ORBIS To Showcase Customized Battery Packaging At The Battery Show
Company to showcase comprehensive range of reusable packaging tailored to the specific needs of the battery and EV sectors at The Battery Show North America
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — Sept. 6, 2023 — ORBIS® Corporation, an international leader in reusable packaging, will present its comprehensive range of reusable packaging tailored to the specific needs of the battery and EV sectors at The Battery Show North America. With the rapid growth of the electric vehicle industry and increased demand for advanced battery technologies, ORBIS remains at the forefront, consistently developing innovative solutions that enable supply chain optimization, cost reduction and environmental impact reduction.This event for the advanced battery manufacturing industry will take place Sept. 12-14 at the Suburban Collection Showplace. ORBIS team members will be available at Booth 345 to engage with attendees and provide insights into how their reliable, reusable packaging solutions can enhance production efficiency, improve sustainability and protect valuable products throughout the supply chain.
The mass adoption of electric vehicles has brought on new challenges for OEMs and their respective supply chains. Lithium-ion batteries have found themselves at the forefront of these challenges due to their high value, complex regulations and severe risk they pose during a thermal runaway event. Battery manufacturers and shippers are under more enforcement scrutiny than ever before, making it imperative to utilize packaging and transport methods that are not only compliant with regulations, but will also ensure the battery and its surrounding environment is well-protected during transport. Navigating these regulations can be a painstaking process, which is why it’s critical to work with a packaging partner that is certified and has extensive knowledge of packaging protocols for dangerous goods.
“As the electric vehicle revolution charges forward, ORBIS is ready to address the intricate challenges faced by OEMs and their supply chains,” said Kacie Freeberg, senior director of industrial supply chain at ORBIS Corporation. “At The Battery Show North America, we’re excited to showcase how our reusable packaging solutions can not only simplify compliance but also enhance sustainability and operational efficiency throughout the EV supply chain. ORBIS is committed to providing reliable solutions that empower our clients to navigate this dynamic industry with confidence.”
With sustainability and automation top of mind for today’s supply chain managers, ORBIS continues to showcase a variety of sustainable packaging solutions and programs for the industrial supply chain, including:
Custom EV battery packaging
As the automotive industry evolves to produce more electric vehicles, ORBIS is on the forefront designing protective packaging to keep parts moving efficiently in the supply chain. With this, ORBIS can partner with battery providers to create custom-tailored solutions that exceed federal regulations and perform all the necessary performance testing to be a one-stop shop for large-format battery providers.
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protective solutions
ORBIS helps customers protect sensitive electronic parts from static discharge. ESD-safe material will transfer the charge through the container, keeping your products safe during transportation. The two primary materials used are conductive and static dissipative material. The electrical properties of this material are permanent and unaffected by washing. ESD-safe material is available in all ORBIS StakPak® hand-held folding containers. Standard sizes are available in both AIAG and metric footprints and are compatible with ESD-safe lids.
ORBIShield® dunnage
ORBIShield is a line of custom dunnage from ORBIS that protects parts during transit, assembly and storage. Using a variety of foam, rigid and fabric materials, ORBIShield dunnage is custom-designed to protect unique vehicle parts. Examples include divider sets, hanging bags, foam packs and inserts that can be installed into standard totes, bins and racks. Beyond protecting products at every stage of the supply chain, dunnage also helps to improve pack density. The long-term implementation of ORBIShield dunnage will improve inventory control by maintaining consistent quantities in each container and optimize line-side efficiency by facilitating removal of handling parts.
StakPak® hand-held containers
StakPak hand-held containers have helped OEMs and tier suppliers reduce costs, drive sustainability and optimize the automotive supply chain for three decades. Compatible with a wide variety of pallets and top caps, these containers are designed for just-in-time applications where the same containers are used for shipping, storage and work-in-process. Smooth, straight interior walls offer maximum cube utilization and easily interface with custom protective dunnage to reduce part damage. The StakPak Plus™ tote adds various collar sizes to increase a container’s height to accommodate unique-shaped parts commonly found in the industrial and automotive supply chains. These containers take all the best attributes of the traditional StakPak container, including reusability and cost savings, and combine them with customized heights to increase container capacity.
Custom metal racks
ORBIS metal solutions are designed to be extremely durable, while also protecting high-cost sensitive parts throughout the automotive supply chain. They can be configured to any required size, shape, capacity or style to accommodate the unique needs of different OEMs. Integrating metal racks and protective dunnage offers higher efficiency and helps workers optimize what they bring to the line. Combine metal racks with thermoformed packaging for a complete solution. ORBIS has the capabilities to custom design and fabricate a wide range of reusable thermoformed packaging, including molded dunnage, complex metal racks, ESD trays, divider sets and more.
Supply chains are poised for accelerated adoption of mobile robots and drones as those technologies mature and companies focus on implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and automation across their logistics operations.
That’s according to data from Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones, released this week. The report shows that several mobile robotics technologies will mature over the next two to five years, and also identifies breakthrough and rising technologies set to have an impact further out.
Gartner’s Hype Cycle is a graphical depiction of a common pattern that arises with each new technology or innovation through five phases of maturity and adoption. Chief supply chain officers can use the research to find robotic solutions that meet their needs, according to Gartner.
Gartner, Inc.
The mobile robotic technologies set to mature over the next two to five years are: collaborative in-aisle picking robots, light-cargo delivery robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for transport, mobile robotic goods-to-person systems, and robotic cube storage systems.
“As organizations look to further improve logistic operations, support automation and augment humans in various jobs, supply chain leaders have turned to mobile robots to support their strategy,” Dwight Klappich, VP analyst and Gartner fellow with the Gartner Supply Chain practice, said in a statement announcing the findings. “Mobile robots are continuing to evolve, becoming more powerful and practical, thus paving the way for continued technology innovation.”
Technologies that are on the rise include autonomous data collection and inspection technologies, which are expected to deliver benefits over the next five to 10 years. These include solutions like indoor-flying drones, which utilize AI-enabled vision or RFID to help with time-consuming inventory management, inspection, and surveillance tasks. The technology can also alleviate safety concerns that arise in warehouses, such as workers counting inventory in hard-to-reach places.
“Automating labor-intensive tasks can provide notable benefits,” Klappich said. “With AI capabilities increasingly embedded in mobile robots and drones, the potential to function unaided and adapt to environments will make it possible to support a growing number of use cases.”
Humanoid robots—which resemble the human body in shape—are among the technologies in the breakthrough stage, meaning that they are expected to have a transformational effect on supply chains, but their mainstream adoption could take 10 years or more.
“For supply chains with high-volume and predictable processes, humanoid robots have the potential to enhance or supplement the supply chain workforce,” Klappich also said. “However, while the pace of innovation is encouraging, the industry is years away from general-purpose humanoid robots being used in more complex retail and industrial environments.”
An eight-year veteran of the Georgia company, Hakala will begin his new role on January 1, when the current CEO, Tero Peltomäki, will retire after a long and noteworthy career, continuing as a member of the board of directors, Cimcorp said.
According to Hakala, automation is an inevitable course in Cimcorp’s core sectors, and the company’s end-to-end capabilities will be crucial for clients’ success. In the past, both the tire and grocery retail industries have automated individual machines and parts of their operations. In recent years, automation has spread throughout the facilities, as companies want to be able to see their entire operation with one look, utilize analytics, optimize processes, and lead with data.
“Cimcorp has always grown by starting small in the new business segments. We’ve created one solution first, and as we’ve gained more knowledge of our clients’ challenges, we have been able to expand,” Hakala said in a release. “In every phase, we aim to bring our experience to the table and even challenge the client’s initial perspective. We are interested in what our client does and how it could be done better and more efficiently.”
Although many shoppers will
return to physical stores this holiday season, online shopping remains a driving force behind peak-season shipping challenges, especially when it comes to the last mile. Consumers still want fast, free shipping if they can get it—without any delays or disruptions to their holiday deliveries.
One disruptor that gets a lot of headlines this time of year is package theft—committed by so-called “porch pirates.” These are thieves who snatch parcels from front stairs, side porches, and driveways in neighborhoods across the country. The problem adds up to billions of dollars in stolen merchandise each year—not to mention headaches for shippers, parcel delivery companies, and, of course, consumers.
Given the scope of the problem, it’s no wonder online shoppers are worried about it—especially during holiday season. In its annual report on package theft trends, released in October, the
security-focused research and product review firm Security.org found that:
17% of Americans had a package stolen in the past three months, with the typical stolen parcel worth about $50. Some 44% said they’d had a package taken at some point in their life.
Package thieves poached more than $8 billion in merchandise over the past year.
18% of adults said they’d had a package stolen that contained a gift for someone else.
Ahead of the holiday season, 88% of adults said they were worried about theft of online purchases, with more than a quarter saying they were “extremely” or “very” concerned.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are some low-tech steps consumers can take to help guard against porch piracy along with some high-tech logistics-focused innovations in the pipeline that can protect deliveries in the last mile. First, some common-sense advice on avoiding package theft from the Security.org research:
Install a doorbell camera, which is a relatively low-cost deterrent.
Bring packages inside promptly or arrange to have them delivered to a secure location if no one will be at home.
Consider using click-and-collect options when possible.
If the retailer allows you to specify delivery-time windows, consider doing so to avoid having packages sit outside for extended periods.
These steps may sound basic, but they are by no means a given: Fewer than half of Americans consider the timing of deliveries, less than a third have a doorbell camera, and nearly one-fifth take no precautions to prevent package theft, according to the research.
Tech vendors are stepping up to help. One example is
Arrive AI, which develops smart mailboxes for last-mile delivery and pickup. The company says its Mailbox-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform will revolutionize the last mile by building a network of parcel-storage boxes that can be accessed by people, drones, or robots. In a nutshell: Packages are placed into a weatherproof box via drone, robot, driverless carrier, or traditional delivery method—and no one other than the rightful owner can access it.
Although the platform is still in development, the company already offers solutions for business clients looking to secure high-value deliveries and sensitive shipments. The health-care industry is one example: Arrive AI offers secure drone delivery of medical supplies, prescriptions, lab samples, and the like to hospitals and other health-care facilities. The platform provides real-time tracking, chain-of-custody controls, and theft-prevention features. Arrive is conducting short-term deployments between logistics companies and health-care partners now, according to a company spokesperson.
The MaaS solution has a pretty high cool factor. And the common-sense best practices just seem like solid advice. Maybe combining both is the key to a more secure last mile—during peak shipping season and throughout the year as well.
The Boston-based enterprise software vendor Board has acquired the California company Prevedere, a provider of predictive planning technology, saying the move will integrate internal performance metrics with external economic intelligence.
According to Board, the combined technologies will integrate millions of external data points—ranging from macroeconomic indicators to AI-driven predictive models—to help companies build predictive models for critical planning needs, cutting costs by reducing inventory excess and optimizing logistics in response to global trade dynamics.
That is particularly valuable in today’s rapidly changing markets, where companies face evolving customer preferences and economic shifts, the company said. “Our customers spend significant time analyzing internal data but often lack visibility into how external factors might impact their planning,” Jeff Casale, CEO of Board, said in a release. “By integrating Prevedere, we eliminate those blind spots, equipping executives with a complete view of their operating environment. This empowers them to respond dynamically to market changes and make informed decisions that drive competitive advantage.”
Material handling automation provider Vecna Robotics today named Karl Iagnemma as its new CEO and announced $14.5 million in additional funding from existing investors, the Waltham, Massachusetts firm said.
The fresh funding is earmarked to accelerate technology and product enhancements to address the automation needs of operators in automotive, general manufacturing, and high-volume warehousing.
Iagnemma comes to the company after roles as an MIT researcher and inventor, and with leadership titles including co-founder and CEO of autonomous vehicle technology company nuTonomy. The tier 1 supplier Aptiv acquired Aptiv in 2017 for $450 million, and named Iagnemma as founding CEO of Motional, its $4 billion robotaxi joint venture with automaker Hyundai Motor Group.
“Automation in logistics today is similar to the current state of robotaxis, in that there is a massive market opportunity but little market penetration,” Iagnemma said in a release. “I join Vecna Robotics at an inflection point in the material handling market, where operators are poised to adopt automation at scale. Vecna is uniquely positioned to shape the market with state-of-the-art technology and products that are easy to purchase, deploy, and operate reliably across many different workflows.”