis cobot arm coupled with Waypoint’s omnidirectional mobility opens up endless possibilities for workers to automate repetitive tasks and maximise robot utilisation throughout their facility, ”

What makes it so easy? Waypoint Robotics’ Vector AMR and Product Robotics’ OB7 have been elegantly integrated so set up and operation is fast, simple, and intuitive with both machines seamlessly working together as they perform tasks.

The mobile manipulator has a flexible design and interconnected safety systems that allows for either robot to be the primary controller of a particular operation. The Vector’s omnidirectional mobility enables fast, precise docking in any direction or orientation so the OB7 can perform accurate and precise grasping or picking tasks, taking full advantage of the cobots’ 7 degrees of freedom (7 DOF) and superior dexterity. Power management is also a breeze because the Waypoint EnZone provides on-demand energy and opportunity charging for longer run times.

“We have made cobots simple and more accessible for businesses, large and small, across all industries,” said Zac Bogart, President of Productive Robotics. “Working with Waypoint Robotics in developing this mobile manipulator platform will open the door for factories and warehouses to innovate, optimise productivity, and gain a competitive advantage with cobots.”

The ease-of-use, seamless integration, and cost effective design of Waypoint Robotics’ Vector AMR and Productive Robotics’ 7-axis cobot, make this powerful autonomous mobile manipulator a real automation option for workers in businesses of all sizes. A mobile manipulator this accessible is an industry first.

 

Universal Robots has formed a new partnership with Siemens’ TIA (Totally Integrated Automation) that will allow the integration of Universal Robots cobots into complex machine and manufacturing environments.

This new interface will facilitate a seamless integration process for machine builders and system integrators. Universal Robots’ cobots will become part of the Simatic Robot Library within Siemens’ TIA environment through an interpreter interface planned to be completed within the fourth quarter of 2021.

Mark Gray, Country Manager UK&I said, “Machinery and plant engineers as well as manufacturers with large production facilities will benefit from our cobots‘ TIA integration. Thanks to this new interface, they will soon be able to apply our cobots’ functional diversity, precision and repeatability within complex production lines, benefitting from all aspects of digitalised automation – from digital planning and integrated engineering to transparent operations.”

The holistic TIA Portal engineering framework supports users in planning extensive manufacturing automation projects. In November 2020, Siemens presented the Simatic Robot Library as an addition to this application: The comprehensive ‘robot library’ allows users to program their cobots directly within the TIA Portal via a unified user interface and to include them in their planning, which will now also include UR’s collaborative robots, greatly extending the range of companies benefitting from the cobot technology: Across industries, users will now encounter the UR cobots in the context of complete plant engineering solutions.

“We are welcoming Universal Robots as a new partner just in time for the start of the new Simatic Robot Library’s piloting,” says Tobias Fengel, Marketing Manager at Siemens Digital Industries. “We are delighted that we will soon be able to offer our clients a forward-looking solution together with the cobot market leader.”

Thanks to the TIA portal’s integrated design, users can now independently implement the UR cobots within major production lines and teach them functions such as jog mode or path point creation. The new comprehensive library allows users to download programming examples and use them to control the UR cobots.

“Our cobots have always been characterised by their intuitive handling,” Mark Gray explains. “Their integration into the TIA portal via the Simatic Robot Library now accelerates their integration and implementation into complex production lines. It also makes it easier to combine the UR cobots with technologies like Edge data analyses or cloud services and include them in the monitoring of plant conditions.”