warehouse robots CaPow illustration feature

CaPow, JLC Partner on Continuous Power for Warehouse Robots

| Mike O'Brien

CaPow, an Israeli company with a continuous power supply for warehouse robots eliminating charging downtime, has struck a U.S. partnership to expand here, selling into robot makers, 3PLs and companies with fulfillment/distribution networks. CaPow delivers power continuously via a system using copper foil transmitters mounted on fixed points, paired with similar receivers on the robots.

Opex perfect pick feature

Opex Files New Patent Infringement Lawsuits

| Mike O'Brien

Opex, a maker of warehouse and fulfillment center automation and robotic systems, has filed a second set of lawsuits against two companies alleging infringement of patents for its Perfect Pick automated storage and retrieval (AS/RS) system and its Sure Sort automated sortation system.

Amazon Cloostermans machine feature

Amazon Buys Belgian Robotics Firm Cloostermans

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is acquiring Cloostermans, a private Belgian company dating back to 1884. The company makes robotic systems for moving heavy items like stacked pallets and totes to stage products for delivery. Amazon, a customer for some time, will further enhance the technology and likely take it off the market. Terms were not disclosed.

Exotec SkyPod feature

Robot Maker Exotec Raises $335M, Reaches $2B Valuation

| Mike O'Brien

Warehouse robotics firm Exotec has raised $335 million in a Series D funding round, reaching a valuation of $2 billion as the company looks to expand its business in North America, Europe and Asia and hire 500 engineers by 2025 to enhance capabilities like order picking and add unloading.

warehouse picking

Human Warehouse Picking Still Has It All Over Robots

| Gabe Grifoni

It’s often joked that robots will soon replace humans, down to the most menial, everyday tasks. But many robotics companies are in an actual arms race to replace human labor, particularly in the supply chain. Yet it’s often still too costly to implement, leaving humans as the most efficient, effective method for warehouse picking.

ecommerce fulfillment AEO workers

Improving Ecommerce Fulfillment Productivity, Decreasing Labor Costs

| Brian Barry

In calculating ecommerce fulfillment cost per order, labor generally makes up more than 50% of the total. As labor costs continue to increase, overall fulfillment center productivity in many companies has remained flat. What are you doing to manage your labor and reduce costs? Here are five tactics companies should consider.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

Driving Toward Interoperability for Warehouse Robots

| Mike O'Brien

There has been a steady proliferation of autonomous mobile robot makers. This while demand has grown for AMRs in order fulfillment, as ecommerce booms and labor is tight. But can different warehouse robots play nice together? Two members of a standards group explain how it’s happening in this MCM CommerceChat podcast.

Fetch Robotics in warehouse feature

Fetch Robotics Acquired By Zebra for $290M

| Mike O'Brien

Zebra Technologies, a provider of hardware and software for warehouse fulfillment and inventory management, has acquired Fetch Robotics for $290 million, after an initial investment and partnership. Zebra saw a good fit between its workflow software and inventory/pick management devices and Fetch’s AMR capabilities.

Pickle robotic arm feature

Pickle, Robotic Arm for Fast Trailer Unloads, Picks Up Funding

| Mike O'Brien

Pickle, a startup that grew out of a lab at MIT and created a robotic arm that can unload up to 1,800 boxes an hour from a trailer, has raised $5.75 million to date and picked up 3PL and parcel shipping clients who have a need for speed. Dill can handle the 1,800 items per hour to a sorter, or 1,000 an hour directly to a putwall.

Boston Dynamics stretch feature

Boston Dynamics Unveils Warehouse Robot Stretch

| Mike O'Brien

Boston Dynamics, creators of the viral dancing robots video just before New Year’s Eve, is making further inroads into the warehouse automation space with the unveiling this week of Stretch, a mobile robot purpose-built for unloading and palletizing and de-palletizing boxes. The company was acquired by Hyundai in December 2020.