New ROEQ Cart Solution Doubles the Payload of MiR’s Most Popular Autonomous Mobile Robot
ROEQ, the leader in mobile robotic equipment, launches a new top module and cart solution that boosts the payload of the MiR250 robot from 250kg to 500kg
Vissenbjerg, Denmark, February 23, 2022: ‘Doing more with less’ is what users of the MiR250 mobile robot will realize with the new ROEQ TMS-C500 Ext and S-Cart500Ext. As the product names indicate, the new top module/cart combo enables the robot to carry up to 500 kg payload (1102 lbs), effectively doubling the payload of Mobile Industrial Robots’ best-selling autonomous mobile robot (AMR).
The design of the TMS-C500 Ext top module also allows transportation of larger cargo with up to 1.2 meters (47.2 in) length without compromising safety as the emergency stop button is easily accessible. Increased tilt stability is provided by the longer wheelbase of the S-Cart500 Ext.
“We are unaware of any other cart solutions in the market enabling this level of payload increase with the same maneuverability,” says Michael Ejstrup Hansen, Managing Director of ROEQ. “This is the ideal solution for businesses looking for a safe and cost-effective AMR solution,” he says, adding that the smaller robot with boosted payload is ideal for businesses looking to autonomously transport heavier goods in narrow and space constrained areas.
The ROEQ cart solution picks up and drops off the ROEQ S-Cart in free space. This means no affixed floor space or docking stations are needed for pickups, which gives businesses flexible use of their AMRs in an efficient logistics handling setup where the robots are never left idling.
Standardized mobile robotic equipment (MRE) from ROEQ is not just fully compatible with the MiR AMRs, it also supports AMR deployments that are fully compliant with applicable safety regulations. “We bring standard off-the-shelf robotic equipment to market that is well tested,” says Hansen. “We’ve put our knowledge of designing cart systems for AMRs into this new solution, raising the bar for what cart systems can handle while leveraging the full potential of the powerful MiR250 robot.”
Just like all ROEQ top modules, the TMS-C500 Ext comes with ROEQ Assist software that loads pre-coded missions into the MiR robot, which can then be modified in the MiR interface, resulting in quick and consistent application deployments for robust AMR setups throughout the facility.
The new cart solution for the MiR250 is the latest payload boosting AMR offering from ROEQ, that also recently released the TMS-C1500 and S-Cart1500W top module and cart that allow the MiR1350 AMR to be deployed on applications with payloads of up to 1500 kg (3307 lbs) for the first time.
Visitors to MODEX, the largest material handling show in Americas, will get the chance to see the ROEQ MRE in action at the company’s Booth #B3003 in Atlanta, GA, March 28-31.
About ROEQ
ROEQ develops equipment for mobile robots that effectively bridges the gap between the warehouse and production, allowing the industry to achieve fully automated internal logistics between storage and production. ROEQ was founded in 2017 and is a 100% Danish-owned company with the majority of the robotic components also supplied by Danish companies. Today, ROEQ develops, manufactures and sells its products in nearly 40 countries through more than 100 distributors.
The ROEQ range of top modules, cart, rack and lifter and roller solutions makes it possible for an AMR robot to pick up/drop off carts or pallets with items on e.g. a conveyor belt with no human involvement. ROEQ's equipment is used in the industrial and logistics sector, as well as the healthcare sector.
Logistics real estate developer Prologis today named a new chief executive, saying the company’s current president, Dan Letter, will succeed CEO and co-founder Hamid Moghadam when he steps down in about a year.
After retiring on January 1, 2026, Moghadam will continue as San Francisco-based Prologis’ executive chairman, providing strategic guidance. According to the company, Moghadam co-founded Prologis’ predecessor, AMB Property Corporation, in 1983. Under his leadership, the company grew from a startup to a global leader, with a successful IPO in 1997 and its merger with ProLogis in 2011.
Letter has been with Prologis since 2004, and before being president served as global head of capital deployment, where he had responsibility for the company’s Investment Committee, deployment pipeline management, and multi-market portfolio acquisitions and dispositions.
Irving F. “Bud” Lyons, lead independent director for Prologis’ Board of Directors, said: “We are deeply grateful for Hamid’s transformative leadership. Hamid’s 40-plus-year tenure—starting as an entrepreneurial co-founder and evolving into the CEO of a major public company—is a rare achievement in today’s corporate world. We are confident that Dan is the right leader to guide Prologis in its next chapter, and this transition underscores the strength and continuity of our leadership team.”
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%."