Crown Equipment Corporation, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, and JBT Corporation, a global solutions provider of technologically sophisticated systems and products, today announced the two companies are forming a strategic collaboration in order to support customers seeking to maximize the benefits of material handling automation to achieve tangible, predictable return on investment (ROI). The association of these two proven technology leaders provides increased access to an expanding portfolio of automation capabilities to meet material handling needs today and in the future.
“While the market has been buzzing about the potential of material handling automation, we have been working diligently to develop a practical approach for our customers to leverage automation-related technologies to solve operational challenges,” said Jim Mozer, senior vice president, Crown Equipment. “Part of our approach is collaborating with the experts at JBT to accelerate the development of Crown’s DualMode™ scalable and flexible automated solutions that are capable of multiple methods of operation, providing the support customers need as they transition through their entire automation journey.”
The automation expertise and insight JBT brings to the relationship will amplify and complement Crown’s ongoing research and development related to automation technologies. For example, the Crown DualMode T tow tractor, which can switch between manual and automated operation, is an early result of this collaboration that is currently being piloted through Crown’s early adopter release initiative. It joins Crown’s growing automation solutions portfolio that includes the QuickPick® Remote order picking system and the Crown TSP Series turret trucks with Auto Positioning System.
“Our customers are always looking for an easy way into automation,” said Barry Douglas, general manager and vice president, JBT Automated Systems. “By working with Crown, we can more easily meet these expectations for end users. Also, they know that Crown trusts JBT, which reinforces the trust they place in us. Ultimately, our work with Crown will push the industry forward in a genuine way.”
