One of the world’s ten largest providers of transportation and logistics services, US-based XPO Logistics, Inc. recently unveiled plans to deploy 5,000 intelligent robots throughout their logistics facilities in North America and Europe.
The new robots were devised and designed to collaborate with humans and will supplement the existing workforce and future growth of XPO. Robotics manufacturer GreyOrange Pte. Ltd has an exclusive strategic partnership with XPO for use of their robots in North America, the United Kingdom and eight other European countries.
XPO Logistics Chief Executive Officer, Bradley Jacobs said, “We’ve developed our logistics technology to integrate the latest intelligent automation and adapt it at lightning speed. This allows us to dramatically improve fulfillment time and cut costs. The addition of 5,000 collaborative robots will make our logistics operations safer and more productive in picking, packing and sortation. These are important benefits for our customers – particularly in the e-commerce and omnichannel retail sectors, where order speed and accuracy are essential ways to compete.”
Each robot is part of a modular goods-to-person system that also includes mobile storage racks and fulfillment stations and has the ability to move a rack weighing approximately up to 3,500 lbs., taking it to a station where a human employee fulfills up to 48 orders simultaneously.
A proprietary warehouse management system oversees the entire process with the end result being high-speed, flexible solutions that support same-day and next-day deliveries by shortening order-to-shipment times and helping employees minimize walk-time and manual errors.
This is just one part of a $450 million investment in technology planned this year by the logistics company.
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