Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Dexterity to provide truck-loading robot for Japanese parcel carrier

Sagawa Express plans to train artificial intelligence tech about its logistics operations before full roll-out

dexterity 6512e1caf381136e26aa6366_748A9377 cropped 1-p-1600.jpeg

Sagawa Express, a logistics and delivery service provider in Japan, plans to deploy a truck-loading robot from the California tech firm Dexterity to handle parcels in the face of a looming labor shortage, the companies said today.

Sagawa will begin the process by teaching Dexterity’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform about its logistics operations before scaling up the deployment. That approach will ensure that Dexterity's dual-arm robot—the DexR—will fit seamlessly into Sagawa's existing logistics infrastructure.


Once it’s trained, the DexR will go to work loading trucks with randomized boxes. According to Sagawa, that physically demanding task could soon become difficult to achieve because of Japan's declining labor force.

The deal marks the latest deployment for Redwood City, California-based Dexterity, which launched a similar pilot project with FedEx Corp. in September, 2023.

Dexterity is rolling out the project with Sagawa by working together with Sumitomo, an exclusive distributor of Dexterity in Japan and an early backer of the firm. Sumitomo invested in Dexterity in 2020 through its corporate venture capital (CVC) arm, Presidio Ventures Inc. The partnership builds upon Dexterity and Sumitomo's previously announced partnership to deploy 1,500 robots in Japanese warehouses by 2026.

 

 

 

 

The Latest

More Stories

AI sensors on manufacturing machine

AI firm Augury banks $75 million in fresh VC

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.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

AMR robots in a warehouse

Indian AMR firm Anscer expands to U.S. with new VC funding

The Indian warehouse robotics provider Anscer has landed new funding and is expanding into the U.S. with a new regional headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Bangalore-based Anscer had recently announced new financial backing from early-stage focused venture capital firm InfoEdge Ventures.

Keep ReadingShow less
Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

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.

Keep ReadingShow less

Automation delivers results for high-end designer

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.

Keep ReadingShow less

In search of the right WMS

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.

Keep ReadingShow less