Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

XPO to deploy 5,000 GreyOrange robots for e-commerce fulfillment

Corporate giant also becomes exclusive provider of GreyOrange bots for logistics applications in North America and nine European countries.

XPO to deploy 5,000 GreyOrange robots for e-commerce fulfillment

Transportation and logistics provider XPO Logistics Inc. said today that it plans to deploy 5,000 mobile robots from technology vendor GreyOrange Pte. Ltd. throughout its international logistics sites, and that it will become the exclusive provider of those robots for certain logistics applications across North America, the U.K., and eight European countries.

Under terms of the "strategic partnership," XPO will become the only logistics provider that's allowed to use the robots in those regions, although other customers—such as shippers—will still be able to buy the bots, XPO said in an email.


Singapore-based GreyOrange makes rectangular, rolling robots that combine with pick-and-put stations, mobile storage racks, and the firm's GreyMatter software to form a goods-to-person fulfillment system. The company's "Butler" autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) navigate underneath racks of goods, lift them off the floor, and deliver them to a human employee who can then perform piece-picking work while minimizing the time required for walking and training, Chris Barber, CEO of GreyOrange North America, said in an interview at the CSCMP Edge conference in Nashville on Monday.

Barber did not respond to a request for comment for further details about the XPO partnership.

The large scale of XPO's adoption of the firm's robots follows GreyOrange's announcement in August that it had opened a U.S. headquarters in Atlanta and planned to build a research and development center in Boston and a U.S. manufacturing facility by 2019. At that time, GreyOrange said that it plans to deploy 20,000 robots in the U.S. in the next three years for applications in e-commerce and omnichannel retail and third party logistics (3PL). The firm also said in September that it had collected $140 million in venture capital to help fuel that expansion.

Adopting the GreyOrange units is the latest move by Greenwich, Conn.-based XPO to streamline its operations with industrial robotics. In its most recent earnings call, the company said it is working with 29 separate robotic suppliers in order to improve speed and accuracy in e-commerce and omnichannel retail fulfillment in its facilities across North America and Europe. In other applications, XPO has also used articulated robotic arms and a mobile security bot that patrols parking lots.

In an email, XPO said that adding GreyOrange to that mix is expected to reduce pickers' walking time by 80 percent and eliminate most heavy lifting, to improve picking accuracy by close to 100 percent, and to help shorten the time between receiving an order and getting it out for distribution. The GreyOrange robots are expected to increase fulfillment speeds from a typical manual pick rate of 50-to-80 units per hour to a collaborative robot-assisted rate of 200-to-300 units per hour, XPO said.

XPO will control the GreyOrange system with its own proprietary warehouse management system (WMS) software, which the company launched in March.

"We've developed our logistics technology to integrate the latest intelligent automation and adapt it at lightning speed. This allows us to dramatically improve efficiency, fulfillment time, and costs," XPO CEO Bradley Jacobs said in a statement. "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."

The GreyOrange deal is part of XPO's planned $450 million technology investment this year, joining other initiatives such as the XPO Direct shared-space distribution network, voice integration with Amazon Echo and Google Home to track the last mile delivery of heavy goods, and the XPO Connect digital freight marketplace with multimodal infrastructure, the company said.

The Latest

Artificial Intelligence

AI: Is it the real deal?

More Stories

Logistics economy picked up speed in January

Logistics Managers' Index

Logistics economy picked up speed in January

Economic activity in the logistics industry expanded in January, growing at its fastest clip in more than two years, according to the latest Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) report, released this week.

The LMI jumped nearly five points from December to a reading of 62, reflecting continued steady growth in the U.S. economy along with faster-than-expected inventory growth across the sector as retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers attempted to manage the uncertainty of tariffs and a changing regulatory environment. The January reading represented the fastest rate of expansion since June 2022, the LMI researchers said.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Disrupting the furniture supply chain: An interview with Jay Rogers

Disrupting the furniture supply chain: An interview with Jay Rogers

As commodities go, furniture presents its share of manufacturing and distribution challenges. For one thing, it's bulky. Second, its main components—wood and cloth—are easily damaged in transit. Third, much of it is manufactured overseas, making for some very long supply chains with all the associated risks. And finally, completed pieces can sit on the showroom floor for weeks or months, tying up inventory dollars and valuable retail space.

In other words, the furniture market is ripe for disruption. And John "Jay" Rogers wants to be the catalyst. In 2022, he cofounded a company that takes a whole new approach to furniture manufacturing—one that leverages the power of 3D printing and robotics. Rogers serves as CEO of that company, Haddy, which essentially aims to transform how furniture—and all elements of the "built environment"—are designed, manufactured, distributed, and, ultimately, recycled.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of GenAI effect on workforce

Gartner: GenAI tools create anxiety among employees

Generative AI (GenAI) is being deployed by 72% of supply chain organizations, but most are experiencing just middling results for productivity and ROI, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc.

That’s because productivity gains from the use of GenAI for individual, desk-based workers are not translating to greater team-level productivity. Additionally, the deployment of GenAI tools is increasing anxiety among many employees, providing a dampening effect on their productivity, Gartner found.

Keep ReadingShow less
warehouse worker driving forklift between racks

German 3PL Arvato acquires two U.S. logistics firms

The German third party logistics provider (3PL) Arvato this week acquired the U.S.-headquartered companies Carbel LLC and United Customs Services, saying the move would grow its client base, particularly in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle segments.

According to Arvato, it made the move in order to better serve the U.S. e-commerce sector, which has experienced high growth rates in recent years and is expected to grow year-on-year by 5% within the next five years.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo collage of warehouse tech

Supply chain pros are wary of inflation and labor woes

The top worries that supply chain leaders hope to address with new innovations this year include inflationary concerns (68%) and labor shortages (50%), according to a survey on innovation from the third-party logistics provider (3PL) Kenco.

And many of them will have a budget to do it, since 51% of supply chain professionals with existing innovation budgets saw an increase earmarked for 2025, suggesting an even greater emphasis on investing in new technologies to meet rising demand, Kenco said in its “2025 Supply Chain Innovation” survey.

Keep ReadingShow less