DHL Supply Chain runs warehouse pilot with collaborative robots
DHL Supply Chain has revealed that it has been running a pilot test using robot technology for collaborative automated order picking at one of its warehouses in Unna, Germany. Two EffiBOT automated trolleys from the French start-up Effidence followed pickers through the warehouse, carrying items and automatically dropping off the orders once fully loaded. The robots gave staff the freedom to work “hands-free” and meant that they did not have to push or pull heavy carts.
“The picking cart follows the picker through the rack system. Once it reaches full capacity, the picker simply sends it to the designated drop-off location, while another picking cart joins. This solution makes moving from single to multi-order picking a more efficient and ergonomic process,” explained Michael Artinger, Site Manager DHL Supply Chain, who was responsible for the test.
In addition to EffiBOT, collaborative robots for “value-added services” such as co-packing as well as mobile piece picking robots autonomously navigating through warehouse shelves are also being tested by DHL.
“In the following weeks, DHL will continuously perform tests with different robot types and systems,” said Markus Kückelhaus, VP Innovation & Trend Research, DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation. “These evaluation results will then determine which technologies will be permanently implemented and position DHL as one of the leaders in an automated future of logistics.”
Click here to view a video showing the EffiBOT
