Locus Robotics hits one billion pick landmark

Locus Robotics, a market leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfilment warehouses, has surpassed the one billion units picked milestone. This new achievement was attained just 59 days after Locus registered 900 million units picked.

“Reaching our one billion pick milestone underscores the critical business value that Locus’s proven technology brings to our customers around the world, every day,” said Rick Faulk, CEO, Locus Robotics. “The need for cost-efficient robotics automation is a must-have as e-commerce volumes continue to increase and the labour shortages persist. Locus is proud to help our customers efficiently meet this challenge with robust, enterprise-scale automation solutions that position them for success today and in the future.”

It took Locus 1,542 days to pick its first 100 million units and just 59 days for the last 100 million picks. LocusBots have travelled more than 17 million miles in customers’ warehouses, the equivalent of more than 670 times around the Earth or 35 round trips to the Moon.

The Locus Solution has been deployed at more than 200 sites around the world, with as many as 500 LocusBots per site. Locus deployments include large-scale greenfield and brownfield sites, and multi-level mezzanine installations.

The billionth pick was made at a major home improvement retailer warehouse in Florida, and the item picked was a cordless rotary tool kit. The milestone pick was made just milliseconds ahead of two other picks: a scented candle from a homeware warehouse in Ohio, and a running jacket from a major global fitness and shoe brand in Pennsylvania. The rapid succession of the three picks underscores the high order processing volume taking place at Locus-deployed locations around the world.

“This latest milestone demonstrates both the incredible growth that Locus Robotics and the AMR industry have achieved, and also proves the feasibility of retailers and logistics companies’ relying on robotic picking technology,” said Ash Sharma, Senior Research Director at Interact Analysis. “One billion picks is an incredible milestone and is testament to Locus Robotics’ innovation and vision over the past few years.”

In the UK and Europe, the landmark is the latest in a significant list of achievements during 2022. In August, the company announced a new expansion agreement to deploy a total of 1,000 LocusBots at GEODIS’ worldwide warehouse locations, including the UK, over the next 24 months. The deployment agreement represents one of the industry’s largest AMR deals to date.

The deal followed the successful bid by Locus to secure one of the most prestigious titles in the European material handling industry, an IFOY award, which was presented in the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV/AMR) category. The award followed a string of other titles in North America, including being named in the influential Inc. 5000 for the second successive year.

The picking landmark had been heralded at this month’s IMHX event, the largest material handling exhibition in the UK, where the company chose to launch its new eBook, The Intelligent Solution to Labour Challenges in the Warehouse, which outlines how the Locus Solution is so effective in helping fulfilment operations maintain productivity despite labour shortages.

As more shoppers continue to buy online, and as businesses prepare for what is expected to be another record-breaking holiday season, retailers and fulfilment warehouse operators are increasingly turning to AMRs to meet growing demand and mitigate labour shortages to avoid the risk of losing valuable customers.

Locus Robotics’ industry-leading robotics fulfilment solution enables brands, retailers, and third-party logistics (3PL) operators to easily meet higher order volumes and increasing consumer demand for e-commerce, retail, omnichannel, and manufacturing order fulfilment. Locus helps global customers, including CEVA, DHL, Boots UK, GEODIS, Whiplash, Saddle Creek, Quiet 3PF, Radial, and others, to double and triple their fulfilment productivity, lowering labour recruitment, training, and retention costs and improving workplace ergonomics.

 

GEODIS expands agreement with Locus Robotics

Global transport and logistics provider GEODIS and Locus Robotics, a leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for fulfilment warehouses, have announced an expansion agreement to deploy a total of 1,000 LocusBots at GEODIS’ worldwide warehouse locations over the next 24 months. This represents one of the industry’s largest AMR deals to date.

“As we continue to navigate industry-wide challenges such as skyrocketing e-commerce demand and labour constraints, it is crucial we remain committed to implementing the most innovative and effective robotics automation solutions available into our warehouses to allow us to best serve our customers,” said Eric Douglas, Executive Vice President of Technology and Engineering at GEODIS in Americas. “Locus’ collaborative multi-bot approach has proven its effectiveness and reliability at each of our sites, giving us the ability to easily scale performance while providing a safe, smart working environment for our teammates. This new expansion agreement reinforces our clear and ongoing commitment to cutting-edge technology to meet our exploding customer volumes globally.”

GEODIS has currently deployed Locus AMRs at 14 sites around the world, serving a wide range of retail and consumer brands, including warehouses in the US and Europe. The agreement will expand that footprint significantly as new sites are deployed.

“Locus’ built-in flexibility, scalability and fast ROI are helping GEODIS to consistently meet and exceed their global customers’ expectations,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “This strategic expansion enables GEODIS to meet the needs of today’s high-growth warehouses and we look forward to continuing to work together to drive operational efficiencies and growth.”

GEODIS and Locus Robotics first began partnering together in 2018 at an Indiana site, allowing the global third-party logistics company to implement Locus’ innovative technology into its operations to support its workforce with the complex picking process. Since then, the Locus Solution has provided improvements in productivity, flexibility and agility while enhancing the workplace environment for teammates by reducing tedious, repetitive tasks to increase retention across sites, ultimately allowing GEODIS to enhance its operations and best meet evolving customer needs.

With the explosion of e-commerce and the ongoing labour shortage, adding robotics automation has become a critical, strategic need to meet customer demands. LocusBots help GEODIS e-commerce warehouses efficiently manage order picking and inventory replenishment, significantly increasing throughput to speed delivery processes. LocusBots significantly reduce unproductive walking time, eliminate manoeuvring heavy manual carts through warehouses, lower the physical demands on employees, and improve workplace ergonomics and quality.

Smart Fashion Picker: Cobot picks items of various sizes

As of today, Smart Robotics, a global leader in picking automation as a service for warehouses and logistics processes, is announcing the official launch of their latest cobot – the Smart Fashion Picker. The reliability of the cobot, and its ability to run continuously, ensures quicker return on investment – whilst answering the labour crisis in logistics and bettering the physical and mental health of warehouse employees.

The Smart Fashion Picker addresses the pain point of transformation within warehouse automation. The need arises from the notion that the warehouse sector is quite late to automation, compared to other industries, and is now looking at a rapid transition to modern processes. Transformation is greatly needed since the efficiency of piece picking in warehouses plays a key role in creating a frictionless course of the logistics to follow.

The Smart Fashion Picker’s name is derived from its function – the cobot can pick a large variety of fashion items, which are placed in protective wrapping, straight from a cart or bin. The vision sensors, motion and task planning algorithms help the cobot to calculate what to pick next, as well as how to pick and place the item accurately into the next bin, plus it can easily detect when the bin is empty or filled.

“We’re super excited to introduce this product to the wider market after successful implementation with our initial customers. It has proven to deliver steady, reliable performance with the throughput necessary to be relevant in a warehouse whilst it is able to cope with the often-changing large product ranges that are typical for the industry. This product is an important step in our master plan to reduce repetitive and harmful work in warehouses around the globe.” – Johan Jardenvall, CEO of Smart Robotics.

Picking items in warehouses is a repetitive process that’s hard-wearing on the people who manually pick and place items. Automating thus enables warehouse employees to tend to the robotised systems, rather than wearing themselves out by picking and sorting items.

The cobot is capable of handling items at a pace that matches human pickers, requiring very little oversight. The system ensures reliable and uninterrupted operation and doesn’t require any special training from its operators. Not to mention, it can safely be managed by people of all skill levels.

In addition, the Smart Fashion Picker is smarter in its ability to adapt with changing circumstances around it, such as changes in assortment, how the cobot interacts with people moving around it, etc. As such, the Smart Fashion Picker is capable of working in the real world of warehouses, instead of a predefined, coded, environment.

Smart Robotics has been developing picking applications based on cobots, since 2017, and is confident that the Smart Fashion Picker will help ensure more reliable capacity in highly demanding logistics. This launch is a great achievement in Smart Robotics’ continuity of improving their cobot designs. The Smart Fashion Picker is but one of the many improvements Smart Robotics has in the pipeline to make warehouse automation more versatile and dynamic in a highly performant logistics industry.

Robotics innovator Exotec at IMHX

Exotec, a provider of warehouse robotics and French technology unicorn, is set to attend IMHX 2022 in Birmingham on 6-8 September (Stand 5F100), to demonstrate its pioneering Skypod and Skypicker products.

Exotec’s flagship product, Skypod, is an order-picking automation system which combines innovative software with robotics technology which can climb racks up to 12m in height and retrieve products autonomously, before delivering totes to human-staffed or automatic picking stations. Racks are fully scalable, therefore enabling increased storage capacity and flexibility to adapt to the architecture of a warehouse.

Skypod maximises the storage density per square metre of floor space, without compromising speed of retrieval or flexibility, making it indispensable for organisations who want to maximise warehousing space. The system can continually operate without impacting performance, and robots can also be added at any point to increase capacity during peak periods and during operational scaling. All of this is controlled by Exotec’s proprietary Astar software that manages the task planning, tracking, and recording of bin positions and Skypod robots in real time.

Skypicker is an articulated arm that works in tandem with Skypod. It can move solid objects weighing up to 2kg and each station can pick up to 600 items per hour. It allows for the simultaneous preparation of four orders and the transfer of these items to the next station for order completion by human staff. Skypicker is controlled by Exotec’s proprietary Astar software, which synchronises the arm with other robots in the warehouse.

There will be a live demonstration of the Skypod system and a video demonstration of both the Skypod and Skypicker products at IMHX.

Romain Moulin, co-founder at Exotec, said: “Attending IMHX will be an excellent opportunity for people to see our systems up close, and learn more about our ambitious plans for the UK and beyond.

“The last few years have been a tremendous success for Exotec which has seen us expand beyond the French market and significantly build our international presence. Our ground-breaking Skypod and Skypicker products allow organisations to support staff members working in their warehouse while sustaining activity growth, focusing on innovation, increasing productivity and reducing workplace strains.”

Moulin concluded: “We see enormous potential for robotics to transform warehouse order picking processes by increasing efficiency and making life easier for human staff. We believe we have a suite of products that sets us apart from other providers in the industry. We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to our stand in Birmingham in September.”

CLICK HERE to watch a video of Skypod and Skypicker in action.

WAKU Robotics attracts €1.5m investment

Schauenburg Ventures, London-based PropTech VC Pi Labs and Franz Humer (founder of Agilox) have joined Plug and Play, Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, BITO Campus, and Hans-Jürgen Cramer on WAKU Robotics’ journey to revolutionise the logistics industry using mobile robots.

Founded in late 2019, WAKU Robotics is building software for the future of logistics. With WAKU Sense, robot operators are able to efficiently work side-by-side with mobile robots. WAKU Sense is the performance cockpit for mobile robots, maximising the utilisation of each robot and ensuring seamless operation of the fleet. With this vendor-agnostic solution, WAKU Sense is powering the multi-fleet operations of the future.

Victor Splittgerber, CEO and Founder of WAKU Robotics, says: “Robots are becoming the future workforce in logistics. With WAKU Sense, we are empowering human operators to ensure seamless operations of such fleets. WAKU Sense supports clients through this revolutionary transition to even greater warehouse automation.”

“WAKU Robotics combines an urgently required solution to drive automation across industries with a great team of engaged and experienced entrepreneurs,” adds Malvine Komorek, Investment Manager of Schauenburg International GmbH. “We are looking forward to working together.”

WAKU’s current clients and development partners are international industry-leading logistics and e-Commerce companies, as well as warehouse and manufacturing providers. These also make use of WAKU’s market intelligence and independent robot comparison platform LotsOfBots.com.

Franz Humer, Founder of Agilox, a leading producer of Autonomous Mobile Robots, who also participated in this round, says: “This is incredible. WAKU Sense is the first platform able to orchestrate different AMR/AGV vendors without threatening the vendor’s own fleet or swarm intelligence strengths. WAKU Sense brings all robots to one visualisation and integrates sensors, forklifts, and humans into the system.

“WAKU Sense is already connected to many vendors and many technologies (like JSON/REST, VDA5050, MassRobotics, and many more). This software is amazing for operators that have to work with more than one vendor on the same shop floor.”

“We’re excited to be backed by strong investors and looking forward to leading the fast-growing robotics market,” concludes Sander Nijssen, Co-Founder of WAKU Robotics. “These funds will be used to scale the development and commercialization of WAKU Sense.”

FedEx expands robotics fleet with Berkshire Grey

Berkshire Grey Inc., a leader in AI-enabled robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, and FedEx Corp have expanded their strategic relationship.

As part of the expansion of this relationship, Berkshire Grey and FedEx have entered into an agreement for new development activities that will provide broader AI robotic automation capabilities to help improve the safety and efficiency of FedEx package handling operations globally. The two companies also expect to execute a master system purchase agreement in 2022, which will streamline and expedite the procurement process for Berkshire Grey solutions across all FedEx operating companies globally.

Additionally, Berkshire Grey has granted FedEx a warrant to purchase common stock which vests incrementally, subject to certain terms including the ordering of and payment for Berkshire Grey AI-enabled robotic automation goods and services at any time prior to December 31, 2025, with full vesting of all 25 million shares subject to the warrant upon the ordering of or payment for at least $200m of such goods and services.

“Our growing relationship with Berkshire Grey for robotic automation is a direct response to the growth of e-commerce, which has accelerated the demand for reliable automated solutions throughout all stages of the supply chain,” said Rebecca Yeung, Corporate VP of Operations Science and Advanced Technology, FedEx. “FedEx believes that continued innovation and automation will improve efficiency, productivity and safety for its team members as they continue to keep the global supply chain moving.”

As previously announced, FedEx Ground and Berkshire Grey are already working together to deploy Berkshire Grey’s Robotic Product Sortation and Identification (RPSi) systems to robotically sort small packages that arrive daily and require distribution. In addition to the recent installations at eight sortation facilities, including Queens, NY, Las Vegas, Nev., and Columbus, Ohio, FedEx Ground plans to have RPSi systems in place at select additional facilities in the network over the next 12 months.

The new product development agreement is an expansion of this collaboration and offers new opportunities for the two companies to work together to further increase efficiencies across the FedEx enterprise using AI-enabled robotic automation.

Berkshire Grey and FedEx are strategically aligned. These new agreements reflect our mutual commitment to innovations in robotic automation that can remove barriers within the supply chain, ease the physical burden on employees and streamline operations,” said Tom Wagner, CEO of Berkshire Grey. “We look forward to working together on this new program and to advancing other automation programs with FedEx moving forward.”

Toposens launches ultrasonic collision avoidance sensor

The Munich-based high-tech startup Toposens has launched its first commercial Toposens 3D collision avoidance system for mobile robots based on the proprietary Toposens 3D ultrasonic echolocation technology. This represents a key milestone for the company following more than seven years of R&D and product commercialisation.

Addressing the unmet need for higher safety of mobile robots in industrial settings, the Toposens 3D Ultrasonic Echolocation Sensor Echo One and Toposens Processing Unit with sophisticated filters for 3D collision avoidance is now available, having been run through rigorous commercial testing in real-life industrial scenarios with reputable mobile robotic companies. This kind of “co-developing” of a high-tech product together with leading tech firms ensures highest levels of performance for the commencing serial deployment.

Detecting the Undetectable

With the autonomous vehicle industry booming and mobile robots, such as automated forklifts, AMRs and AGVs, experiencing exponential growth levels, the safety of humans and machines is kept at the forefront of manufacturing efforts. The market has come to realise that 3D collision avoidance is a necessity, since the obligatory 2D safety LiDARs can only deliver two-dimensional data output not matching highest safety needs.

Due to their physical properties, other 3D Sensor systems, such as LiDAR or camera have limitations in their perception capabilities when for example the optical conditions in their environment are unfavourable or objects like forklift forks are close to the floor. As a result, they struggle to detect objects well enough, making them an unreliable and insufficient collision avoidance solution. In fact, the leading cause of industrial accidents in 2022 has been identified as blocked vision, and the associated costs are forecast to amount to over $2.5bn by 2025 in over 50,000 factories being equipped with mobile robots. Also, the traditional one-dimensional ultrasonic sensor does not deliver the needed data for reliable 3D collision avoidance, as it can only measure simple distance data (= time-of-flight), compared to the 3D point cloud the Toposens 3D Collision Avoidance System is able to generate.

Re-defining robotic safety

Trying to find a way to compensate these shortcomings and provide the market with a best-in-class 3D collision avoidance, Toposens has over the past few years been working towards a commercial version of its 3D Ultrasonic Echolocation Sensor to serve the need for a reliable mobile robot 3D collision avoidance.

Based on the principle of echolocation as seen in bats, Toposens Echo One compensates the drawbacks of optical sensors through sound-based triangulation in combination with sophisticated noise-filtering software. This in turn delivers robust 3D data output in real-time for each obstacle detected within the fully adjustable warn- and stop zones. What’s more, the zones can both be set to dynamically follow a mobile robot taking a left- or right turn and adjust to the speed of the vehicle.

The sensor sends the obtained data (echo reflections perceived by three microphones) in a 3D point cloud format to the Toposens Processing Unit which is equipped with an easy-to-configure advanced 3D collision avoidance software.

From there, depending on which 3D zone violations are detected, the Toposens Processing Unit triggers either a “slow down” or “stop” command to the mobile robot’s CPU. When no zone violations are detected, the mobile robot drives on.

Bat vision versus bad vision

“Being able to detect multiple difficult-to-detect obstacles reliably and in real-time, regardless of environmental conditions, enables us to provide next-level robotic safety for our customers,” says Tobias Bahnemann, CEO and Co-Founder of Toposens. “Our technology addresses the shortcomings of optical sensors, such as LiDARs, which can fail to detect floor-based objects like forklift forks on the floor, in unfavourable lighting conditions or transparent or mirrored object surfaces. Receiving data output in 3D, meaning in x, y, and z coordinates, guarantees the most reliable level of 3D collision avoidance.

“Ahead of production, we have been co-developing and testing our Toposens Echo One in pilot projects and actual real-life set-ups with renowned companies for almost two years. This has put us in a position, from which we can now offer our customers a state-of-the-art, next-level robotic safety system. With 3D collision avoidance capabilities missing in existing sensor solutions, the economic setback of damaged goods, or even expensive production stops as a consequence of undetected obstacles, can considerably limit the ROI of any mobile robot system. This highlights the necessity for mobile robots to “see” their environment using a different kind of vision technology – we call it “BAT VISION” and are delighted to now be moving on to serial production.”

 

HAI Robotics partners with pop.capacity

HAI Robotics has formed a commercial partnership with pop.capacity. With this partnership, pop.capacity will be able to include HAI Robotics solutions as part of its portfolio to provide the most advanced robotics and automation solutions to its customers in an effort to reduce friction points within their warehouses.

pop.capacity is pioneering the frictionless supply chain. By combining years of supply chain experience, and a never-before-seen technology, it says it is uniquely positioned to bring a disruptive new solution to an industry full of unnecessary friction. Its platform blends industry knowledge, real relationships, and proprietary technology to provide both shippers and suppliers with a refreshing experience.

“We take every opportunity we can to influence our partners with technology,” says Matt Fain, CEO of pop.capacity. “It’s in our DNA. And by partnering with HAI Robotics, we enhance our warehouses’ capabilities by now offering robotics and automation solutions to our network. We offer shippers and carriers in our network, more capacity, and overall higher quality services. It’s an important part of our effort to pioneer a truly frictionless supply chain.”

HAI Robotics has developed a number of options for how pop.capacity warehouses can leverage its technology, including full-sized systems and several smaller “start-up” options.

“The partnership between pop.capacity and HAI Robotics is a natural fit. With pop.capcity pioneering the frictionless supply chain, their growing network can now leverage HAI Robotics for friction free-fulfilment in the four walls. Our flexible and scalable Goods-to-Person solution will be a great complement to the warehouse needs of pop. capacity’s partners,” says Ben Gruettner, Director of Industry Sales of HAI Robotics USA Inc.

The HAIPICK ACR systems can increase storage density by 80-130% while improving worker efficiency by as much as 300%. In addition, the robots can pick up to 10m high.

With HAI Robotics technology fully deployed, warehouses see significant improvement in goods-to-person performance, as well as speed, flexibility, and scalability.

Seed Financing Secured for AMR Warehouse Platform

BotsAndUs, a cutting-edge intelligence and robotics company has secured $13m in seed funding to expand its logistics-disrupting solution globally. Lakestar leads the round, with participation from Maersk Growth, Kindred Capital, and Capnamic.

Efficient warehousing is a crucial part of global supply chains. The rapid increase in demand for near-instantaneous storage, dispatch, and delivery of goods is placing enormous time and cost pressures on companies, who now need to rethink and enhance their logistics and storage operations. 69% of companies are currently looking to improve their inventory control and lower costs.
BotsAndUs collects real-time insights using fully autonomous, mobile robots to quickly process pallets at every stage in their journey throughout a warehouse. Triggered by the arrival of goods, their robots capture the volume and condition as they enter and leave the warehouse. The same robots scan goods on shelves and record their location and quantity. Robots operate without human intervention and do not require additional investments in infrastructure. These robots will save time by eliminating manual dimensioning and stock checking; ultimately allowing managers to have full and real-time visibility of their operations from the comfort of their desks.

“BotsAndUs is already paving the way for artificial intelligence and robotics to completely transform logistics. Our integrated AI and robotics platform is helping companies boost their performance and unlock their full potential. We’re confident we can make our vision a reality: transforming logistics on a global scale with real time data to eliminate errors and enhance performance across all steps” says Co-founder and CEO, Andrei Danescu.

BotsAndUs already won key customers across various industries. In addition to Maersk and Huboo, BotsAndUs works with Menzies Aviation, the air cargo company that services more than 200 airport locations, – including at Europe’s largest airport, London Heathrow. The company recently entered into a partnership with Maersk – the global integrator of container logistics, to collaborate with Maersk’s warehousing and contract logistics division, initially in one of their warehouses, exploring automating inventory management and acceptance processes, and with time to improve customers’ visibility and access to inventory across facilities. With the fresh capital, BotsAndUs is targeting markets including Germany, France, Nordics, USA, and Canada and driving product development.

“More than 80% of warehouses have no automation at all. With warehouses expected to grow by 50% by 2025 and labour shortages of over 30%, automation clearly holds the key to ensuring logistics operations are as optimised as possible. Logistics is an industry that always faced margin pressures and little means to invest into a digital infrastructure. BotsAndUs real-time data capture abilities create this infrastructure and the basis for long term automation of warehousing operations. We’re delighted to join the stellar team on their journey to transform logistics and enable companies to perform at their best,” says Lakestar Partner Christoph Schuh.

“Maersk Growth’s investment in BotsAndUs is a great reflection of how we in Maersk are working towards improving end-to-end customer visibility and access to inventory across our warehouses, ultimately offering our customers fulfilment tailored in real time and in response to changing demands,” says Ingrid Ebner, Global Head of Contract Logistics, Maersk. “We are delighted to back such a talented and inspiring team. BotsAndUs are tackling big opportunities in global logistics. Most warehouses have limited or no automation, and could benefit significantly from exploring this space. Many firms currently stretch the capacity of people and process in response to business challenges. BotsAndUs provides an easy on-ramp for warehouses to explore automation, enrich data and enable intelligent optimisation to utilise untapped capabilities from existing assets and teams,” says Oliver Finch, Investment Partner, Maersk Growth.

SCIO Automation Launches Robotics Product Brand

Decades of experience in intralogistics automation and expertise in AMR development have come together in the product brand 4am robotics, uniting the AMR segments of SCIO’s corporate brands Schiller Automatisierungstechnik GmbH and Mojin Robotics GmbH.

In 2016, the autonomous tugger train from Schiller Automatisierungstechnik was originally developed as a pilot project for an automotive client – it’s been used successfully for years, and it’s constantly being developed further and improved. When Mojin Robotics joined SCIO Automation in 2020, the team brought its Autonomous Mobile Cobot (AMC) along with it. From that moment on, SCIO’s corporate brands Schiller Automatisierungstechnik and Mojin Robotics have been working together on their AMR innovations – an autonomous high-lift truck and forklift are currently in the development phase.

The international automation platform demonstrated the vast potential of direct interaction between Mojin’s AMC and Schiller’s AMR fleet to a select group of clients at its first groupwide intralogistics event last year.

“From the word go, we’ve been wanting to expand our AMR segment and offer our clients and partners a wide product range. With the joint brand name 4am robotics we will appear as a homogeneous and innovative brand in the future.” said Peter Stoiber, AMR Segment Manager.

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