More robots that can pick up separate objects are moving from laboratories to warehouses as the technology improves and labor-strapped logistics operators look to automation to meet surging demand. Businesses are using software-powered robotic arms to sort clothing and e-commerce parcels, pack bread and industrial supplies, and pick electronics and consumer products from larger bins to prepare orders for delivery.
The technology isn’t replacing human workers anytime soon. But the latest steps show warehouse robots are evolving as the computer vision and software that guide them (see Chapter 7 in your Heizer/Render/Munson text) grow more sophisticated, allowing them to take on more tasks that have been largely done by people.
Puma is using several robotic arms to assemble orders of clothing and shoes at a distribution center in Torrance, Calif. The technology uses a combination of cameras, grippers and artificial intelligence to pluck items from bins that another automated system delivers to workstations usually staffed by people. Remote operators are on hand to assist if the robot has trouble picking up an object. The robots perform with about 99% accuracy, about as well as their human counterparts, and can run for two shifts straight.
Interest in robotic picking is up considerably in the pandemic as e-commerce orders have surged and competition for workers intensified, accelerating broader demand for logistics automation, writes The Wall Street Journal (Jan, 11. 2022). Last year SB Logistics opened a highly automated fulfillment center in Ichikawa, Japan. The center uses robotics technology to pick and pack items including electronics, household products and canned goods. The facility stores about 50,000 products, with robots doing about half the picking, and aims to eventually automate all operations.
Some businesses are deploying high-tech mechanical arms for other distribution work. Bimbo Bakeries uses robotic grasping technology to pick and pack bread. GXO Logistics is using a robotic arm equipped with camera vision to help speed up the order fulfillment process at a warehouse in the Netherlands.
Classroom discussion questions:
- What are the OM advantages of using robots in warehouses?
- The disadvantages?