Automate 2022 exceeds expectations with largest attendance and exhibitor count ever
Association for Advancing Automation expands floor space for Automate 2023 after this year’s show ends with 24,000 registrants, 600 exhibitors, and 75% of booths already sold for next year The Automate 2022 Show and Conference celebrated the most successful event in its history, setting new records for registrants, exhibit booths, and online engagement during its four-day run June 6-9, 2022, in Detroit, Michigan. The show organizer, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), expects next year to be even bigger with nearly three-quarters of an expanded show floor already booked for Automate’s return to Detroit, May 22-25, 2023. “Automate 2022 exceeded our most optimistic expectations,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “The excitement in the hall was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. People loved being back in person and seeing all of the latest advances in robotics, machine vision, AI, motion control, and more. This was the largest and best-attended trade show we’ve ever had.” Automate, North America’s largest robotics and automation tradeshow, featured more than 24,000 registrants, 600 exhibitor booths, over 250,000 square feet of exhibit space, and two million virtual views of its digital content. Exhibitors showcased the latest innovations in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision, motion control, and smart automation, and nearly 200 expert speakers from many of the biggest names in the industry offered insights on the trends and best practices behind the emerging technology in keynotes and conference sessions. According to exhibitors, attendees at Automate came armed with a list of automation projects in need of solutions. “Exhibitors told us that virtually everyone they met at the show has plans to automate, and some exhibitors reported selling robots right off the floor,” Burnstein added. Automate 2023 Returns Next May, Exhibitor Booths Filling Fast Automate 2023 will be hosted in the same location, at the Huntington Place Convention Center in Detroit May 22-25. Exhibitor spots are filling fast, so interested companies should contact James Hamilton, A3’s VP of sales, here to book a booth or explore sponsorship opportunities. Virtual Content, Including Automate LIVE, Success with 2 Million Views A3’s virtual content for Automate—both leading up to the show and through Automate LIVE, produced in partnership with Jake Hall of The Manufacturing Millennial, Chris Luecke of the Manufacturing Happy Hour podcast, Tech B2B Marketing, and other leading voices in the automation industry—has already been viewed two million times, with nearly half coming directly from A3’s own social media. In the months ahead, A3 will feature this content in addition to important presentations from Automate 2022 to continue the remarkable engagement from the automation community leading up to the 2023 show. Visual Inspection Software Company Takes Home $10,000 Startup Prize Highlights at Automate, which returned to Detroit after nearly two decades in Chicago, included Covision Quality taking home a $10,000 grand prize as the Cowen Startup Challenge: Automate to Outperform winner for its software that automates and scales visual inspection with unsupervised machine learning technology. “We enjoyed our participation at Automate 2022,” said Franz Tschimben, CEO, Covision Quality. “The show fulfilled all of our expectations and goals. We got a chance to introduce our company Covision Quality to the US market and to manufacturing companies who want to automate and scale their visual inspection systems. We connected with potential partners – system integrators and hardware manufacturers – and we got a chance to see competitive products. Winning the Cowen Startup Challenge is yet another signal that our AI-based visual inspection product is appealing to the manufacturing industry and holds strong growth potential. We will be back at Automate.” Prestigious Engelberger Honorees Celebrated Other awards presented at Automate 2022 include the Engelberger Foundation giving Labrador Systems a $25,000 grant for its pioneering work on a new generation of human assistive robots. Three of the six recipients of the 2022 Engelberger Awards were honored at the Joseph F. Engelberger Awards Dinner and Ceremony: Michael P. Jacobs of Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) for leadership in automation; Oussama Khatib of Stanford University for education; and Marc Raibert of Boston Dynamics for technology. Keynote Highlights Keynotes such as SharkTank’s Daymond John and his 5 Shark points on the fundamentals for success in business and life; General Motor’s Douglas Stanguini on smart manufacturing excellence; and Raibert’s discussion of legged robots drew big numbers as did future work strategist, Rachelle Focardi, who talked about the future of work in the multigenerational post-Covid workplace. A keynote, “How Artificial Intelligence is Powering the Next Wave of Manufacturing,” featured Joe Lui of Accenture, Jorge Arinez of General Motors, Irene J. Petrick of Intel, Dieter Fox of NVIDIA, and Andrew NG of Landing AI, all helping set the record straight on the current status of AI in manufacturing and where it is headed. An executive roundtable, co-sponsored by the International Federation of Robotics, brought valuable insights on how robotics and automation are transforming the North American economy from robotics industry leaders Mike Cicco of FANUC America, Greg Smith of Teradyne (parent company of Mobile Industrial Robots, Universal Robots and AutoGuide), Greg Brown of UPS, Melonee Wise of Zebra Technologies, and Deepu Talla of NVIDIA.
AutoScheduler named Top 50 Logistics Tech provider by AJOT
AutoScheduler.AI, an innovative Warehouse Management System (WMS) accelerator, has been named to the American Journal of Transportation (AJOT) Top 50 Logistics Tech Provider award. This AJOT annual list offers a glimpse into the future of the supply chain. AutoScheduler was chosen because its WMS Accelerator provides a technology solution that looks forward to a different supply chain than the one that exists today. “AutoScheduler works with a company’s WMS or ERP to accelerate productivity, balance inventory, and improve on-time, in-full fulfillment,” said Keith Moore, Chief Product Officer at AutoScheduler. “AutoScheduler visualizes all operations at a distribution center and optimizes labor, robotics, touches, and inventory to drive efficiencies. We are very thrilled to be named to this prestigious list because of the value we bring to our clients.” AJOT says in its June 2022 issue, “Perhaps the key to understanding the digital transformation that the supply chain is undergoing begins with rethinking the supply chain itself. While the popular conception of the supply chain is one of connecting links – which plays well into the concept that the supply chain is only as strong as the weakest link – in reality, it is more akin to a transatlantic cable with thousands of wires enabling interconnecting activities, both physical and electronic, working collectively to the goal of moving product.” The AJOT Top 50 Logistics Tech Provider lists companies that offer WMSs, TMSs, Trucking and Freight Matching Platforms, Digital Freight Marketplaces, Supply Chain Visibility Platforms, Telematics, Freight Management Systems, and more. AutoScheduler is a WMS Accelerator that sits on top of a WMS that provides optimized plans for better inventory turns and greater efficiencies. It uses advanced technology to help companies automate all operational decision-making in a capacity-considerate way leading to an autopilot planning system that increases fill rate and generates productivity and efficiency improvements.
EP 290: 40 years of DCL Logistics
Norman Tu, CEO and Founder of DCL Logistics, and his sons Dave and Brian Tu joined me on this week’s special Father’s Day episode of The New Warehouse. DCL Logistics is a full-service fulfillment company that handles direct-to-consumer fulfillment, retail fulfillment, and other value-added services. We discuss the 40-year history of DCL Logistics, the family dynamic of working together, and what it will take to grow in the logistics business over the next 40 years. Key Takeaways Pivoting from manufacturing floppy discs to starting DCL Logistics wasn’t easy. Norman recalls it took a long time to build a strong reputation as a legitimate player in the logistics business. Norman and his sons attribute the growth and longevity of DCL Logistics to drive and hunger, a good team of advisors, treating employees like family, and a culture of nimbleness and agility. DCL’s strategy for customer service is to partner with their customers rather than just view them as a transaction. This calculated approach allows them to spend more time nurturing existing customer relationships and working less on customer acquisition. By choosing to super-serve its customers with a focus on quality and adaptability, DCL encourages a partnership that helps both companies grow. Both Brian and Dave didn’t initially set out to join the family business, and Norman encouraged them to choose what was right for them. Each brings their unique strengths, different perspectives, and experiences to work towards the exact purpose of growing the business. While they admit to having healthy discussions, Norman feels delighted to think the company is in the good hands of his sons. Listen to the episode below and leave your thoughts in the comments. The New Warehouse Podcast EP 290: 40 Years of DCL Logistics
Caja Robotics and intralogistics expert Fives partner to tackle new challenges
Caja Robotics, a provider of robotic and flexible goods-to-person solutions in fulfillment, engages in close cooperation with Fives, one of the world’s providers and integrators of advanced material handling and smart automation solutions. Through the mutual exchange of know-how and technical expertise as well as a deep understanding of customer needs and market demands, both companies will strengthen their position as key players in warehouse automation. Caja Robotics’ solution is complementary to Fives’ technology portfolio and will allow Fives to expand its offering in piece picking and to address the apparel and footwear sector to help its customers meet the challenges of omnichannel automation while giving Caja Robotics the extra boost needed to tackle the Southern European markets where Fives demonstrates leading positions. Advanced software and specialized in-house robots to change the world of logistics Caja Robotics has developed a solution for the flexible and scalable automation of warehouse logistics operations, which combines powerful robots, intelligently planned picking stations, and powerful, AI-supported software. Controlled by Caja’s cloud-based advanced fleet management, the robots move cartons and bins between the picking stations and the shelves and thus constantly optimize goods management and the entire warehouse operation. Caja’s state-of-the-art warehouse technology can be easily adapted to the existing warehouse structure, could readapt later with the changing needs, and is flexible enough to handle peaks in orders. The solution is particularly fitted for the specific requirements of industries with fluctuating throughput figures, such as e-commerce and retail logistics. The cooperation with Fives brings great potential for synergy effects for both companies. “Automated warehouses are a competitive advantage for mastering the challenges of the future. Our customers also see it that way, which is why we want to proactively develop solutions for their requirements together with Caja Robotics,” explains Massimiliano Fochetti, Global EVP Sales and Marketing for Fives’ Smart Automation Solutions Division. “We are glad to have found a partner in Fives who attaches great importance to further developing our solution together with us. At the same time, we benefit from Fives’ sales strength. This is essential for our expansion in the European market”, emphasizes Ilan Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Caja Robotics. A particular advantage of the cooperation is Fives’ extensive in-house experience and resources, which enable Caja Robotics to tailor its solution to the requirements of a wide range of customers and target industries.
GEODIS partners with KNAPP to implement over $80 Million in highly Automated Fulfillment Technology for leading retailer
Global transport and logistics provider GEODIS and KNAPP, a technology partner for intelligent value chains, have announced a new collaboration to implement more than $80 million in advanced automation technology into two omnichannel fulfillment centers on behalf of a leading retailer. This marks the third project between the two companies, bringing GEODIS’ 12-month investment with KNAPP to over $130 million as it continues its commitment to implementing the industry’s latest automated technologies into innovative solutions for its clients to best meet today’s service demands. Designed in strong collaboration with GEODIS, KNAPP, and the leading retailer, the two fulfillment centers—located on the East and West Coast in the U.S.—will feature highly automated storage, picking, and packing technologies. The technologies are designed to provide next-generation fulfillment strategies to support the retailer’s complex e-Commerce and retail operations while increasing overall supply chain efficiencies. Following the technology implementation, the combined fulfillment centers are expected to move over 270,000 units per day across a total of more than 850,000 square feet of operations. “This particular client required a technology solution that could offer an extremely efficient fulfillment process far beyond what traditional methodologies can provide,” said Eric Douglas, Executive Vice President of Technology and Engineering at GEODIS in the Americas. “By closely collaborating with KNAPP, we were able to create a fully customized solution featuring industry-leading technology that will allow us to provide a completely integrated offering to best support this customer’s unique needs. Our new investment with KNAPP is the latest proof point in our clear commitment to sourcing and implementing the most innovative solutions into our clients’ supply chains to increase efficiency, agility, and flexibility.” The two fulfillment centers will include a unique combination of KNAPP technologies. Both sites will feature the OSR Shuttle™ Evo, an all-in-one automatic storage and picking system. The facilities will also include the use of multifunctional goods-to-person Pick-it-Easy Evo work stations along with Pick-it-Easy Robots, an AI-equipped robot designed to supplement manual picking stations. In addition, the facilities will include automated carton packing and auto-bagging technology. The sites will also feature various customized value-added services such as personalization in support of the client’s desire for a one-of-a-kind customer experience. In support of GEODIS’ sustainability efforts, the solution utilizes technology that will reduce the size of shipping cartons to ensure consolidated freight requirements to ultimately contribute to a lower carbon footprint. In addition, the KNAPP OSR Shuttle™ Evo solution has provided a sustainably sourced and designed a robotic system to ensure that the client is optimizing every facet of the supply chain to its fullest potential. “The jointly developed solution between GEODIS and KNAPP is specifically designed to address both strategic initiatives and growth that is attributed to rapidly expanding e-Commerce demand,” said Jusuf Buzimkic, Chief Sales Officer at KNAPP. “The technology platform will reduce the challenge associated with labor availability and evolving customer service level expectations. The latest solution represents a balance of performance, flexibility, and scalability to minimize the variable cost per order.” The project is set to begin installation in early 2023. Phase one of implementation is expected to be complete in September 2023 ahead of peak season, with both facilities aiming to be fully completed in Q1 of 2024.
EP 287: The Alpine Supply Chain Solutions experience
In this episode, I was joined by Mark Zabloudil and Matt Warner representing Alpine Supply Chain Solutions as their customers. Mark is the COO at MJ Holding Company and Matt is the COO at Monat Global they both joined me at MODEX 2022 to discuss their experiences with Alpine Supply Chain Solutions as their customers. We discuss why their companies needed Alpine Supply Chain Solutions help and how they were able to optimize their distribution footprint with their guidance. Key Takeaways Alpine Supply Chain Solutions provides solutions and consulting services that help you optimize your operation and deliver maximum value to your customers. Both Monat Global and MJ Holding Company were in similar positions before they got to Alpine. They both were facing rapid growth with the pandemic fueling a lot of it. Alpine was able to help them understand the space that they had and then optimize their distribution footprint so they could not only keep up with their current demand but also grow into future demand. In MJ Holding’s case, they were looking at highly increased demand due to the renewed interest in trading cards like sports cards and Pokemon cards during the pandemic. They also faced the challenge of having multiple different product profiles where the trading card side of the business had a somewhat regular cadence they also have a toy side that is more of an impulse buy so there is a lot of fluctuation in demand. Alpine Supply Chain Solutions helped them to understand how they could better slot their products and bring in different storage solutions to optimize their space and give them the most flexibility to move products around. Monat Global saw a large spike during the pandemic due to its e-commerce-based business which distributes skincare products via ambassadors who mostly sell and market through social media. Their challenge was matching this demand with their capacity so they could get the orders out within 24 hours and have them delivered to customers at the service levels they were expecting. Alpine helped them to realize their space constraints by analyzing their data and then helping them to understand how much space they actually needed for now and future growth. Through this analysis, they were able to help them determine they should do a two-phase project with one distribution point servicing international customers and the other serving the United States. Additionally, they helped them maximize their space by recommending different storage solutions that helped them to almost double the number of pallet spaces they would have put in on their own. The New Warehouse Podcast EP 287: The Alpine Supply Chain Solutions Experience
EP 286: Rajant at MODEX 2022
In this episode, I was joined by Justin Warren and Don Gilbreath of Rajant at MODEX 2022. Rajant provides kinetic mesh networking solutions to help industrial applications keep moving. We discuss what a mesh network is and how to help strengthen a network in the warehouse environment. Key Takeaways Rajant has its roots in the mining and defense industry where they have provided projects with kinetic mesh networks that allow companies to continue working without any gaps in their communications or latency. They have now moved into providing this same type of technology which they deliver through radios to the warehousing industry. They saw similarities in warehouses because of the multiple objects that can be interfering with a typical wireless network like racking. Justin explains the difference between a standard wireless network and Rajant’s kinetic mesh network in this episode. Their mesh network works off of radios or as they refer to them as breadcrumbs and allows for stronger connectivity without any issue of structures blocking them. This allows for an uninterrupted flow of communication through your network. With the amount of equipment that is continuously operating on your network and allowing you to expand your capacity, you do not want to have any communication issues preventing a service level loss so this option can be very advantageous to keeping your running consistently. When it comes to challenges with your network oftentimes it is due to infrastructure changes that are done without consideration for the network. We discuss how the operations team is not really involved in the network so they may do something like put up new racking but the IT team is unaware and then has no chance to adapt the network to support the change. This results in network drops and then you have the IT vs. operations battle on fixing the network. With a mesh setup, the network is feeding off each other so signals can even be carried from robot to robot or other devices which allows you to make these infrastructure changes with no real impact on the network coverage. The New Warehouse Podcast EP 286: Rajant at MODEX 2022
Softeon continues to advance integration and optimization of Mobile Robots, Put Walls, other warehouse automation
Warehouse Management and Warehouse Execution Systems deliver throughput, Operating Cost Reduction, and ROI Softeon, a global supply chain software provider with the industry’s best track record of customer success, announced the continued expansion of its software support for materials handling systems, especially for mobile robots and put walls. While Softeon easily integrates with and optimizes virtually all types of materials handling systems in the distribution center, it is seeing special interest by companies in mobile robots and put walls – technologies for which it provides comprehensive software support. While very different from each other, both mobile robots and put walls share some common attributes. For example, both can be deployed at a lower scale and price point, and expand flexibly over time. Both mobile robots and put walls also offer the opportunity to drive improved productivity and reduce the need for adding workers in what continues to be a very challenging labor environment. Both do so with a lot less heavy footprint (and cost) than full-blown goods-to-person or other major automation systems. Softeon can integrate with robotic systems in different ways. If a customer chooses to use the robot’s application software to manage picking, Softeon can easily integrate its WMW/WES in that way, often still managing location and inventory information and sending needed picks and locations to the AMR software. But Softeon also uniquely offers a mobile robot platform that can integrate with machines of different types and from different vendors. This provides seamless integration, for example, as inventory is passed from one type of robot to another. More importantly, companies can flexibly add robots from new providers with new and varying capabilities, capacities, and configurations. This “future proofs” a company’s investment in robots today, with maximum flexibility to add different types of robots over time. Softeon’s put wall integration starts with algorithms to determine which orders in the pool are best suited to go through the wall(s). This is especially important as companies can start small, with limited put wall capacity. Softeon also provides end-to-end integration and support. No third-party put wall software is required. Softeon simultaneously optimizes both picking and “putting” to the wall to achieve the lowest cost and greatest throughput. It allows multiple waves to be processed on a given wall module concurrently, and multiple associates to work on the same wall at once. Among a number of put wall deployments, one Softeon omnichannel retail customer shows the true scalability of put wall technology. It started with one wall module as a pilot, then added 9 more walls based on the initial success, then later almost 20 more, along with a new mechanized pick module to feed put wall operations. “Softeon provides innovative and differentiated support for materials handling systems with very unique support, especially for the increasingly popular mobile robots and put wall systems,” said Dan Gilmore, chief marketing officer at Softeon. You can learn more about the Softeon Warehouse Management + Execution System.
Port of Long Beach, AWS Collaborate to improve cargo data
The Port of Long Beach announced that Amazon Web Services, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. company, will be used to power the Port’s Supply Chain Information Highway, a cutting-edge new digital infrastructure project created to aggregate data for companies across industries and sectors to track cargo in real-time from origin to destination. The Port’s Supply Chain Information Highway aspires to maximize the visibility and efficiency of cargo movement at the Port and throughout the supply chain. The new system will allow supply chain stakeholders to obtain actionable insights to help with planning, scheduling, and improving their systems. Registered users will access the data for free. The solution is in the process of being finalized. Port and AWS leaders announced this collaborative effort Tuesday, May 24, at the AWS Summit in Washington, D.C., an event that convenes public sector mission leaders to learn how cloud computing can drive innovation for government, education, space, nonprofit, and healthcare organizations. “The Supply Chain Information Highway is transformative, with a goal of enabling users to make scheduling, planning, and payment decisions prior to cargo arrival, reducing delays during each handoff on the way to customers,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “We’re very excited to collaborate with AWS, one of the most innovative companies in the world, to supercharge this endeavor.” “The difference between our data solution and others that are used to track cargo is that we talked to industry stakeholders before we started to develop it. Our business partners told us they wanted access to a platform that securely collected, curated, and published cargo information,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Steven Neal. “We’re pleased now to be working with technology leader AWS to bring us that much closer to making this a reality.” The flexibility was requested by industry partners the Port engaged during an extensive outreach process and ensures the data solution can inform stakeholders at every level of the supply chain and is accessible to Fortune 500 beneficial cargo owners and small businesses alike. “Global supply chain issues have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, even as conditions improve from unprecedented challenges we’ve faced over the last couple of years,” said Kim Majerus, Vice President, U.S. Education, State, and Local Government, AWS. “However, the Port of Long Beach has been a leader in listening to its customers, evaluating where investments should be made to improve operations and leveraging best-in-class technology to develop resources and tools for supply chain leaders to deliver their cargo faster and more efficiently. AWS applauds the Port for developing this Supply Chain Information Highway.” St. Louis-based technology firm UNCOMN is working with the Port to develop the Supply Chain Information Highway software. UNCOMN is partnered with AWS, which will provide the cloud computing infrastructure and services for the Supply Chain Information Highway to function, storing the information in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), a solution that offers industry-leading scalability, data availability, security, and performance.
EP 281: Newcastle Systems at MODEX 2022
In this episode, I was joined by Pat Hoskins of Newcastle Systems at MODEX 2022. Newcastle Systems is focused on bringing mobile workstations to your operation in order to increase process accuracy and productivity. We discuss how Newcastle Systems is focused on increasing this process accuracy, how they are helping to get more out of employees, and their roots as a lean organization. Key Takeaways Newcastle Systems provides mobile workstations which are very smartly designed and allow for further productivity. I have utilized them myself in multiple jobs and I cannot imagine being in an operation that is not utilizing them. They allow you to have a full work set up where ever you need through their mobile battery technology. Not only are they known for being used in the warehousing environment, but they are also recently seeing success for technicians using their stations too where they can have their tools on the cart and have the computer in front of them to reference work instructions or other needed materials. Pat discusses the importance of process accuracy and why that can slow an operation down. When we look at standardizing our processes it is important that the process is done the same way every time because that is how you have determined the best way to do the process. The mobile carts help to ensure that accuracy because they allow you to do the work where you are actually working. Pat utilizes a great example of receiving pallets where instead of walking back and forth to print labels and check products into the system, you can take the cart with you and do all of those actions at the pallet itself. This helps ensure better accuracy and also eliminates the waste of walking back and forth. As I have discussed with Newcastle Systems on the show before, they are a lean organization and they try to bring that mindset and knowledge into their customer’s organizations as well. Pat discusses how they begin to do that and we discuss the initial challenges of getting people to see the waste that is present in their operation. Once you are able to get people to understand just how much time they are spending walking or quantify it into a cost then their eyes start to open to all of the waste that is potentially present. EP 281: Newcastle Systems at MODEX 2022
BeerBoard names Josh Solomon Vice President of Channel Partnerships
BeerBoard a provider of technology and automated business intelligence for the on-premise retail industry has announced that Josh Solomon has been named the company’s vice president of channel partnerships. Solomon has spent the last 16-plus years in various positions with the company, including sales, client relationship management, client support, and service and product validation/R&D. Most recently, Solomon focused his efforts to support BeerBoard’s National Accounts Division for concepts such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Twin Peaks, Main Event, World of Beer, TGI Fridays, American Social, Abby’s, Grub Burger Bar (now Hopdoddy Burger Bar), FAT Brands, Reach Restaurant Group and Smokey Bones, among others. Working closely with BeerBoard’s retail client-partners, Solomon has helped them realize the benefits of BeerBoard’s full technology stack, with an emphasis on automated ordering, automated inventory, and industry insights/data. “With the national rollout of SmartOrders and the integrations with scores of industry partners, we now need to dedicate a person to manage the success of our fast-growing Channel Partnership Network,” said John Boyle, BeerBoard’s Senior Vice President of Business Development. “With his industry knowledge and vast relationships, Josh is the right person to step into this role and drive the growth of our channel partnerships.” “BeerBoard’s proven track record of success, coupled with our strong retail, brewer, and distributor relationships, it is the right time to branch out to other industry providers and stakeholders to promote mutual benefits to the industry as a whole,” Solomon said. “We are excited to continue our next phase of growth through the expansion of current relationships and formation of new industry partners.” BeerBoard’s robust client list features high-profile independent groups and major chain operators across North America. Retailers include industry leaders Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, Twin Peaks, WingHouse, Mellow Mushroom, and TGI Fridays. BeerBoard also partners with major brewers including Molson Coors, Boston Beer, Constellation Brands, Lagunitas, Heineken, Diageo, and Yuengling.
Kyocera strengthens its leadership team with the addition of new Vice Presidents of Software & ICT and Channel Sales
Kyocera Document Solutions America, Inc. has announced the appointment of Joseph Fuccillo as Vice President of Software & ICT, and Donald DuVall, as Vice President of Channel Sales. The duo arrives as the latest reinforcements to Oscar Sanchez’s team of experts, leading Kyocera with a diverse range of backgrounds. These two new faces bring vast experience in their fields and industries, to add to the team. It builds upon Sanchez’s renovation of Kyocera’s leadership team since his appointment as President & CEO in 2018. “It is a great source of pride and excitement for us to welcome Joe and Don to our team,” Sanchez said. “They are two very accomplished individuals who will help to guide the future of our organization, using their vast experience and first-class minds to bring new ideas to Kyocera. They will help our team to achieve all the objectives that we have outlined for the present, while also working alongside our leadership team to determine our vision for the future.” The arrival of Fuccillo builds upon the company’s increasing commitment to the world of ICT Services. Armed with experience as a leader of Managed and Professional Service at Hitachi Vantara/Hitachi Data Systems, a Fortune 500 company specializing in products and services for cloud computing, data center management, Internet of Things, data protection, and big data analytics, he comes well-equipped to lead Kyocera’s charge in the field. “Joe’s background is exactly the kind of area that we needed to strengthen. Managed IT and Communication Services will form a core pillar for the future of Kyocera, and Joe is the ideal leader to take on this exciting project of establishing Kyocera as a player in the industry, building upon our existing services and a team of experts,” Sanchez added. Channel Sales also remain a fundamental area within the company’s operations. Arriving with over 25 years of industry experience, DuVall previously led Konica Minolta’s dealer business unit and acted as Vice President of Sales for Impact Networking as he led their startup operation in Southern California. His proven track record in the industry and the perfect mix of experience on both the side of a manufacturer at Konica Minolta and the side of dealers with Impact Networking gives him a unique profile when it comes to establishing plans for Kyocera to give their partners exactly what they need to grow. “From the first time I spoke to Don, I was already immensely impressed by his knowledge of the industry and the channel. He knows and understands the importance of having committed partnerships with dealers of all shapes and sizes, and how to help dealers to achieve more. I’m already looking forward to seeing how we can put his knowledge to work within Kyocera,” Sanchez indicated. Both departments are essential to Kyocera’s long-term strategy of diversification of its product portfolio while building ever-stronger relationships with dealer partners across the U.S. With these arrivals, Sanchez and the existing leadership team will benefit from the innovation and impetus of proven industry leaders in their fields. The appointments also come at the perfect time, giving Fuccillo and DuVall time to get to grips with Kyocera, their new team, and stakeholders ahead of their REIMAGINE Dealer Conference to be held in San Antonio, Texas, in June.
Concentric, LLC acquires Mesa Technical Associates, Inc.
Concentric, LLC, a national provider in DC power management and on-site maintenance for the material handling and critical power industries, has announced the acquisition of Mesa Technical Associates, a premier provider of power systems for mission-critical infrastructure. This acquisition supports the continued expansion of Concentric’s geographic footprint as a leading critical power provider in New York and the Northeastern U.S. Joining Concentric, Mesa’s personnel, and their expertise will further enhance Concentric’s capabilities in serving customers across the electric utilities, telecommunications, and energy storage systems space. “We are extraordinarily excited to add the Mesa team to the Concentric family. This acquisition expands our critical power footprint in the northeast region while adding key talent to our team. Mesa brings a talented group of individuals with a long track record of developing unique solutions for utility and telecommunications customers. They are a welcome addition to our business and leadership team,” said Concentric Chief Operating Officer, John Winter. As a provider of turn-key DC power solutions, Mesa Technical Associates design, install and service a wide range of energy & power electronics products, batteries, power plant enclosures, and structures, as well as complementary telecommunications products. “Our utility, telecommunications, and industrial customers are operating in an increasingly complex world. We are thrilled to join the Concentric team to expand our capabilities and footprint, ensuring we can meet customers’ growing needs,” said Mesa Technical Associates President and Principal, Howard Gartland. “The complement of Concentric and Mesa provides clients in the traditional electric utility space and the emerging energy storage space an accomplished team of professionals that can support the complexities of new solutions that solve their evolving needs for cleaner and greener power,” said Mesa Technical Associates Executive Vice President and Principal Carey O’Donnell. Concentric is an OnPoint Group company, the only national material handling, and facility services organization in the United States.
SRSI announces integrator relationship with DEMATIC
SRSI (Slate River Systems, Inc.) and Dematic signed an integrator relationship agreement. SRSI will now be a certified integrator of all Dematic equipment. SRSI is known for its strong customer relationships and quality of work, and with the experience of industry experts at Dematic, looks to further grow its offerings. “We are very excited to be working with Dematic’s team,” Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jovan Bjelobrk states. “This relationship will allow us to offer their wide variety of products to SRSI customers which widens our solution base even further.” Dematic designs, builds, and supports intelligent automated solutions empowering and sustaining the future of commerce for its customers in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. “At Dematic, we want to work with integrators that have a similar drive for innovation, unparalleled customer service, and a sound strategy that contributes to Dematic’s continued growth. We look forward to working with SRSI and their customers,” said Scott Hinke, Director of Integrator Network Sales, Americas, Dematic.
SnapFulfil client gets hands-on for quicker, slicker multi-site implementation
An online farmer-to-farmer and Ag tech company has fast-tracked its expansion plans thanks to a tailored ‘Self Implementation’ program from WMS provider, SnapFulfil, that enables customers to onboard the solution themselves. With demand for their products and services soaring, Farmers Business Network (FBN) needed to increase its warehouse capacity with the opening of 15 new DCs across the American Midwest in a year, whilst retaining greater cost, labor, and inventory efficiencies. The ability to remotely implement and self-configure the WMS was essential to overcome the challenges of the global pandemic, decrease rollout time, and provide FBN with greater control, more independence, and internal system expertise. The first DC to be onboarded, in Newton, Iowa, and 186,000 sq. ft, quickly delivered vastly improved picking efficiencies. The automated approach also eliminated the number of people manually involved and – with an eye to the future – delivered a standardized and more professional process that workers across all subsequent sites could easily follow. FBN’s System Engineer, Darci Fluit, was initially schooled in both project control and project execution, including the likes of bespoke order transfer, stock management functionality, implementing the environment set up, rules engine configuration, and all the staff training required via web conferencing. “The SnapFulfil team are strong partners who provide clear instruction,” said Fluit. “They advised me on how best to interview our operational staff about their specific order volume and storage requirements; then map out the intricacies of the processes needed and phased implementation from the very beginning. “With each Go Live we saw increased speed and ease of implementation and by DC 5 we’d moved on to three simultaneous sites coming on stream, just a week apart,” added Fluit. “The robust program we have in place makes it possible and the economies of scale implications are obvious. We’ve also been able to handle more complex integrations.” SnapFulfil’s new Self Implementation documentation covers everything from data gathering, configuring the technical infrastructure, user preparation, and verification to data migration, stock take, and validation, plus go-live support. With a proven and ever-improving onboarding program now firmly entrenched in the processes at FBN, the California-based company has begun expanding its fulfillment operations to Canada and Australia.
Seeq launches Conneqt Global Industry Events
Seeq Corporation, a provider of manufacturing and industrial internet of things advanced analytics software, launched Conneqt, the company’s expanded global industry conference designed for manufacturing leaders to explore the latest innovations in advanced industrial analytics. From May 2-4, 2022, in Austin, Texas, Conneqt brought together a community of Seeq customers, partners, and experts in a fully immersive experience that provided access to transformative business trends, use cases, and proactive conversations through a series of interactive sessions. Customer presentations, from organizations including Chevron, Koch Ag & Energy Services, Eli Lilly & Company, Bristol Myers Squibb, Guardian Glass, and others, featured Seeq use cases and best practices for addressing the complex business issues facing the process industries today. Hands-on training sessions, fireside chats with customers, and forward-thinking cloud partner discussions with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure delivered first-hand insights on conquering data and process control challenges across a variety of industries. Dr. Lisa Graham, Seeq CEO, kicked off the event, highlighting the company’s journey from inception to the present day as well as its vision for the future of the product portfolio, which includes continued investments in extensibility, machine learning, and the cloud. “The goal of Conneqt is to provide an environment for our customers, partners, and other industry leaders to exchange ideas, data-driven insights, and manufacturing expertise that will drive sustainable and scalable business results for their organizations,” says Dr. Lisa Graham, CEO at Seeq. During the customer keynote presentation, “Accelerating Business Impact Through Cultural Innovation,” Brent Railey, Manager of Data Science at Chevron Phillips, shared how Seeq fits into the organization’s overall digital transformation strategy and how influencing organizational culture enabled his team to successfully drive adoption of the advanced analytics solution across multiple sites. “The successful adoption of any digital solution requires analysis of its relationship with the organization’s culture,” says Brent Railey, Manager of Data Science at Chevron Phillips. “By understanding the significant opportunities for improvement that Seeq could uncover and potential change management challenges before deployment, we could proactively address them to accelerate the positive production outcomes we achieved.” Limited sessions were recorded at Conneqt and will be offered on-demand on the Seeq website. Seeq customers include companies in the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, mining, food and beverage, and other process industries. The company has raised over $100M to date from investors including Insight Ventures, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, Altira Group, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Cisco Investments. Seeq is available worldwide in the Amazon Web Services Marketplace, the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, through a global partner network of system integrators, which provides training and resale support for Seeq in over 40 countries, and its direct sales organization in North America and Europe. In addition to cloud and channel partnerships, Seeq connects to an extensive set of data storage platforms from vendors including OSIsoft, Siemens, GE, Honeywell, Inductive Automation, AVEVA, AspenTech, Yokogawa, InfluxDB, Snowflake, and others.
EP 278: Signode at MODEX 2022
On this episode, I was joined by Mike Stein of Signode at MODEX 2022. I first spoke to Signode at ProMat 2019 when they had multiple solutions available to the market but they have since evolved to become an integrator as well as a solution provider. We discuss how that evolution came about and the importance of being able to provide end-to-end solutions for customers. Key Takeaways Signode is focused on making sure that your products are getting packaged and out the door in the most efficient and optimized way possible. Originally they had started out focusing on packaging and different components of packaging which we have spoken about here on the podcast but they have been able to evolve in the marketplace as an integrator as well. They recognized the fact that they were providing components that were helping operations become more efficient but had multiple requests for end-to-end solutions which they decided to take on themselves. As an integrator, they are now able to take your operation towards automation from end to end from automated wrappers to ASRS build-outs. Mike and I discuss the importance of being able to provide end-to-end solutions and how that can be beneficial to the customer. Having this option for the customer allows them to move faster and smoother. Working with multiple different companies can result in disconnects between systems and products which may result in frustration and ultimately long-term issues. By getting end-to-end solutions from one provider, a company can know that they are going to be on the same page and that the integration of different components will run smoothly. The New Warehouse Podcast EP 278: Signode at MODEX 2022
Industry veteran joins AutoScheduler as Chief Revenue Officer to accelerate growth
Co-Founder of LeanLogistics, Jeff Potts, brings 30 years of experience to empower the company for growth and greater profitability AutoScheduler.AI, an innovative Warehouse Management System (WMS) accelerator, adds Jeff Potts as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), empowering the company to accelerate growth and gain a more competitive edge. Jeff joins AutoScheduler with over thirty years of experience within the supply chain industry and proven success in business development and sales leadership. As CRO, Jeff will be responsible for developing new paths to revenue that drive predictable growth across sales and marketing. Jeff was one of the founders of LeanLogistics, the first transportation management system in the industry offered as a true Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. Jeff served as a corporate office and Board Member until LeanLogistics was sold to Brambles Limited in 2008 and later acquired by Kewill Systems in 2016. The company was rebranded as BluJay Solutions, where Jeff served as Vice-President of Client Services. “As one of five co-founders of LeanLogistics, I have a wealth of experience associated with starting a company, helping it grow, and creating value through strong relationships with customers and partners,” said Jeff Potts, CRO of AutoScheduler. “I bring my industry knowledge, business development acumen, visionary outlook, and team-building skills to drive growth for the company and execute go-to-market programs that capture market share.” “Jeff Potts is well-known in the industry and a proven leader, positioning him to greatly impact revenues and profitability for the company while driving value for our customers,” said Keith Moore, Chief Product Officer, AutoScheduler.AI. “Jeff will use strategy, analytics, and the best talent to target new customers and markets while deepening engagement with existing clients.” In 2021, BluJay was acquired by E2open, where Jeff served as the Vice President of Strategic Accounts. He currently is on the Supply Chain Management Advisory Board at Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago. Jeff graduated from Michigan State University with a BA Degree in Material & Logistics Management. He received Merchant Mariner Credentials for the U.S. Coast Guard and has Transportation Workers Identification Credentials with the Transportation Security Administration. Jeff received a patent in 2000 for Methods and apparatus for connecting shippers and carriers in the third-party logistics environment via the Internet. AutoScheduler is a WMS accelerator that maximizes the customer-facing output of the distribution center while understanding and respecting the different space, labor, and process constraints that exist within a warehouse. AutoScheduler reduces touches, cuts travel, and increases the capacity per labor unit to drive value. AutoScheduler more proactively identifies inventory and fulfillment bottlenecks to mitigate risk and improve outcomes.
EP 276: Supply Chain, A Family Affair at Open Sky Group
In this episode, I was joined by the father-daughter duo of Dave and Maddie Haley. They are both in the supply chain with Dave being from Open Sky Group on the solutions side and Maddie being from Genuine Parts on the continuous improvement side. We discuss their reactions to MODEX and the current warehousing environment. Key Takeaways When I featured Dave on the podcast at MODEX he mentioned that his daughter was also in attendance so I knew I had to get them together on the microphone. Dave provides supply chain solutions through Open Sky Group and his daughter has followed in his footsteps and is working for Genuine Parts helping to improve their distribution operations. Maddie was in attendance at MODEX as someone who is shopping for solutions so I thought it would be interesting to get her perspective. Overall, both Dave and Maddie had the same thoughts on their reaction to MODEX. While it is great to see all of the technology advancements and automation, they are concerned that companies will not fully optimize before they get to the point where they really should be utilizing automation or robotics. As we discuss, you don’t want to be stuck with robots sitting in the corner of your warehouse collecting dust. If you are going to move to automation you have to ensure that your processes are as optimized as possible first. Another great highlight is the growth that Maddie has experienced in the supply chain. She was able to get into a rotational program through Genuine Parts and has been able to experience multiple different aspects of the supply chain. She gives some great advice for students who are undecided on whether the supply chain is for them or are going to be graduating in the near future. Listen to the episode below and leave your thoughts in the comments. The New Warehouse Podcast EP 276: Supply Chain, A Family Affair