Third party logistics provider (3PL) Kenco Logistics today expanded its Supply Chain Innovation Lab, saying the facility would allow it to test potential supply chain management solutions and technological advances outside of a live operation.

The 10,000-square-foot space will serve as a test facility for Kenco's team of innovation specialists to assess value-added technologies and provide visibility into them, the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based company said.

Kenco has already stocked the space with an array of platforms, including autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from NextShift Robotics, fulfillment bots from Locus Robotics, AI-driven smart glass picking software from LogistiVIEW, and warehouse management system (WMS) software from JDA Software Group Inc. and HighJump Software Inc.

A combination of technology experts and supply chain engineers will now get to work delivering insight on a wide range of logistics solutions, with the scale of the warehouse space allowing all these technologies to be tested simultaneously, Kenco said.

The facility marks an expansion of Kenco's existing innovation initiatives, which Kenco founded in 2015, and then extended in May into a dedicated warehouse facility where researchers can test novel fulfillment approaches ranging from drones and robots to augmented reality and the internet of things (IoT).

"In the logistics industry, experience is the new differentiator, and the expansion of the Kenco Innovation Lab facility will only heighten our industry expertise," Kristi Montgomery, vice president of innovation at Kenco, said in a release. "Our work in the Innovation Lab has already brought value to our customers, and this new space will provide a formal space to review, research and promote technology to only further assist in our goal to provide the greatest insight to our customers."

Today's the day! Excited to host the grand opening of our Innovation Lab in #chattanooga, which will serve as a true test facility for our team of innovation specialists. pic.twitter.com/rcGOm0yxlh

— KENCO (@KencoGroup) October 8, 2019