AMR Locus Origin will be fully implemented in many of DHL Supply Chain’s 1,500 warehouses and distribution centers by the end of the year.
The logistics service provider has already deployed 3,000 AMRs worldwide, including more than 2,000 in North America, said Sally Miller, global digital transformation specialist at DHL Supply Chain, in an email.
According to Miller, demand for autonomous robots will be driven by three factors: ongoing employment problems, increased investment, and the growth of e-commerce.
“LocusBots in particular increase productivity by two to three times by reducing labor and operational costs while providing unparalleled flexibility to scale as needs change or opportunities for growth arise,” said Miller.
Miller declined to say which warehouses would receive the new robots, saying only “need and feasibility” will determine deployments.
“It is also important to note that an advantage of these AMRs is that [they] require very little setup enabling flexibility to quickly scale as demand increases or decreases,” Miller added
The logistics provider will use the expanded fleet to improve worker productivity, order accuracy, speed and efficiency, according to the press release.
“By using advanced robotics and data intelligence, we can further improve our operational efficiency, reduce processing time, and continue to improve our customer experience,” DHL Supply Chain Global CIO and COO Markus Voss said.
The news marks another expansion in DHL Supply Chain and Locus Robotics’ partnership, which officially began in 2017. What started then as a test for the logistics provider eventually grew to a fleet of 2,000 assisted picking robots by the end 2022.
Locus Robotics is rapidly expanding its customer base and also works with other warehouse operators. For example, Geodis has pledged to deploy 1,000 AMR robots in warehouses around the world in 2022. UPS and Cardinal Health have also partnered with Locus Robotics, according to the company’s website.
