Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Do you want to know a secret?

FBI to use AutoStore system for secure records filing and retrieval.

Swisslog AutoStore: Do you want to know a secret?

Warehouse automation specialist Swisslog has installed the AutoStore robotic storage and retrieval system in facilities of all descriptions throughout the world. While those clients are typically looking for a boost in speed and efficiency, with its latest installation, the company had to provide a different kind of deliverable—top-level security.

Swisslog recently installed an AutoStore unit at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) newly constructed central records complex in Winchester, Virginia. At more than 250,000 square feet, this secure facility will consolidate more than 2 billion pages of records previously housed within 256 field offices around the world, Swisslog says. That's the equivalent of 117 miles of paper records, according to the company, which also noted that if stacked vertically, these records would reach halfway to the International Space Station.


At the center of the new operation is the AutoStore, a dense material handling system that eliminates aisles and uses all available space. Filing and retrieval operations are carried out by radio-controlled robots that maneuver through an overhead grid system to retrieve the appropriate storage bin. To guarantee secrecy, the customer software tracks only the record and bin numbers, allowing the robots to work securely without the vendor's knowing anything about the records themselves, Swisslog says.

The Latest

More Stories

DHL graphic on online shopping marketplaces

DHL report shows seven factors about American online shoppers

Online merchants should consider seven key factors about American consumers in order to optimize their sales and operations this holiday season, according to a report from DHL eCommerce.

First, many of the most powerful sales platforms are marketplaces. With nearly universal appeal, 99% of U.S. shoppers buy from marketplaces, ranked in popularity from Amazon (92%) to Walmart (68%), eBay (47%), Temu (32%), Etsy (28%), and Shein (21%).

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

schneider app screenshot for owner operators

Schneider seeks more business with owner-operators

Transportation and logistics service provider Schneider National Inc. is reaching out to owner-operators, encouraging them to do more business with the Wisconsin company using an updated digital platform.

Schneider says its FreightPower platform now offers owner-operators significantly more access to Schneider’s range of freight options. That can help drivers to generate revenue and strengthen their business through: increased access to freight, high drop and hook rates of over 95% of loads, and a trip planning feature that calculates road miles.

Keep ReadingShow less
Logistics economy grew in October

Logistics Managers' Index

Logistics economy grew in October

Economic activity in the logistics industry continued its expansion streak in October, growing for the 11th straight month and reaching its highest level in two years, according to the most recent Logistics Managers’ Index report (LMI), released this week.

The LMI registered 58.9, up from 58.6 in September, and continued a run of moderate growth that began late in 2023. The LMI is a monthly measure of business activity across warehousing and transportation markets. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

Keep ReadingShow less
port of vancouver

West coast dockworker strike could dent Canadian economy

The port worker strike that began yesterday on Canada’s west coast could cost that country $765 million a day in lost trade, according to the ALPS Marine analysis by Russell Group, a British data and analytics company.

Specifically, the labor strike at the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Fraser-Surrey will hurt the commodities of furniture, metal products, meat products, aluminum, and clothing. But since the strike action is focused on stopping containers and general cargo, it will not slow operations in grain vessels or cruise ships, the firm said.

Keep ReadingShow less
trucks used by jillamy 3PL

Texas 3PL Mode Global acquires Jillamy’s freight brokerage arm

The Texas third-party logistics firm (3PL) Mode Global has acquired the freight brokerage business of supply chain service provider Jillamy, saying on Monday that the deal advances its strategy of expanding its national footprint.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Mode Global said it will now assume Jillamy's comprehensive logistics and freight management solutions, while Jillamy's warehousing, packaging and fulfillment services remain unchanged. Under the agreement, Mode Global will gain more than 200 employees and add facilities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, Maryland, and Ontario to its existing national footprint.

Keep ReadingShow less