DHL Supply Chain to add 1,000 units to
warehouse robot fleet
Third-party logistics service provider DHL Supply Chain will deploy up to 1,000
robots from warehouse fulfillment automation vendor Locus Robotics under a
broad-based deal announced in March.
The agreement marks a significant expansion of Wilmington, Massachusetts-based Locus’s existing relationship with DHL, which now includes several hundredautonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Initial deployments focused on the life sciences and retail sectors, and delivered up to 80% fulfillment productivity increases inselected operations, DHL said.
The new contract will see the “LocusBots” supporting picking operations in 12
DHL sites in North America this year. “The agreement with Locus Robotics further
enables us to bring productivity-enhancing technology to our customers quickly,
so they are well-positioned to capitalize on new and emerging opportunities,” Jim
Gehr, president, retail at DHL Supply Chain North America, said in a release. “We
now see an opportunity to extend the benefits of utilizing their highly flexible AMR
solution at scale for customers across multiple sectors.”
The partners have already identified the expansion sites and expect to deploy the
bots in time to support volume picking for the 2020 peak season, Locus CEO Rick
Faulk said in a release. Locus’s technology supports a collaborative piece-picking
order-fulfillment workflow that dispatches rolling LocusBots to navigate autono-
mously within warehouses as they locate and transport picked items to employees.
They can be flexibly deployed to support a range of picking strategies, reducing
time spent on routine or physically demanding tasks, reducing manual errors, and
increasing productivity, Locus says. ;
Storopack, a manufacturer of packaging products, has
joined the EPS Industry Alliance (EPSIA) to further its
commitment to developing a nationwide infrastructure
for collecting expanded polystyrene (EPS), a plastic
product used in packaging, for reuse and recycling. …
Elemica, a digital supply network for manufacturing
industries, has acquired Eyefreight, a provider of mul-
timodal SaaS transportation management solutions
(TMS). … Transportation and logistics services provider
CFI, an operating company of TFI International Inc., has
opened a new headquarters office for its Mexico subsid-
iary, CFI Logística, in Guadalajara’s World Trade Center.
… Dart Transit Co., a nationwide transportation service
provider, has released a documentary podcast series
commemorating its 85th anniversary. The 15-part series,
titled Driving Through History, chronicles the company’s
history through interviews with company executives and
industry leaders. It is available on all popular podcast
platforms. … B&R, a unit of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete
Automation business, has integrated ABB robots into its
automation portfolio. The company says that merging
robotics with machine control into a unified architec-
ture will enable manufacturers to embrace the trend
of mass customization and optimize their “lot size
one” processes. … Wise Tech Global has acquired Ready
Korea, a customs, bonded warehouse, and trade com-
pliance solutions provider in South Korea. … Optronics
International, a manufacturer and supplier of heavy-du-
ty LED vehicle lighting, has completed its acquisition
of Texas-based USA Harness Inc., a maker of electrical
wiring harnesses for the transportation industry. … Bolt
Express has acquired Premium Transportation Logistics,
a Toledo, Ohio-based expedited services provider. …
Infinity Transportation Logistics has changed its name
to Infinity Intermodal to better reflect its identity as
an asset-based, temperature-controlled, full-truckload
intermodal carrier. … Ez Stak, a provider of modular
interior storage systems for trailers, vans, and work
trucks, has opened a 75,000-square-foot manufacturing
facility in Watertown, New York.
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