As robot fleets grow, so does the need to orchestrate them and other warehouse systems. enVista LLC yesterday launched its proprietary enMotion platform, which includes multiple robotic technologies to optimize distribution center, or DC, operations. The robots will use GreyOrange Inc.’s GreyMatter AI-driven orchestration platform.
“The warehouse is a highly dynamic environment,” stated Jim Barnes, CEO of enVista. “Every facility is a combination of movements, from materials and people to systems and data, that are working together toward a key business outcome. enMotion by enVista is entering the market as a suite of solutions that will cover every moving piece in the warehouse and DC.”
Carmel, Ind.-based enVista provides supply chain technology consulting services, material handling automation, Microsoft solutions, and IT managed services. The company said it has more than 20 years of domain expertise and serves thousands of leading brands.
Now accepting session submissions!
enMotion includes two robots, RaaS model
enMotion dynamically orchestrates multiple automated guided vehicles (AGVs), collaborative robots, and goods-to-person (G2P) systems, said enVista.
enMotion’s first offering consists of a single and double-deep pallet cobot focused on full case selection. enVista claimed that the enMotion robots with GreyMatter software will reduce travel and search times by nearly 80%.
Both cobots are equipped with lidar-guided simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) navigation and 360-degree scanners for enhanced safety. enVista said these autonomous forklifts navigate using features of the warehouse as opposed to reflectors, enabling them to detect objects and people and to adjust course.
With enMotion’s robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model, warehouse operators can rapidly scale deployments of warehouse automation in their facilities without capital expenditures, the company noted. It added that manufacturers can use the subscription-based model for integrations across warehouse execution systems (WES), warehouse control systems (WCS), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
In addition, the RaaS model provides full lifecycle support, flexibility, and data-driven optimization, said enVista.
“enMotion’s cobots are just the first of many enMotion solutions that will make huge strides in manufacturing and distribution operations,” said Barnes. “The unique level of innovation and creativity they can provide supply chain leaders, free from technological constraints, will be invaluable for meeting demand fluctuations, reducing labor dependency and optimizing throughput in real time.”
enVista collaborates with GreyOrange
enVista explained that its robots will use GreyOrange’s GreyMatter multi-agent orchestration platform plus enMotion’s WES and WCS integrations to drive movement of orders and inventory in DCs.
“Most notable about our inaugural enMotion solution, enMotion Robotics, is that the power of GreyMatter allows our collaborative robots to remain pallet type-agnostic, providing a flexibility of integration that cannot be found elsewhere in the industry,” said Barnes.
Last month, enVista joined GreyOrange’s Certified Partner Network of systems integrators supporting GreyOrange’s Warehouse Orchestration and gStore Retail Software as a Service.
“AI-powered orchestration has a transformative effect on warehouse efficiency and significantly reduces overall cost per unit,” said Akash Gupta, co-founder and CEO of GreyOrange. “With this solution, enVista and GreyOrange are bringing a whole new level of efficiency, scalability and flexibility to the supply chain.
“Not only will customers be able to boost their productivity by two to four times, but they’ll also receive payback within six to 18 months of operation,” he added.
Founded in 2012, GreyOrange said its GreyMatter and gStore systems use artificial intelligence to continuously optimize automation, inventory, and workforce management for some of the world’s largest retailers and third-party logistics providers (3PLs).
Through real-time visibility into omnichannel nodes and the orchestration of robotic agents, people, and systems, customers can reduce their cost per unit, eliminate lost inventory, ensure worker safety and productivity, and enhance in-store experiences, claimed the Atlanta-based company.
