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Tag: robotics

Sherpa deploys robot fleet at French plant

Posted on by David Priestman

Sherpa Mobile Robotics has announced its first installation with fleet management at a French industrial engine-building plant. For a several weeks now, six SHERPA-B AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) have been co-working in total safety amidst humans, AGVs, forklifts and other industrial machines at FPT Industrial.

The FPT Industrial plant in Bourbon-Lancy, in the Saône-et-Loire region, assembles 35,000 high-powered gas and diesel engines per year, destined for agricultural machinery, buses and trucks.

These parts are large and heavy, and with the specific tools needed for their assembly, the pallets were taking up too much space in the assembly line. Parts flow management and operator movements were not optimised. “We wanted to improve the logistics flow and the working conditions of our operators,” explains Ms. Faivre, Logistics Product Manager at FPT.

To achieve its objectives, FPT called on Sherpa Mobile Robotics and its mobile and collaborative robots. Unlike AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles), these AMRs do not rely on dedicated paths. They are programmable to be able to adapt to their environment with its constraints and constant evolution. SMR proposed a complete reorganisation of the assembly line with the support of a fleet of six robots managed by its Fleet Management System software.

Objective: one piece flow

The assembly was reorganised into two parallel lines separated by a central aisle. One line is dedicated to the preparation of the sub-assemblies and the other to the assembly of the 150 engines to be produced each day, working in two shifts. The six robots are deployed in twos, two each for the three assembly stations for motor supports, motor flywheels and basins. At the robot’s departure point, one person prepares the parts. When the robot arrives at the assembly line, another person is there to receive the parts. The robots have three programmed missions for each of the assembly stations. Each robot brings a prepared and assembled sub-assembly from the preparation area to the assembly area and then returns.

Central to this organisation is line-side management that is both automated and mobile. The operators stay in their work area. The Sherpa robots come to them, carrying the parts and specific tools. The parts are prepared elsewhere, in the preparation line, where they are unpacked and laid out ready for assembly, along with the necessary tools. “The robot arrives at the right time with the right part,” explains Damien Winling, Technical Director at SMR. Using this fleet makes assembly tasks less arduous and reduces the risks associated with transporting loads. Because the flow is managed more smoothly, this increases productivity. The robots are used 20 hours a day. In total, 450 robot missions are carried out daily.“

“By increasing our productivity and getting closer to one piece flow, these robots are fully in line with our 4.0 strategy,” says Faivre.

Flexible paths thanks to AMR technology

The advantage of Sherpa robots is that they can move about amidst operators, trucks and AGVs. The AMRs do not use laser guidance or ground markers but rely on their intelligence and ability to create maps of the space and predefined routes, unlike AGVs which do not deviate from their routes. They offer maximum safety with regard to people, obstacles, and transported material. Each robot is equipped with a Lidar (360° laser navigation sensor), a robust and reliable localisation system and safety sensors to detect obstacles on the ground. The sensitive edges stop the robot if it touches an obstacle. Their safety electronics provide the means of verifying that the various instructions given to the external elements (motors, sensors, etc.) are correct.

“Because of their ease of use, these robots were readily accepted by the operators,” says Ms. Forat, WCM logistics coordinator at FPT.

“Their intuitive interface and controls are made easier by the Follow Me mode, where the robot moves in interaction with the operator,” adds Mr. Figueira, Logistics Method Technician.

An advanced fleet management assistant from Sherpa

Sherpa Mobile Robotics has developed its own Fleet Management System (FMS). The software offers a mapped view of the work area showing the robots’ movements, with mission indicators (time, movement, charge, etc.) for each robot along with their battery status. A Shercom module indicates the traffic in the area of the robots.

The FMS communicates with each robot which has previously defined mission. The operator on the preparation side dispatches the robot when it is loaded and ready. The FMS is notified when the operator indicates the end of the mission on the robot screen (HMI). The FMS manages the sequence of the robots and can put them on hold in a dedicated area.

The same principle applies to the assembly side: the FMS is informed when an assembly is completed, it returns the robot to the preparation area and inserts it into the next sequence.

Managing the fleet of Sherpa robots meant that they had be able to operate in the midst of an existing flow of AGV robots. For this purpose, SMR developed a barrier system with virtual doors which open or close depending on the AGV traffic. When the AGV has passed, and with the help of reliable communications, it opens the door again to the SHERPA robots which continue their mission.

Customers can always change the configuration of the robots themselves or change their missions. The FMS functions in alternation with Follow Me mode: when the robot is in the assembly area, it switches to Follow Me mode and follows the operator’s movements thanks to the on-board sensors. The fleet manager is a hardware independent system, which works with all the robots in the SHERPA range. The robots and the FMS are plug-and-play modules – they do not require any modification to the client’s infrastructure or IT.

“Integrating these six robots has allowed us to acquire substantial experience of fleet management in an existing environment. We will be able to deploy these new skills at other customers looking for this type of technology,” concludes Damien Winling, Project Manager at SMR.

Robotic solution helps Boa Concept achieve highly secure package transfers

Posted on by Keith McKinley

French robotics company Effidence has released a package transfer solution, Convey-LINK, composed of a conveyor installed on the EffiBOT mobile robot, and a LINK communication box, integrated on the Plug-and-Carry static conveyor.

“We have created the Convey-LINK accessory for EffiBOT by focusing on securing all stages of the transfer of packages between conveyors,” comments Cedric Tessier, President of Effidence. Convey-LINK is based on a transmission technology of coded infrared signals between the mobile conveyor and the LINK box. Working with Boa Concept on a project to manage the quality control of bowls of a famous food processor, an agile and perfectly controlled solution was born. Indeed, LINK and Boa Drive communicate to align Effidence’s mobile conveyor to Boa Concept‘s conveyors and manage the positioning of the conveyed trays with an accuracy of 3mm.

As soon as the EffiBOT is docked in front of the Plug-and-Carry conveyor, a first security is activated. Convey-LINK checks whether the fixed conveyor is actually present and only deactivates the robot’s lateral light curtain that is directed towards it. This is achieved with precise alignment and transmission of a coded signal between the infrared sensors of the robot conveyor and those of the LINK box.

“With this first level of security, we guarantee that the EffiBOT’s conveyor rollers can only engage in front of a fixed conveyor table,” explains Tessier. A second security level is implemented to check the compatibility of the conveyors with each other – in terms of dimensions, roller speed and available space – through Boa Drive, which instantly informs LINK. The final level of security is the real-time synchronisation of the activation of each conveyor’s rollers. Using once again this infrared technology and Boa Drive’s ability to communicate easily with other control systems, a direct and instantaneous communication is ensured between these conveyors to provide a smooth and fast transfer of parcels.

Previously in 2019, Effidence and Boa Concept had worked together to dynamically interconnect several Plug-and-Carry intelligent modular conveyors via the use of EffiBOT mobile robots equipped with gravity conveyors (Project La Boule OBUT). Today, they collaborate once more, with this new Convey-LINK accessory for the voluminous transfer of kitchen robot bowls.

Tessier looks back on the project: “Convey-LINK kept its promises because its installation and interfacing with Plug-and-Carry was done in record time. It was fundamental for us to offer the fastest deployment possible for our customers. This philosophy is fully shared by Boa Concept.”

“With Plug-and-Carry, we offer a static intelligent modular conveyor solution that Effidence extends with EffiBOT and its mobile modular conveyor solution,” explains Patrice Henrion, Managing director of Boa Concept. “Convey-LINK appeared as an efficient, economical and unique answer to dynamically interconnect all our remote conveyors. Like all installations of the two companies, this new project demonstrates our ability to deploy custom solutions with standard equipment.”

Box-moving robot aims to enhance warehouse operations

Posted on by David Priestman

Boston Dynamics, a leader in mobile robotics, has revealed Stretch, its new box-moving robot designed to support the growing demand for flexible automation solutions in the logistics industry. This debut marks the company’s official entrance into warehouse automation, a fast-growing market fuelled by increased demand in e-commerce.

Stretch is Boston Dynamics’ first commercial robot specifically designed for warehouse facilities and distribution centres, of which there are more than 150,000 globally, according to analysts. The multi-purpose mobile robot is designed to tackle a number of tasks where rapid box moving is required, first starting with vehicle unloading and later expanding into order building. Stretch’s technology builds upon Boston Dynamics’ decades of advancements in robotics to create a flexible, easily-integrated solution that can work in any warehouse to increase their flow of goods, improve employee safety in physically difficult tasks and lower expensive fixed automation costs.

The robot’s small, omni-directional mobile base allows Stretch to navigate loading docks, manoeuvre in tight spaces and adapt to changing facility layouts, eliminating the need for costly fixed automation infrastructure. It is equipped with a custom-designed lightweight arm and a smart-gripper with advanced sensing and controls that can handle a large variety of boxed and shrink-wrapped cases. Stretch also includes Boston Dynamics’ computer vision technology that enables it to identify boxes easily and without extensive training for each customer. Its vision system works in tandem with pick & place activity, enabling high pick rates.

Traditional warehouse automation approaches require either installation of fixed infrastructure or mobile robots that convey goods but struggle to meet productivity requirements to be an attractive investment for warehouse operators. Stretch offers logistics providers an easier path to automation by working within existing warehouse spaces and operations, without requiring costly reconfiguration or investments in new fixed infrastructure.

“Warehouses are struggling to meet rapidly increasing demand as the world relies more on just-in-time delivery of goods,” said Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics. “Mobile robots enable the flexible movement of materials and improve working conditions for employees. Stretch combines Boston Dynamics’ advancements in mobility, perception and manipulation to tackle the most challenging, injury-prone case-handling tasks, and we’re excited to see it put to work.”

Boston Dynamics is currently seeking customers to pilot test deployment of Stretch with truck unloading tasks ahead of its commercial deployment in 2022. Interested parties can apply to join the Stretch Early Adopter Program by visiting: https://www.bostondynamics.com/stretch.

Geek+ Recognised by Fast Company as Robotics Innovator

Posted on by David Priestman

Geek+, a global AMR leader has been named one of Fast Company’s most innovative companies in the robotics category for 2021.

The list honors the businesses that have found a way to be resilient in the past year, turning challenges into impact-making processes. These companies did more than survive, they thrived, impacting their industries and culture as a whole.

Yong Zheng, founder and CEO of Geek+, says: “We’re honored to be recognized by Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies in the world. It is a celebration of the creative, solutions-oriented, and customer-focused approach that permeates the company as a whole and especially our R&D team. By combining industry understanding with business knowledge and technological prowess, we’ve developed a wide range of robotics hardware and intelligent software applications tailored to address industry-specific logistics challenges in warehousing and manufacturing. In turn, we want to bring agility to the supply chain, and through continuous optimization and AI, help mitigate uncertainty and support businesses to flexibly grow.”

In February last year, the resilience and flexibility of Geek+ robotics solutions were confirmed when as they allowed Decathlon in China to secure business continuity under lockdown despite widespread labor shortages. By letting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) find and transfer racks of goods from the storage area to workstations, Decathlon was able to ensure social distancing, securing the health and safety of its warehouse employees. Additionally, due to the robots being portable, easy to implement, and reprogram, it allowed Decathlon to relocate robots from retail to e -commerce warehouses to meet the swift shift in demand from offline to online sales.

Challenging scenarios also turned into innovations. In 2020, Geek+ launched four new robotics products to tackle the most urgent challenges facing society. These included everything from smart disinfection robots to intelligent sorting and bin picking robots. By combining the latest AMR and disinfection technology, such as SLAM navigation and UVC light, smart disinfection robots provide automated, safe, and seamless disinfection to help safeguard public health. Moreover, Geek+ C200M Double Deep Bin-to-Person robot was released, a flexible logistics solution that optimizes the bin-picking process and maximizes the use of warehouse space.

Lastly, the double-belted S100C robot was introduced for intelligent sorting of large size parcels to ensure safe, efficient, and accurate handling of heavy materials in times of high throughput demand. Dedicated to creating intelligent robotics solutions that bring real value to customers and transform the global supply chain, Geek+ has in 2020 announced partnerships with both industry and technology leaders. By partnering up with Borsch Rexroth, Intel, Körber, and Conveyco, Geek+ has continued to accelerate technological exchange, drive innovation, and strengthen its role as an ecosystem enabler at the forefront of the smart logistics revolution.

Effidence Technologies and Manitou sign Strategic Partnership

Posted on by David Priestman

Manitou Group and Effidence Technologies have signed a strategic partnership for the co-development and marketing of a range of logistics robots.

The objective of the partnership to to combine the latest in robotic technologies for warehousing with the strength of a distribution network.

Effidence has been developing collaborative and autonomous mobile robotic solutions to improve internal logistics flows in industry and logistics since 2016. A pioneer in “Follow-me” collaborative technology, Effidence is the creator of the EffiBOT robot, an agile and versatile solution that is optimized for preparing orders or conveying bins or boxes. EffiBOT is already being distributed to the major 3PL operators, car makers, and other industrial companies in Europe and abroad.

Cédric Tessier, Founder and President of Effidence, says: “With EffiBOT, we have demonstrated that robotics can offer much more than simply a method for conveying goods. Our robots are real productivity tools for Industry 4.0 that safety coexist with operators. In order to expand our range of robots, we have decided that Effidence Technologies is to partner with Manitou Group, an expert in warehousing.”

In addition to Effidence robotic carts, which will be distributed by Manitou Group dealers, a range of stackers and industrial tractors will expand the offering of collaborative and autonomous warehousing equipment. The robotic autonomous stackers will be co-designed by both partners and assembled by LMH Solutions, a subsidiary of Manitou Group located in Beaupréau (Maine-et-Loire, France).

The stackers will have a capacity of between 1 and 2.5 tons and will be serviced by Manitou Group’s network of technicians. Sylvain Jaguelin, Chief Executive Officer of LMH Solutions, highlights the benefits of this partnership: “We are driven to continuously innovate to accelerate automation in logistics centers and industry. With the technology developed by Effidence, we will be able to offer our customers intelligent, powerful, and fully integrated solutions that are able to meet the challenges of logistics and Industry 4.0. These new solutions are a perfect embodiment of our day-to-day mission “to improve working conditions, safety, and performance – everywhere in the world – while protecting humans and their environment.”

From design to distribution of the innovative products, this strategic agreement will create synergy through the combination of an innovative and agile company with the power of an international industrial group.

Locus Robotics Announces Funding Investment

Posted on by David Priestman

Locus Robotics, a leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfilment warehouses, has announced $150 million in Series E funding, led by Tiger Global Management and BOND. The round builds on support from existing investors including Scale Venture Partners and Prologis Ventures, the venture capital arm of Prologis, the global leader in logistics real estate.

“This new round of funding marks an important inflection point for Locus Robotics,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Warehouses facing ongoing labour shortages and exploding volumes, are looking for flexible, intelligent automation to improve productivity and grow their operations. Locus is uniquely positioned to drive digital transformation in this enormous global market.”

Locus will use the new investment to further expand its market opportunities around the globe and support ongoing research and development (R&D) to grow and enhance its award-winning, innovative warehouse technology solution.

“Locus’s innovative mix of proven technology, flexible design, and seamless scalability makes it an ideal choice to lead the digital transformation of the warehouse,” said Griffin Schroeder, Partner at Tiger Global. “Facing rapidly growing ecommerce volumes, rising labour costs, and increasingly demanding customers, warehouse operators are seeking an automation solution that is flexible, scalable, and just works.”

“The Locus solution unlocks substantial productivity gains, while significantly lowering expenses, improving employee morale, and providing customers with unmatched visibility into warehouse operations,” said Jay Simons, a general partner at BOND. “The platform is powerful enough to meet – and exceed – warehouse operators’ needs today, tomorrow, and in the months and years to come.”

In a market of more than 20 billion square feet of warehouse space worldwide, and rising ecommerce volume, Locus helps operators effectively meet the industry’s growing demand, while seamlessly managing today’s often unpredictable volume shifts. Locus currently serves more than 40 customers and 80 warehouses around the world with its industry-leading solution. LocusBots have picked more than 300 million units, including 70 million units during the recent holiday season.

“The logistics industry is facing huge challenges as it struggles to cope with rapid increases in demand, and at the same time severe labour shortages,” said Ash Sharma, Managing Director at Interact Analysis, a market research firm covering the intelligent automation sector. “Warehouses are massively under-penetrated today, but increasingly operators are seeing the huge benefits that warehouse robotics such as the Locus solution can bring. As a result, we expect that over a million warehouse robots will be installed over the next four years and the number of warehouses using them will grow ten-fold.”

Locus’s proven, innovative, multi-bot solution for warehouse fulfilment incorporates collaborative, autonomous mobile robots that significantly improve productivity and deliver powerful, actionable business intelligence. Locus’s strategic partnerships with industry-leading warehouse software companies leverage a powerful synergy that speeds systems integration and deployment.

“As businesses increasingly look for ways to deliver productivity and operational efficiencies into their supply chain, it has become critical that providers deliver on the promise of speed and reliability in their technology deployments,” said John Santagate, VP of Robotics at Körber Supply Chain. “Through our strategic partnership with Locus Robotics, we continue to collaborate and innovate in order to deliver rapid results by driving down the time it takes from decision to use of Locus Robots in the warehouse.”

Locus customers worldwide include CEVA Logistics, DHL, Material Bank, Boots UK, GEODIS, Port Logistics Group, Verst Logistics, Radial, and others, who are doubling or tripling their fulfilment productivity with near-100% accuracy, while saving on operating expenses, and enhancing employee morale and safety.

“Our users and partners depend on Material Bank, so we have to execute to perfection. Locus is flexible and powerful enough to deploy quickly in both our existing logistics facility as well as in our new, expanded location,” said Adam Sandow, Founder and CEO of Material Bank. “Their innovative technology has helped us support increased demand, easily scaling for growth and delivering a fast ROI.”

“The decision to add Locus to our ecommerce fulfilment operations has proven to be an ideal choice as we have seen efficiency gains and productivity gains,” said Branden McCauley, Engineering Project Manager at Radial. “The ease of use and associate support attributed to our ability to seamlessly scale up operations to meet the explosion of ecommerce volume over the past year, especially during peak times, without needing to change our workflows or adding labour costs.”

Locus’s powerful business intelligence helps customers manage their business operations in real time. Accessible from anywhere, managers can review a wide range of dashboards using their phones or laptops, while employees can monitor performance on displays right on the warehouse floor.

Locus’s patented, proprietary software and intuitive user interface seamlessly integrate into both existing and new warehouse environments improving the efficiency of both inbound (“putaway”) and outbound (“picking”) fulfilment. Locus robots can be configured to carry a wide variety of items. Patented technology automatically recognises workers, and the robot’s large screen displays information in the worker’s preferred language, facilitating greater productivity and reduced error rates. Locus’s innovative “Gamification” feature displays individual performance statistics to help motivate workers to greater achievement. The Locus solution includes real-time analytics, dashboards, and reporting to customers to maximise productivity and support continuous improvement in the warehouse.

In the UK, Locus Robotics announced last year a strategic partnership with Balloon One, a London-based provider of software and supply chain applications for distribution, manufacturing and e-commerce companies.

New Depths of Flexible Automation

Posted on by David Priestman

Geek+, a global leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and warehouse automation, and Universal Logic, a world-leading pioneer of an AI/sensor/machine-control software ‘brain’ for robots, announce the beginning of a new partnership. Together, the two technology leaders declare a joint commitment to support the manufacturing and logistics industry with a paradigm-shifting goods-to-robot solution, for automating supply chain operations and elevating industry 4.0.

With large parts of the supply chain dependent on fixed automation and manual materials handling, the rise in demand for customization and made-to-stock capabilities have resulted in strained processes. In turn, it has generated a need for technologies that can automate the flexibility and precision of skilled labor and combine it with the throughput capacity of dynamic inventory control.

Randy Randolph, Senior Sales Manager of Geek+ US, says: “We are very glad to partner with Universal Logic and look forward to leveraging their extensive experience in automating dynamic robot behavior to realize the full potential of our intelligent mobile robotics solutions. By combining our advanced robotics hardware with Universal Logic’s unparalleled experience, we believe that this collaboration has the potential to transform the global supply chain and shape the future.”

The partnership will give Universal Logic access to Geek+’s wide range of robotics hardware for intelligent sorting and picking. Built on autonomous mobile robot technology and AI-driven software, Geek+ will provide Universal Logic with the flexibility to automate the entire chain from dynamic inventory control to pick & pack, expanding from goods-to-man to goods-to-robot solutions. Correspondingly, Geek+ will have access to Neocortex, Universal Logic’s AI platform featuring real-time and modular robot control for extended perception, direct grasping, and advanced robot guidance, enabling human-like flexible picking capabilities, to unleash the true potential of intelligent robotics for logistics.

Universal Logic CEO, David Peters, states: “The Geek+ mobile robot platform, dovetails perfectly with Universal’s dynamic robot control for picking and packing, providing our customers seamless automation capabilities, creating an end-to-end solution to meet current and future supply chain needs.”

Today, Geek+ and Universal Logic respectively serves a broad customer range including Fortune 500 Companies and regional businesses. The collaboration will enable them to strengthen their industry leadership and provide clients with flexible, adaptable, and efficient operations that can meet challenges associated with high mix/high volume applications in manufacturing, wholesale, and retail. By combining the efficiency and speed of robots with human-like precision and flexibility, it will allow businesses to realize stable and reliable supply chain operations and meet the challenges of tomorrow.

New European Office for Mobile Robots Supplier

Posted on by David Priestman

AutoGuide Mobile Robots, a leading manufacturer of high-payload autonomous mobile robot (AMR) systems, today announced the opening of a new European office. The office in Munich supports sales, service and support, as well as deployment and training, throughout greater Europe. Local staff will work closely with its European system integrators to meet increasing demand for AutoGuide’s innovative autonomous mobile robots.

“With strong demand for our high-payload AMRs across the region, we felt expanding our European operation would deliver the highest level of support for our distributors and customers,” said Jan Nicolay, director for European Operations, AutoGuide. “Munich’s highly talented and efficient workforce, business-friendly climate and central location made it the ideal choice.”

AutoGuide’s patent-pending modular AMR system begins with a MAX-N Base AMR, which is guided by the company’s SurePath fleet control software, designed to maximize fleet flexibility and uptime. With a change of high-payload adapters, the base robot can easily be converted from a pallet stacker to a tugger or high bay forklift—and back again. Earlier this year, AutoGuide’s MAX-N Pallet Stacker and MAX-N Tugger received CE mark approval, indicating that the systems meet the European Union’s directives and standards for health, safety and environmental protection.

“The CE mark indicates our AMRs have met the strictest levels of safety and compliance required by the European Union,” Nicolay said. “Facility operators can easily deploy our AMRs to autonomously manage their dirty, dull and dangerous material handling jobs, freeing up workers to focus on higher-value tasks.”

Rethinking ASRS and Robots

Posted on by David Priestman

Rethinking automated storage and retrieval systems is the challenge that Rob Sullivan, President and CEO of AutoGuide, has laid down for the industry. David Priestman joined him online to
learn more.

AutoGuide Mobile Robots designs, develops and manufactures high-payload industrial autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for assembly, warehousing and distribution operations. The company has a mobile robot R&D centre located in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and a manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Kentucky and was acquired by Teradyne last November. European
production is coming shortly.

Covid is driving ecommerce and next day delivery, leading to increased expectations. AutoGuide has launched what it claims is the first fully autonomous mobile robot designed to automate racking and picking operations at high bay warehouses, competing with traditional stacker cranes in pallet storage aisles. The new ‘MAX-N High Bay’ is an autonomous counterbalanced forklift that can travel up to 4 mph and lift 1000kg payloads up to 11m high.

The MAX-N High Bay works seamlessly with existing warehouse infrastructure so there’s no need to invest in new racking systems or pallets, and installation can be complete in weeks. Like all AutoGuide AMRs, the MAX-N High Bay exceeds safety standards and travels along a network of approved, predictable paths to decrease workplace risk for employees in shared workspaces. Using ‘SurePath Enterprise’ software, it receives data from existing order management and warehouse management systems and can be quickly deployed to complete a wide array of high bay operations. SurePath Enterprise defines the most efficient route for each job.

Rob Sullivan points out that traditional high bay operations can be complex and potentially dangerous. “Autonomous solutions increase efficiencies and keep both employees and products safe, providing an excellent return on investment in high-bay environments. Labour costs are more than half of distribution centre budgets. Adding space is difficult.”

The MAX-N High Bay is part of AutoGuide’s patent-pending modular AMR system designed to maximize fleet flexibility and uptime. The Max-N High Bay is one of multiple high-payload adapters designed to fit the MAX-N Base AMR. With a change of adapters, the base AMR is converted from a high-bay forklift to a pallet stacker or tow tractor. In addition, AutoGuide claims to be the only manufacturer that engineers and builds AMRs from the ground up to be fully autonomous, high performance material transport robots. The majority of robotic solutions are retrofitted manual vehicles, built from parts supplied by various vendors.

With inventory management software, the MAX-N High Bay becomes part of the new AutoGuide Mobile ASRS. The inventory management software connects with facility WMS and inventory
management applications to keep track of facility inventory, manage finished goods or WIP inventories; speed reconciliation; and provide daily cycle counting digitally.

“As part of the new AutoGuide Mobile ASRS, our autonomous MAX-N High Bay can safely and efficiently transport materials from the receiving dock directly to the storage racks without the need for conveyor systems or other inflexible material handling infrastructure,” Sullivan says. “When connected to detailed, facility-wide inventory awareness, the MAX-N High Bay can get material exactly where it belongs. It’s time for ASRS to be untethered, autonomous and accessible for all warehouse facilities. With our Mobile ASRS, what used to be automated and heavy is now
autonomous and light. Mobile ASRS can be rolled out in a matter of weeks and bring autonomous efficiency to smaller footprints across the facility floor.”

Large, high-revenue facilities that move thousands of pallets a day have increasingly installed ASRS solutions with proprietary racks, custom pallets and massive cranes. Smaller facilities that move less inventory recognize the efficiencies offered by ASRS but have been unable to justify the high-cost and time-consuming deployment. Customers can start flexibly with just 5% automation
with mobile ASRS, combined with existing racking and work up from there. AutoGuide AMRs bring facility-wide freedom to automation strategies, so facility managers do not have to restrict
storage and retrieval operations to specific, crane-only zones.

“Human error in inventory management is both common and costly and automating manual vehicles is suboptimal,” Sullivan concluded. “Mobile ASRS is best-in-class. Digital inventory
control helps eliminate storage and retrieval errors.” Read the whole article here.

Wholesaler Doubles Output with Robotic Logistics

Posted on by David Priestman

The leading wholesaler in the Swiss organic market, Bio Partner, has doubled its output following the implementation of innovative robotic logistics from Swisslog at its facility in Aargau, Switzerland.

Bio Partner supplies business customers in the organic specialist trade as well as the rest of the retail and food industry from its location in Seon. As a result of the merger with Somona GmbH, the warehouse reached its performance and capacity limits, and the wholesaler turned to a local partner with a global footprint to deliver an automated storage system.

The 12,200m2 warehouse handles 10,000+ products, a process now optimized thanks to the high-performance AutoStore storage solution, delivered by global warehouse automation specialist, Swisslog, a member of the KUKA group.

“Companies with large warehouses have to constantly work on increasing efficiency and our robot systems work flawlessly around the clock,” says Swisslog CEO, Dr. Christian Baur. The aim of this new system from Swisslog is to automate the storage and picking of the dry assortment and to compress it in terms of volume.

Consistently high performance

The new AutoStore system at Bio Partner has 44 robots with the ability to handle 25,000 containers and at least 6,000 products completely autonomously. “The high-tech robots create a volume of 900 containers per hour and, depending on the development, this system can still be expanded considerably,” says CEO, Dr. Baur.
The orders are automatically transmitted to the AutoStore system and processed in accordance with parallel processes, which is a huge advantage in large warehouses. This means that higher volumes can be made available in a shorter time. Picking errors cost time and money, and robots don’t make mistakes since the hardware and software work together perfectly. Bio Partner relies on the modular warehouse management software SynQ from Swisslog to orchestrate the warehouse and picking processes based on data-based insights.

“Our company relies on long-term, sustainable partnerships. With Swisslog, we found a strong local partner and the system installation was quick and easy,” commented Lukas Mettler, head of warehouse logistics at Bio Partner.

As a leading global integrator with over 200 realized projects, this is just one example of many projects which showcase the wide implementation spectrum of AutoStore empowered by Swisslog.

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