Art van Bodegraven was, among other roles, chief design officer for the DES Leadership Academy. He passed away on June 18, 2017. He will be greatly missed.
Ro, ro, ro your bot, gently down the stream? On second thought, maybe not. The "B" movies of our misspent youth gave us the idea that robots were mechanical persons, humanoids rather, that contained enough embedded intelligence to turn on—and destroy— their masters and creators.
The core concept actually originated with the Czech proto-science fiction writer Karel Capek and his 1921 play, "R.U.R.," which featured androids that could think for themselves and supplanted the human race. The word "robot" itself is based on a Czech word meaning "serf labor."
Later, the film "2001" by Stanley Kubrick reinforced the notion of latent evil with the malevolent computer HAL. Still later, George Lucas and "Star Wars" turned that perception on its ear, introducing the likeable, even loveable, C3PO and R2D2.
Definitions of "robot" and "robotics" vary widely. Some purists insist that robots resemble human beings and perform tasks normally undertaken by humans. Other pragmatists concede that a robot might sometimes resemble a human, but is essentially defined as being a reprogrammable machine, able to perform repetitive tasks with precision.
It's easy to get excited about the possibility of mechanical "people" with some level of circuitry that acts like intelligence. After all, if we can have robotic pets, can robotic playmates be far behind? Then, it's only a matter of time until automaton maids, cooks, handymen, and distribution center workers join the work force.
An anthropomorphic day may dawn at some future point, but today's workaday world is different. In fact, it's not easy for us to distinguish between productivity tools and "robots."
Latter stages of the industrial revolution
Many early machines were built to perform tasks better and faster than any person—or gang of persons—could possibly do. Think steam shovels, steel rolling mills, cranes, bench presses, and the like. But in those cas-es, human beings have to operate—guide, direct, start, and stop—the machines. On their own, the tools, howev-er complex, are merely so much industrial statuary.
We, collectively, became more aware of "robotics" in manufacturing, as machines were invented and in-stalled to perform specific, and traditionally human-executed, tasks, such as spot welding in automobile assem-bly. They worked (or were intended to work) quickly, flawlessly, and repeatedly, as directed by programmed—and reprogrammable—control systems. The human input was no longer continuous physical control, but one-time, or periodic, mental content.
As time passed, even a last bastion of the manufacturing arts, the steel rolling mill, began to operate itself, programmed with knowledge, practices, and processes extracted from the minds and psyches of the humans who had previously directly controlled them. Does that constitute "robotics"? We think it does, despite the enormity of scale involved.
A whirring sound is heard in the DC
In the supply chain arena, most of what we call robotics has been focused on movement, human movement being generally the most expensive component of distribution center costs. And the definitions get trickier.
So far, our robots and robotics don't look at all like actual people. And many productivity/movement tools can't be considered robotics.
Simple gravity-feed roller conveyor can save enormous amounts of expensive human labor toting, walking, and riding. But it has no intelligence of its own. Contrast that with motorized conveyors, sorters, and recircula-tion loops, driven and directed by complex warehouse control system (WCS) logic—programmed and repro-grammable. Robotics? However simplistic the execution might be, we think the answer is yes.
Then, there are carousels, which move products to people rather than requiring people to travel to the prod-ucts. These are clearly mere productivity aids, requiring an operator to activate them and keep them in motion. But AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval systems) mini-load installations that are controlled by WCS logic, and frequently interfaced with WCS operation of other technologies within the same overall system, are, in our book, robotic—and actually look and "feel" more robotic than conveyors might.
There may be a parallel in wheeled movement. Vehicles propelled by in-floor tow lines are (or, in truth, were, in times of old), no question, productivity aids. Advancing through wire-guided vehicles to laser-guided movement seems, to us, to take this application into the realm of robotics.
Aha!
The dawning realization is that robots and robotics haven't suddenly and miraculously appeared. They have quietly evolved from earlier applications of productivity, quality, and cost improvements. Frankly, we should be expecting continuing evolution and not be standing back waiting for mechanical butlers to greet us with a tall, cool one at the end of a hard day.
Current and emerging state(s)
In today's robotics, the evolution continues. Our work might not be as exciting as the employment of drones to replace human pilots and aircraft in far-off military operations.
But in the realm of bringing work to people, rather than making people travel to where the work is within the DC, advanced systems control location and movement of relatively small pods that both contain product and convey them to a human for pick/pack/ship activities. Think of a massive high-tech carousel that is directed by a control system, with little devices scurrying back and forth all over the facility. A Massachusetts company, Kiva Systems, is at the moment the best-known developer of this family of robotics.
There's more. Pittsburgh's Seegrid continues to expand the capabilities of its family of automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which includes robotic trucks. ThyssenKrupp Krause manufactures a parcel handling robot (Paketroboter) that unloads loose parcels of varying sizes from a truck to a conveyor.
Jervis B. Webb, now a part of Japan's Daifuku, pioneered driverless forklifts that could move pallets from the end of a production line to rack storage, bulk storage, or a loading staging area, occasionally even being able to drop loads into trailers. And at least one company, Belgium's Egemin, provides robotics to load trailers and intermodal containers.
Jungheinrich in Germany continues to develop driverless lift truck varieties and capabilities. Kollmorgen, a Swedish company, adapts existing lift truck fleets to be driverless, and Genco, the product life-cycle specialist, has married the Kollmorgen system with Sky-Trax guidance systems, which eliminates conventional guidance systems, including lasers, for robotic trucks.
Once a dream, now there are several mixed-case pallet building robotics, including some that are integrated with AS/RS installations, notably from Daifuku.
And next?
It should be clear that we've not yet reached Utopia—however Utopia might be defined in a world that is ex-periencing far from full employment. It should be equally clear that the development of increasingly capable and complex productivity tools will not stop and will probably, in our opinion, speed up.
With exponential increases in the power and value proposition of technology-enabled tools—robotics, if you will—the automation of supply chain and logistics tasks once the exclusive province of humans will march on.
On balance, this is a really good thing. We will be more productive—and more competitive. And the nasty, uncomfortable, and dangerous work will be done by machines.
On the flip side, the nature of jobs will continue to shift, and not all displaced workers will be able to keep pace. The education—and native intelligence—required for future DC operational work will escalate.
These developments will pose challenges for both managers and working associates, and the time to start thinking about long-term societal and individual implications is probably right now.
The New York-based industrial artificial intelligence (AI) provider Augury has raised $75 million for its process optimization tools for manufacturers, in a deal that values the company at more than $1 billion, the firm said today.
According to Augury, its goal is deliver a new generation of AI solutions that provide the accuracy and reliability manufacturers need to make AI a trusted partner in every phase of the manufacturing process.
The “series F” venture capital round was led by Lightrock, with participation from several of Augury’s existing investors; Insight Partners, Eclipse, and Qumra Capital as well as Schneider Electric Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures. In addition to securing the new funding, Augury also said it has added Elan Greenberg as Chief Operating Officer.
“Augury is at the forefront of digitalizing equipment maintenance with AI-driven solutions that enhance cost efficiency, sustainability performance, and energy savings,” Ashish (Ash) Puri, Partner at Lightrock, said in a release. “Their predictive maintenance technology, boasting 99.9% failure detection accuracy and a 5-20x ROI when deployed at scale, significantly reduces downtime and energy consumption for its blue-chip clients globally, offering a compelling value proposition.”
The money supports the firm’s approach of "Hybrid Autonomous Mobile Robotics (Hybrid AMRs)," which integrate the intelligence of "Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)" with the precision and structure of "Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)."
According to Anscer, it supports the acceleration to Industry 4.0 by ensuring that its autonomous solutions seamlessly integrate with customers’ existing infrastructures to help transform material handling and warehouse automation.
Leading the new U.S. office will be Mark Messina, who was named this week as Anscer’s Managing Director & CEO, Americas. He has been tasked with leading the firm’s expansion by bringing its automation solutions to industries such as manufacturing, logistics, retail, food & beverage, and third-party logistics (3PL).
Supply chains continue to deal with a growing volume of returns following the holiday peak season, and 2024 was no exception. Recent survey data from product information management technology company Akeneo showed that 65% of shoppers made holiday returns this year, with most reporting that their experience played a large role in their reason for doing so.
The survey—which included information from more than 1,000 U.S. consumers gathered in January—provides insight into the main reasons consumers return products, generational differences in return and online shopping behaviors, and the steadily growing influence that sustainability has on consumers.
Among the results, 62% of consumers said that having more accurate product information upfront would reduce their likelihood of making a return, and 59% said they had made a return specifically because the online product description was misleading or inaccurate.
And when it comes to making those returns, 65% of respondents said they would prefer to return in-store, if possible, followed by 22% who said they prefer to ship products back.
“This indicates that consumers are gravitating toward the most sustainable option by reducing additional shipping,” the survey authors said in a statement announcing the findings, adding that 68% of respondents said they are aware of the environmental impact of returns, and 39% said the environmental impact factors into their decision to make a return or exchange.
The authors also said that investing in the product experience and providing reliable product data can help brands reduce returns, increase loyalty, and provide the best customer experience possible alongside profitability.
When asked what products they return the most, 60% of respondents said clothing items. Sizing issues were the number one reason for those returns (58%) followed by conflicting or lack of customer reviews (35%). In addition, 34% cited misleading product images and 29% pointed to inaccurate product information online as reasons for returning items.
More than 60% of respondents said that having more reliable information would reduce the likelihood of making a return.
“Whether customers are shopping directly from a brand website or on the hundreds of e-commerce marketplaces available today [such as Amazon, Walmart, etc.] the product experience must remain consistent, complete and accurate to instill brand trust and loyalty,” the authors said.
When you get the chance to automate your distribution center, take it.
That's exactly what leaders at interior design house
Thibaut Design did when they relocated operations from two New Jersey distribution centers (DCs) into a single facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2019. Moving to an "empty shell of a building," as Thibaut's Michael Fechter describes it, was the perfect time to switch from a manual picking system to an automated one—in this case, one that would be driven by voice-directed technology.
"We were 100% paper-based picking in New Jersey," Fechter, the company's vice president of distribution and technology, explained in a
case study published by Voxware last year. "We knew there was a need for automation, and when we moved to Charlotte, we wanted to implement that technology."
Fechter cites Voxware's promise of simple and easy integration, configuration, use, and training as some of the key reasons Thibaut's leaders chose the system. Since implementing the voice technology, the company has streamlined its fulfillment process and can onboard and cross-train warehouse employees in a fraction of the time it used to take back in New Jersey.
And the results speak for themselves.
"We've seen incredible gains [from a] productivity standpoint," Fechter reports. "A 50% increase from pre-implementation to today."
THE NEED FOR SPEED
Thibaut was founded in 1886 and is the oldest operating wallpaper company in the United States, according to Fechter. The company works with a global network of designers, shipping samples of wallpaper and fabrics around the world.
For the design house's warehouse associates, picking, packing, and shipping thousands of samples every day was a cumbersome, labor-intensive process—and one that was prone to inaccuracy. With its paper-based picking system, mispicks were common—Fechter cites a 2% to 5% mispick rate—which necessitated stationing an extra associate at each pack station to check that orders were accurate before they left the facility.
All that has changed since implementing Voxware's Voice Management Suite (VMS) at the Charlotte DC. The system automates the workflow and guides associates through the picking process via a headset, using voice commands. The hands-free, eyes-free solution allows workers to focus on locating and selecting the right item, with no paper-based lists to check or written instructions to follow.
Thibaut also uses the tech provider's analytics tool, VoxPilot, to monitor work progress, check orders, and keep track of incoming work—managers can see what orders are open, what's in process, and what's completed for the day, for example. And it uses VoxTempo, the system's natural language voice recognition (NLVR) solution, to streamline training. The intuitive app whittles training time down to minutes and gets associates up and working fast—and Thibaut hitting minimum productivity targets within hours, according to Fechter.
EXPECTED RESULTS REALIZED
Key benefits of the project include a reduction in mispicks—which have dropped to zero—and the elimination of those extra quality-control measures Thibaut needed in the New Jersey DCs.
"We've gotten to the point where we don't even measure mispicks today—because there are none," Fechter said in the case study. "Having an extra person at a pack station to [check] every order before we pack [it]—that's been eliminated. Not only is the pick right the first time, but [the order] also gets packed and shipped faster than ever before."
The system has increased inventory accuracy as well. According to Fechter, it's now "well over 99.9%."
IT projects can be daunting, especially when the project involves upgrading a warehouse management system (WMS) to support an expansive network of warehousing and logistics facilities. Global third-party logistics service provider (3PL) CJ Logistics experienced this first-hand recently, embarking on a WMS selection process that would both upgrade performance and enhance security for its U.S. business network.
The company was operating on three different platforms across more than 35 warehouse facilities and wanted to pare that down to help standardize operations, optimize costs, and make it easier to scale the business, according to CIO Sean Moore.
Moore and his team started the WMS selection process in late 2023, working with supply chain consulting firm Alpine Supply Chain Solutions to identify challenges, needs, and goals, and then to select and implement the new WMS. Roughly a year later, the 3PL was up and running on a system from Körber Supply Chain—and planning for growth.
SECURING A NEW SOLUTION
Leaders from both companies explain that a robust WMS is crucial for a 3PL's success, as it acts as a centralized platform that allows seamless coordination of activities such as inventory management, order fulfillment, and transportation planning. The right solution allows the company to optimize warehouse operations by automating tasks, managing inventory levels, and ensuring efficient space utilization while helping to boost order processing volumes, reduce errors, and cut operational costs.
CJ Logistics had another key criterion: ensuring data security for its wide and varied array of clients, many of whom rely on the 3PL to fill e-commerce orders for consumers. Those clients wanted assurance that consumers' personally identifying information—including names, addresses, and phone numbers—was protected against cybersecurity breeches when flowing through the 3PL's system. For CJ Logistics, that meant finding a WMS provider whose software was certified to the appropriate security standards.
"That's becoming [an assurance] that our customers want to see," Moore explains, adding that many customers wanted to know that CJ Logistics' systems were SOC 2 compliant, meaning they had met a standard developed by the American Institute of CPAs for protecting sensitive customer data from unauthorized access, security incidents, and other vulnerabilities. "Everybody wants that level of security. So you want to make sure the system is secure … and not susceptible to ransomware.
"It was a critical requirement for us."
That security requirement was a key consideration during all phases of the WMS selection process, according to Michael Wohlwend, managing principal at Alpine Supply Chain Solutions.
"It was in the RFP [request for proposal], then in demo, [and] then once we got to the vendor of choice, we had a deep-dive discovery call to understand what [security] they have in place and their plan moving forward," he explains.
Ultimately, CJ Logistics implemented Körber's Warehouse Advantage, a cloud-based system designed for multiclient operations that supports all of the 3PL's needs, including its security requirements.
GOING LIVE
When it came time to implement the software, Moore and his team chose to start with a brand-new cold chain facility that the 3PL was building in Gainesville, Georgia. The 270,000-square-foot facility opened this past November and immediately went live running on the Körber WMS.
Moore and Wohlwend explain that both the nature of the cold chain business and the greenfield construction made the facility the perfect place to launch the new software: CJ Logistics would be adding customers at a staggered rate, expanding its cold storage presence in the Southeast and capitalizing on the location's proximity to major highways and railways. The facility is also adjacent to the future Northeast Georgia Inland Port, which will provide a direct link to the Port of Savannah.
"We signed a 15-year lease for the building," Moore says. "When you sign a long-term lease … you want your future-state software in place. That was one of the key [reasons] we started there.
"Also, this facility was going to bring on one customer after another at a metered rate. So [there was] some risk reduction as well."
Wohlwend adds: "The facility plus risk reduction plus the new business [element]—all made it a good starting point."
The early benefits of the WMS include ease of use and easy onboarding of clients, according to Moore, who says the plan is to convert additional CJ Logistics facilities to the new system in 2025.
"The software is very easy to use … our employees are saying they really like the user interface and that you can find information very easily," Moore says, touting the partnership with Alpine and Körber as key to making the project a success. "We are on deck to add at least four facilities at a minimum [this year]."