More than three-quarters of supply chain executives believe wages and bonuses will need to be increased to attract and retain warehouse workers moving forward.
The survey, conducted by warehouse automation and robotics firm Berkshire Grey, found that 76% of surveyed executives believe wages will need to rise and 63% said they’ll need to increase bonuses to attract and retain workers. Those same executives pointed to automation as a way to minimize some of the future workers’ concerns.
“Labor...
Robotics have been around for a long time, but in the warehouse space they are just beginning to make a noticeable impact.
Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) acquisition of Kiva Systems for $775 million in 2012 really triggered a robotic arms race that is finally accelerating.
“Prior to that, a lot of people were a bit gun-shy about robotics … but that was a proof point on robotics,” said Melonee Wise, vice president of robotics automation for Zebra Technologies.
Wise brings a historical perspective on...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/massive-growth-expected-for-warehouse-robotics
In 2022, the store is everywhere. While brick-and-mortar retail certainly isn’t going away, U.S. consumers have learned to shop online. And once they purchase an item, they’re conditioned to expect countless ways of receiving it.
Curbside pickup, same-day delivery, and buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) — all are symptomatic of the e-commerce era, one in which fulfillment is king. Berkshire Grey (NASD...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/berkshire-grey-is-turning-anywhere-into-a-fulfillment-center
Warehouse technology is getting better, faster, stronger — and smarter. Innovations like barcode scanners, microfulfillment centers and warehouse management systems have helped warehouse workers become drastically more efficient.
But with a labor crunch leaving many warehouse operators understaffed, they need technology that does more than support the work of people — it needs to do some of that work itself.
Capable of handling complex warehouse tasks on their own, AI-powered robots are...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/your-guide-to-the-wild-world-of-warehouse-robots
Berkshire Grey and Swisslog announced a global partnership on Tuesday that will see the two robotic companies work collaboratively to accelerate deployment of warehouse automation technologies.
The alliance will focus initially on the U.S. market and target grocery, e-grocery, e-commerce and retail customers. The AI-powered automation solutions will assist with real-time order fulfillment. Swisslog will become part of Berkshire Grey’s Partner Alliance program as a strategic Systems Integration...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/berkshire-grey-swisslog-combine-forces-on-fulfillment-automation
UPS said this week that it expects to handle 60 million returned packages through Jan. 22, a 10% increase over last year, with 25% of Americans expected to make at least one return.
That delivery strain reverberates throughout the entire supply chain, and inefficient and manual processes can cut into brands’ revenue as returned items sit in warehouses, unable to be resold.
Warehouse automation company Berkshire Grey is hoping to ease some of that pain with its new Reverse Logistics software...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/berkshire-grey-flips-the-switch-on-returns-and-reverse-logistics
Berkshire Grey has released the next generation of its Robotic Product Sortation (RPS) solution for order fulfillment.
Updates in the latest edition include a dual-wing design that increases speed by over 25%, the company said, doubling order processing capacity. The RPS works in harmony with humans to further improve order processing capabilities. It is also capable of picking, sorting and packing individual items into outbound boxes while increasing container cube utilization by up to 10%,...
AI-powered robotics and supply chain automation company Berkshire Grey reported its first earnings as a publicly traded company Thursday morning before the bell, revealing some early struggles for the business.
While Berkshire Grey’s revenue of $18.8 million in Q3 2021 was magnitudes greater than its $2.2 million in Q3 2020 and its $4.5 million in Q2 2021, it still missed on analyst expectations of around $21.7 million.
At the same time, the Bedford, Massachusetts-based company more than tripled...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/berkshire-grey-struggles-in-first-quarter-as-public-company
While e-commerce continues to grow, retailers are developing solutions that integrate the online and physical worlds of retail, and that increasingly means fulfilling online orders with in-store inventory.
Operating in the modern retail environment is placing additional strain on distribution centers that must fulfill large in-store inventory orders but also low-count orders to meet e-commerce demands. Automation is helping drive change in fulfillment centers.
“Our AI-powered Robotic Shuttle...
Warehouse automation provider Berkshire Grey has unveiled an artificial-intelligence-enabled “robotic shuttle put wall” (RSPW) for e-commerce operations. The company also announced that its pick-and-pack solutions are now available globally.
The put wall is an automated solution that can handle as much as 240 orders at a time in a single wall, up from an average of 80 orders manual walls can handle, the company said.
A put wall is a shelving system that is outfitted with lighting that indicates...