Addverb Technologies Announces Expansion of Operations Across U.S.

Addverb Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Addverb) is a global robotics company based in India that delivers intralogistics automation solutions to accommodate the full automation of warehouses and manufacturing facilities. The company’s product offerings include autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), picking technologies, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RSs), carton shuttles, warehouse management and execution software, and industrial internet of things (IIoT) solutions.

Recently, the company announced its plans to expand its operations into North and South America. The announcement follows a recent procurement of funding (at $132 million) from Reliance Industries. The U.S. subsidiary office will be led by the CEO of Addverb Technologies USA, Mark Messina, along with the Marketing Head of Americas, Luke Lee.

 

Pandemic and supply chain problems have increased the need for automation in storage and warehouse industries. Image used courtesy of Addverb

 

Challenges Facing Warehouse Automation

Warehouses are considered to be one of the crucial components of a company’s supply chain because they act as a central hub where products are packaged, stored, and distributed to consumers. Since the onset of the pandemic, disruption of supply chain operations has meant that automation has become more valuable than ever, especially because of the rise in e-commerce. With more individuals shopping online for their goods, orders can come in quicker and can cause a build-up in warehouses or global distribution centers if not properly handled and circulated to keep up with order fulfillment. Along with an increase in online sales, home deliveries have increased. Automation is a key factor in the success of warehouses because it helps them save time and money. It also helps maintain a high level of accuracy and quality concerning warehouse operations.

 

Addverb’s shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval robot, Multi-Pro. Image used courtesy of Addverb

 

In addition to accommodating a large stock of products and maintaining operations to meet consumer demand, automated warehouses face the challenge of maintaining security and safety. For human workers, order fulfillment can involve moving and prepping stock well in advance of dispatch. These activities can cause injury from handling heavy loads and incur fatigue if night shifts are needed or goods needed to be transported over a long distance. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RSs) are just some robotics solutions that can tackle such challenges and relieve such burdens for workers. To ensure that workers and robots interact safely and efficiently, improved warehouse management is encouraged to provide proper robot training, robot pathway designation, and obstacle avoidance strategies for robots.

In a recent news release, the Co-Founder and CEO of Addverb, Sangeet Kumar, commented, “The supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic have accelerated the demand for automation globally and we are looking forward to expanding US and EMEA operations to deliver the next generation of Industry 4.0 automation to the customers.” Kumar added, “We are delighted to onboard Mark and Luke, to drive our continuing efforts to strengthen and scale the business in the US.”

Key Robot Technologies

Key technologies that are enabling better warehouse automation management can include laser floor mapping, computer-aided design (CAD) modeling, and the use of advanced sensors for obstacle detection and avoidance. Laser floor mapping is a technique used in robotics to map the environment by scanning the surroundings with lasers and then using the data collected to create a 3D point cloud map. This technique has been used in many different fields, such as autonomous vehicles, drones, and robots, paired with sensors to avoid unpredictable, mobile obstacles.

CAD models are used to design motion paths for robots in warehouses. These models help the robots avoid obstacles and navigate through the warehouse. The benefits of using CAD models to design motion paths for robots in warehouses include:

- The robot can avoid obstacles and navigate through the warehouse without any human intervention upon initial installation, minimizing downtime for robot teaching.

- The robot can be programmed to follow a specific path, and updates can be easily downloaded as engineers update floor plans virtually.

 

These kinds of technologies required skilled robot operators and programmers to function, so what would students looking to get hands-on with robotic technology need to learn? Mechatronics and robotics engineering is always a good place to start - many of these could be from 2-year colleges. Universities offering courses from basic to highly advanced can teach students topics including digital and embedded systems, modeling, analysis and control, systems engineering and software (which will include programming with languages like Python), as well as mechanical and electrical-mechanical engineering systems.