Note: Today’s post is part of our ‘Editor’s Picks’ series where we highlight recent posts from our sponsors that provide supply chain insights and advice. This article is from KNAPP and looks at innovations in online grocery shopping.
Food retailers mainly rely on Central Fulfillment Centers (CFCs) and Micro Fulfillment Centers (MFS) to fulfill their e-commerce orders. Companies are increasingly looking for innovative ways to fulfill their orders, essentially moving towards full automation.
Benefits of Complete Grocery E-Commerce Automation
One of the reasons grocery e-commerce is moving to fully automated warehouses is simply because it’s more economical. Automation comes with reduced error rates as well as improved and faster picking processes. This in turn increases throughput and efficiency. Another reason automation is booming is that highly automated concepts mean employees no longer need to do the heavy lifting. Food retailers as well as consumers benefit from this model, as they receive their ordered items quickly and in the best quality, which is complemented by flexible last mile solutions.
Robots with AI for shopping
Our Pick-it-Easy robot handles a wide range of groceries reliably and fully automatically. The robot uses its specially designed grippers to gently pick up and place delicate items. Thanks to its artificial intelligence provided by the artificial intelligence startup Covariant, the robot learns with each pick. Over time, it learns to process more and more types of items and automatically place them in the shopping cart. Several camera systems support the robot during the process. One of the cameras monitors the source container. Here, the article is identified followed by an analysis to determine which article the robot should choose next. This way, the Pick-it-Easy robot keeps a good track of the source container, which is why it always knows how best to handle an item. This information is also used to place the item in the best possible location in the target container or basket. Heavy and less delicate foods are placed in the bag first. Lighter objects are placed on top. This creates a conveniently packaged bag of groceries ready for direct delivery to the consumer. And that brings us to our next innovative process.
To read the full article, click here.
