Robotics in Logistics

DHL's Smart Robots in Warehousing and Supply Chain

We can recollect several scenarios from science fiction, as well as by hype and wild speculation from the world’s media, about the anticipated era of robotics. We are deeply concerned that robots may steal all our jobs and spy on us. We imagine that they will arrive in vast armies ready to alter forever life as we know it. The reality is, of course, quite different. Exciting as it is, robotics technology seems to be arriving slowly but surely in cautious and well-considered stages. Smart robots are now being deployed in warehousing!

A Surveillance robot in warehousing

DHL 's smart robots - Baxter and Sawyer

DHL is currently testing Baxter and Sawyer, two smart and collaborative robots, in its warehouses on co-packing and value-added tasks, such as assembly, kitting, packaging and pre-retail services. Rethink Robotics' Baxter and Sawyer are smart, adaptable solutions that support warehouse staff and could help to enhance productivity at DHL facilities.

Historically, the distribution environment has been difficult to automate using traditional industrial robots, which do not respond well to variability

In a recently published DHL Trend Report "Robotics in Logistics" it was found that 80 percent of logistics facilities today are still manual due to the complexity of the operations. As technology improves however, the logistics industry will benefit from the adoption of collaborative robots to improve efficiency,

DHL is currently testing how to integrate several Baxter and Sawyer robots into various operational sites across the globe. DHL also recently purchased its first Sawyer robot and its research entails 3D printing possibilities to create specialized grippers for the robots to allow for additional tasks to be completed in the warehouse.

Baxter and Sawyer robots are some of the most advanced collaborative robots on the market, and are planned for deployment in a variety of packaging and inventory tasks that will allow DHL to use employees for higher value work. By deploying these robots to work in tandem with humans, DHL can ensure that production lines are adjusting to changes and running more efficiently year-round.

Robots in warehousing applications

With Baxter and Sawyer, DHL is now able to leverage automation that can adapt to real world variability, change applications quickly and perform tasks like people do.

The logistics industry has been unable to leverage smart, collaborative robots until recently, and the high performance Sawyer robot is changing the game in what can and cannot be automated. Such an automation will be bringing flexibility and efficiency to factory floor, enabling shorter cycle times, more uptime and helping bottom line.


But Why Robotics in Logistics: 

One of the biggest challenges facing the logistics industry today is labor availability. It’s not easy for companies around the world to find enough high-quality employees to move goods from suppliers to customers. Two competing factors are making this especially difficult: The first is an increasing need for more logistics workers and this is being driven by the e-commerce revolution and its need for more parcel shipments; the second is a decline in the size of the available workforce due to shrinking population levels in the Western world.

Robots in warehouses!

Robotics technology is finally beginning to catch up with our desire to have a robot that is flexible and low cost enough to work in the logistics and distribution environment. This trend report outlines the key changes that are happening today in the world of robotics; changes that should eventually lead to more effective robots across all areas of the supply chain.

Future outlook

Every day we interact with products that were built by robots and yet we never think about it. These robots impact our world even though they are hidden away in factories that we never see. We are entering a point in time when robots will become more visible and impact our lives more directly: in our stores, in our offices, and in our homes. And as robots improve and our acceptance of them grows, they will also enter the world of logistics.

Retailers like Amazon are leading the way, embracing robotics technology by making large investments. Equipment providers see this trend and are designing robots into their logistics systems as the cost of the technology drops and capabilities improve. With these advances, we are seeing first examples of self-contained mobile picking robots as well as robot forklifts entering distribution centers, and initial trials seem positive.

Collaboration ... Future outlook

There is still a long way to go before robotics technology is ready and major improvements are still required but many of the pieces are now in place to drive progress. It seems clear that it is not a matter of “if” but rather “when” robots will be working in our parcel sorting hubs, distribution centers, and delivery vans.

The business leaders of the future need to understand this technology and start planning for the day when it provides a viable solution to ever-growing pressures on the supply chain. The history of robotics includes many stories of hype and disappointment, but if you take a step back you can see steady progress. There is an incredible difference between the robots of the 1960s and those of today. The speed of progress is increasing rapidly with new advancements and breakthroughs happening every day. Our young children can’t picture a world without computers and it is likely that their children will feel the same way about robots. The outlook for robotics is very positive and the world of logistics will benefit from the coming advances in robotics technology.