Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fetch and Honeywell say collaboration can reduce forklift traffic through the DC

Pallet Conveyance product combines Fetch robots with Honeywell WES software to handle heavy loads.

fetch pallet transport

Autonomous mobile robot (AMR) maker Fetch Robotics will broaden its collaboration with industrial systems provider Honeywell with a system that links pallet-carrying robots with warehouse software in a move to reduce forklift traffic through DC aisles, the companies said today.

Fetch has integrated a rolling bot called the PalletTransport1500 with Honeywell’s Momentum-brand warehouse execution system (WES) software in a combination that could optimize fulfillment and distribution operations, the partners said.


The system adds a lifting mechanism to San Jose, California-based Fetch’s existing Freight 1500 robot—which can move pallets and other large payloads of up to 2,504 pounds—and supplements that with a series of static pick-up and delivery stations. 

Together, the combination of Momentum WES and the PalletTransport1500 comprise Honeywell Intelligrated’s Pallet Conveyance solution, which is designed to support workflows for e-commerce fulfillment, store replenishment, and wholesale distribution center operations. Specifically, the product could help DCs to meet rising consumer pressure to provide next-day and same-day delivery while constrained by limited labor supply, Fetch said.

One key to achieving that goal is to reduce the need for human involvement, saving the time spend of operating forklifts and freeing up workers for more value-added activities. By using robots for long-haul material conveyance, the system allows DCs to restrain forklifts to operating only at inbound and outbound docks, Fetch Robotics’ Chief Product Officer Stefan Nusser said in a briefing.

Employees would still be required to operate forklifts for complex operations like loading and unloading trucks or placing loads in high rack areas, but robots are a safer tool for moving those loads across the warehouse due to their forward- and backward-facing Lidar scanners, Nusser said. Linked with the Momentum WES, the system is designed to handle complex DC workflows such as case picking, returns, cross-docking, and mixed-case pallets, he said.

“To compete in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of e-commerce, modern distribution and fulfillment center operations are introducing increasing levels of automation,” Honeywell Robotics CTO Thomas Evans said in a release. “Too often these automated systems operate independently, performing very discrete tasks and processes. This collaboration with Fetch to have a turnkey solution with Momentum gives those in the e-commerce industry a competitive advantage that will optimize productivity, increase operational safety, and provide significant return on investment.”

The Latest

More Stories

autonomous tugger vehicle

Cyngn delivers autonomous tuggers to wheel maker COATS

Autonomous forklift maker Cyngn is deploying its DriveMod Tugger model at COATS Company, the largest full-line wheel service equipment manufacturer in North America, the companies said today.

The deal was announced the same week that California-based Cyngn said it had raised $33 million in funding through a stock sale.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Study: Industry workers bypass essential processes amid mounting stress

Study: Industry workers bypass essential processes amid mounting stress

Manufacturing and logistics workers are raising a red flag over workplace quality issues according to industry research released this week.

A comparative study of more than 4,000 workers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that manufacturing and logistics workers say they have seen colleagues reduce the quality of their work and not follow processes in the workplace over the past year, with rates exceeding the overall average by 11% and 8%, respectively.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo of a cargo ship cruising

Project44 tallies supply chain impacts of a turbulent 2024

Following a year in which global logistics networks were buffeted by labor strikes, natural disasters, regional political violence, and economic turbulence, the supply chain visibility provider Project44 has compiled the impact of each of those events in a new study.

The “2024 Year in Review” report lists the various transportation delays, freight volume restrictions, and infrastructure repair costs of a long string of events. Those disruptions include labor strikes at Canadian ports and postal sites, the U.S. East and Gulf coast port strike; hurricanes Helene, Francine, and Milton; the Francis Scott key Bridge collapse in Baltimore Harbor; the CrowdStrike cyber attack; and Red Sea missile attacks on passing cargo ships.

Keep ReadingShow less
diagram of transportation modes

Shippeo gains $30 million backing for its transportation visibility platform

The French transportation visibility provider Shippeo today said it has raised $30 million in financial backing, saying the money will support its accelerated expansion across North America and APAC, while driving enhancements to its “Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platform” product.

The funding round was led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, with participation from existing investors: Battery Ventures, Partech, NGP Capital, Bpifrance Digital Venture, LFX Venture Partners, Shift4Good and Yamaha Motor Ventures. With this round, Shippeo’s total funding exceeds $140 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cover image for the white paper, "The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: expectations for 2025."

CSCMP releases new white paper looking at potential supply chain impact of incoming Trump administration

Donald Trump has been clear that he plans to hit the ground running after his inauguration on January 20, launching ambitious plans that could have significant repercussions for global supply chains.

With a new white paper—"The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: Expectations for 2025”—the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) seeks to provide some guidance on what companies can expect for the first year of the second Trump Administration.

Keep ReadingShow less