Step aside, humans; robots are now in action. Material handling specialists Dematic recently completed an installation of autonomous mobile robots (ARMs). The project was done for Radial Europe at its logistics center in Groningen, Netherlands.
Radial Europe is a business-to-consumer e-commerce fulfillment provider. The company now has 299 ARMs to move pallets and transfer picking stations. Dematic is also installing 45 pick and pack stations.
Dematics puts robots in motion
Headquartered in Atlanta, US, the company designs, builds and supports intelligent automated solutions empowering and sustaining the future of commerce for its customers in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. Dematics has research and development centers, manufacturing facilities, and service centers in more than 35 countries.
Dematic provides solutions for several industries, such as apparel, food and beverage, manufacturing, consumer goods, and healthcare.
Executive vice president EMEA at Dematic Bernard Biolchini says the installation will provide Radial Europe with efficiency gains, flexibility, and future scalability for an optimized employee and customer experience.
Automation receives a boost
One of the most critical benefits of an AMR is operational safety. Sensors and cameras detect obstacles and can reconfigure the route accordingly. In addition, the Dematic solution has powerful controls and software that allow AMRs to make simple and quick adjustments during operation.
The nearly 300 AMRs will be used for processing e-commerce orders for women’s clothing. Previously, tasks in the warehouse were primarily handled manually. Biolchini says, “With our technology, the level of automation will undergo a tremendous boost, making the processes more effective overall. The system enables Radial to anticipate changes in order volumes more quickly and respond to them flexibly.”
Robots moving pallets
Three types of AMRs make up the total installation. Pallet-moving AMRs transport pallets from the entrance to the buffer. From there, the pallets are transferred to transfer stations and the picking station racks at the packing stations. The same process then happens again but in reverse.
Dematic explains that tote handling AS/RS convey totes between the rack storage area and the picking stations. Then, tote lifters move them from the rack location to the transfer stations at the bottom of the rack. In total, the racking system has a capacity of approximately 65,000 totes for end-customer goods.
The bigger picture
Allied Market Research reports the global autonomous mobile robot market is projected to witness considerable growth due to growth in the use of automation solutions in various industries such as healthcare, automotive, logistics, and hospitality. Meanwhile, Mordor Intelligence reports the use of robotics in vehicle manufacturing is expected to continue to grow fast enough to speed up production. “Auto manufacturers, like Toyota and BMW, are investing to leverage what they already know about robotics and manufacturing to increase their share in the robotics market. For multiple years, BMW has partnered with Nvidia to develop mobile robots for internal use in their factories, primarily around automated material handling at the last mile.”
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
