Warehouses across the country have been automating distribution centers for years, but Target just went one step further by opting to install a new breed of robots.
Most robots in warehouses are bolted down or limited to fixed tracks, making them relatively inflexible, but Rick Cohen’s Symbotic LLC produces robots that can move on their own and integrate as part of a warehouse system, the Wall Street Journal reports. Target decided to roll the dice when it chose to implement this new system into one of its largest California distribution centers, but the decision highlights the importance of cutting costs in an industry with slim profit margins.
The biggest costs in conventional human-staffed warehouses are labor, time and real estate, but these autonomous robots could quickly change that. At least that’s Cohen's theory; he says his robots will change distribution within five years. [WSJ]
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