From robotic to manual: Dematic highlights range of picking systems

A yellow robotic arm fluidly dips into a grey tote, delicately extracts a package of oatmeal with the suction cup on its tip, and then releases it into another tote. Nearby, another robotic arm places totes into a pillar-shaped automated guided vehicle that then rolls forward and stops in front of a person, essentially providing a mobile picking station.

These are just two of the new solutions for receiving, storage, order fulfillment, buffer staging, packing, and palletizing that Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Dematic introduced at ProMat in Chicago Monday. The RapidPick XT is a fully automated piece picking solution that features a FANUC robotic arm. MobilePick is a semi-automated system that uses an automated guided vehicle to transport totes/cartons to and from the picker.

While the robotic solutions were perhaps the most eye-catching, the new suite of products also featured more-manual solutions. The RapidPut solution is a new light- or voice- directed put/pack wall for order consolidation and order packing. According to the Dematic, it can handle 200 to 400 pieces.

"We are featuring new technology that spans a range of customer solutions and a range of picking rates," said John Baysore, the company's president and CEO.

Dematic also introduced a new generation of its very-narrow-aisle (VNA) automated guided vehicle system (AGVS), which is used for automated pallet storage. The new version is even narrower, allowing for greater storage density. Baysore says the system's controls, speed, and performance levels have also been improved.