HAI ROBOTICS, the pioneer in Autonomous Case-handling Robot (ACR) systems for warehouse logistics, will exhibit its cutting-edge automation technology at LogiMAT 2022, Europe's biggest annual intralogistics tradeshow, from May 31 to June 2 in Stuttgart, Germany.
The company will show how the ACR systems, a highly flexible Goods-to-person solution that improves operational efficiency and storage density, could meet the current needs of Europe's warehouses and distribution centers.
The live demo at Booth D71, Hall 3 will be led by HAIPICK A42T, the tallest robot in HAI ROBOTICS' ACR systems that can reach a max picking height of 10-meters. Featuring a telescopic lift, the robot can also descend to as low as 0.28m to pick totes and cartons stored on the bottom level of the shelf. It can carry 8 loads to feed HAIPORT, goods-to-person workstation, in one move. The robot has been titled the "Best in Intralogistics" in IFOY 2021.
HAIPORT, also to be displayed at LogiMAT, is another warehousing efficiency and throughput booster. With the ability to load four to eight cases in only three seconds from a robot, and unload the same number of cases in five seconds at the same time, a single workstation is able to handle up to 900 cases per hour, an order-fulfillment speed that is 16 times faster than robot-to-conveyor belt transport.
ACR systems, "much more attractive"
HAI ROBOTICS sees the ACR systems a good fit for European users, especially in the age of e-commerce when more consumers are longing for faster deliveries and omni-channel shopping experience.
Mr Kai Ramadhin, the company's VP of Sales & Marketing Europe, said: "HAI ROBOTICS solution provides more flexibility in term of expansion ability, rapid deployment times and so on. So the sweet-spot of our solution is much more attractive."
Mr Ramadhin noted the company is focused on creating a local network of system integrator, installation and service partners, so that any user of ACR systems can expect rapid and high-quality service wherever they are in Europe.
Since setting up its regional headquarters in the Netherlands in late 2021, HAI ROBOTICS has built a strong localized network in countries of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Benelux and the U.K.
The ACR systems are presented by its global partner Savoye at Log!Ville in Belgium in an initiative to make the high-density warehousing technology widely known to the European supply chain. The company has also teamed up with U.K.-based Invar System and Greece's Voyatzoglou Systems to enable tailored service accessible to regional business operators.
When the market gets increasingly dynamic and volatile, the company sees the systems can bring users some key benefits, including:
1. Alleviating labor challenges
Through the automation of practices, warehouses can meet the demands of the modern world by improving employee productivity and filling job vacancies, when recruiting and retaining gets tough.
Robots also free workers from doing repetitive and labor-intensive work in the warehouse. The ACR systems, for example, save a worker 40,000 to 60,000 steps of walking per day, on average, according to the company's statistics.
2. Storage space utilization to save land investment
As warehouse ceiling heights have continuously risen, the ACR systems, with the max picking height reaching 10 meters, allow the warehouse to easily use the upper storage space. That may also save the user investment in warehouse expansion, in particular in countries where land costs are high.
3. Fast & flexible implementation, more affordable
Business owners are facing a fast-changing and less predictable market nowadays than ever before. The growing customer expectations for faster deliveries and omni-channel shopping experience are driving companies to rethink their supply-chain operating models. The ACR systems have the high level of flexibility to allow a project to be deployed within months, and can be easily scaled according to business volume. A warehouse owner can choose to scale operation by adding or removing robots without disrupting any ongoing operations since the ACR systems require no structural changes to an existing facility.
That also means the systems are more affordable, especially for smaller businesses.
In Europe, many small-to-medium-sized enterprises see a need for automation, but their limited budget does not allow them to spend years implementing large projects. The ACRs turn out to be a fit in that case too.
ACR systems allow any business to start automation small, and grow as business grows. Many of its subscribers started to customize their solutions with a few robots and adding more when their demand expands.
4. Ideal for the age of e-commerce
In the age of e-commerce, businesses across the globe need to deal with flurries of online orders, which often come scattered and in large numbers. Plus the need to shorten delivery time to improve customer satisfaction, they need to significantly boost the order- fulfillment speed of their warehouses and DCs.
E-grocery emerges to be the channel embracing the growth capabilities. According to McKinsey, e-grocery channel grew by more than 50 percent in 2020 - compared to 2019 growth - for key European markets, creating an even stronger need for efficient e-grocery fulfillment solutions. Smaller unit picks, mixed orders, and a high speed of delivery make e-grocery labor intensive and therefore ideal for automation.
The ACR systems can boost order-fulfillment efficiency when handling large SKU portfolio as well as small orders with a high share of single-unit picks in e-grocery warehouses.
In several micro-fulfillment centers in Europe, the ACR systems have been implemented to handle home-delivery orders as well as click-and-collect orders with contactless deliveries over the counter at the storefront.
ABOUT HAI ROBOTICS
HAI ROBOTICS, the pioneer in Autonomous Case-handling Robot (ACR) systems, is committed to providing efficient, i
