Recently, Fetch Robotics and Zebra Technologies announced that they have joined forces to optimize and improve the movements of workers and robots throughout warehouses. Zebra’s FulfillmentEdge and Fetch’s Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are sure to provide a boost to efficiency and productivity and warehouses everywhere. Some of the benefits of this collaboration include optimized picking across multiple orders to improve workflows throughout warehouses, more accurate order fulfillment, faster restocking of packing stations, and improved training programs. This collaboration is just the latest example of how eCommerce is changing the way supply chain operations are conducted.
Over the past few years, there has been a major shift in the way fulfillment and distribution centers conduct their businesses. Now, companies are shipping to consumers and stores from the same place. Some of the major challenges of this shift include labor shortages, high turnover, large order volumes, and physically demanding work. In response to these challenges, there has been a drive to improve picking and packing operations so that companies are able to fulfill more orders in a more efficient manner without draining their workers.
The collaboration of Zebra Technologies and Fetch Robotics represents the latest attempt to address these problems. Using the combined solution of these two companies, workers will be dispatched along optimized paths to fulfill multiple orders at the same time. This minimizes the amount of time employees spend traveling from place to place and maximizes the amount of time they spend in the aisle fulfilling orders.
Furthermore, Zebra’s FulfillmentEdge can direct Fetch’s mobile robots to carry out other tasks, such as the restocking of packing stations. This allows warehouses to use the abilities of robots to the fullest extent. Finally, this solution is also going to reduce the amount of time that is spent training workers and completing onboarding tasks.
Zebra’s FulfillmentEdge technology analyzes data to direct and synchronize worker and robot paths to optimize the picking and packing process. This program leverages a form of picking known as zone picking or wave picking. This picking process is streamlined through Zebra’s program using visual cues that are interpreted as a graphical and numerical overlay. This overlay provides information on pick total, item location, and directional prompts. With a renewed push to synchronize worker and workflow optimization, this latest collaboration is sure to improve warehouse efficiency across the country
Fetch Robotics is an internationally renowned intralogistics automation company on the West Coast. Fetch Robotics combines cloud technology with autonomous mobile robots to provide solutions for material handling and inventory management. Zebra Technologies leverages advanced solutions to improve the efficiency of the logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation industries. Zebra Technologies operates with more than 10,000 partners spread across more than 100 countries.