Increased use of warehouse automated and mobile handling technology has seen both CEVA Logistics and DHL introduce robots on site.
CEVA Logistics has deployed Automated Mobile Robots (AMR) at its Australian super-site – Truganina – near Melbourne in Australia.
In a world-first for a Goods to Person (GTP) implementation for CEVA, the introduction of robots has already achieved a 400% increase in the speed of operations within the 250,000 sq m facility.
In a separate development, DHL and Avidbots have announced an expanded partnership to install Neo floor-scrubbing robots in warehouses, hubs and terminals worldwide.
Together, DHL and Avidbots will bring the most advanced floor-cleaning automation tool to many of the thousands of sites DHL manages in 220 countries and territories. The new partnership builds on an earlier cooperation signed in 2019 between Avidbots and DHL in North America.
In order to provide a better service for one of its largest e-commerce clients in Australia, CEVA has invested in a goods-to-person AMR solution to improve throughput and picking rates.
Using Geek+ robots from one of the world’s leading providers of advanced robotics and AI technologies applied to logistics, CEVA has found a standard solution which could be scalable across CEVA operations globally to be used for other customers around the world.
The AMR robot brings the shelf to the picker and the project took only three weeks to go-live, including the installation of eight robots working across a trial 400 sqm of warehouse space.
Each robot can pick shelves up to 500 kg and they are controlled by centralised control system. All staff pickers have undergone a two week training induction during the implementation phase.
DHL will deploy Neo floor-scrubbing robots in warehouses it manages worldwide. Neo is used in many commercial locations and is especially suited to dynamic warehouse environments. Using advanced 3D sensors, cameras, and AI, Neo autonomously navigates in warehouses, automatically detecting and avoiding obstacles such as humans, boxes, forklifts, and other robots. With Neo, warehouse floors are always clean and dust free, ensuring optimal operations as well as worker health and safety.
Milton Pimenta, CEVA Logistics’ Managing Director Australia and New Zealand says: “With the scale of CEVA’s operation at the super-site we could immediately see this AMR solution was a very fast and efficient picking productivity and throughput option for us. AMR is the future for e-commerce operations, and we are excited to stay ahead of the competition in offering this kind of solution.”
Matthias Heutger, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Innovation & Commercial Development at DHL, said: “We’re excited to deploy additional Avidbots at DHL warehouses across the globe, propelling our digitalization journey forward.
“Floor-cleaning robots, while a simple innovation, reduces up to 80% of labour hours spent cleaning. This frees up our staff to engage in more value- adding, customer-centric work while driving our Strategy 2025 digitalization agenda forward.”
