Third-party logistics providers, or 3PLs, have an urgent need for efficiency at a scale that robots can address. Last week, Onward Robotics said it will provide its Meet Me automation to Distribution Management, or DM. Today, it announced plans to deploy robots and software with FST Logistics.
“DM has an established history of order fulfillment and inventory management innovation, and we’re proud they’ve recognized Onward’s Meet Me solution as the breakthrough industry leader in automated order fulfillment,” stated Lance VandenBrook, CEO of Onward Robotics.
“FST is a trusted leader in the logistics industry, and we’re proud to provide an innovative, scalable, and cost-effective automation solution that drives end-to-end efficiency and enhances the overall operations of their CPG [consumer packaged goods] customers,” he added.
Founded in 2012 as IAM Robotics, Onward Robotics spun out of Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC). The Pittsburgh-based company now offers the Lumabot autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and the Pyxis orchestration software.
Register today to catch all of the action
Meet Me gets traction in multiple markets
Onward said its Meet Me system automates person-to-goods (P2G) workflows in warehousing, distribution, and e-commerce operations. This provides the boost in productivity, flexibility, and speed that companies need to remain competitive and grow, it claimed.
“We’ve had a warm welcome from the market for Meet Me since 2022,” Jay Link, chief commercial officer at Onward Robotics, told Automated Warehouse. “We’ve had customers of [IAM] legacy folks ping us.”
“At first, a lot of companies were intrigued but didn’t want to be first. They had tried 6 River Systems and Locus,” he recalled. “Now, we have medical device, industrial supply, and more 3PLs responding. Hospitals look a lot like e-commerce replenishment.”
Lumabot has a bigger payload capacity than that of other AMRs, at 450 lb. (204.1 kg). This enables it to handle bulkier items, such as apparel or crutches, he explained.
While some customers are using Onward’s AMRs plus those of other vendors, as well as truck-unloading robots and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), they’re mostly in separate zones.
“Person to goods doesn’t compete with goods-to-person volumes or form factors. Some people ask about the interoperability piece and would love a ‘single plane of glass,'” Link noted. “WMS and WES companies say their software can be the peanut butter spread between them, but the industry is not there yet.”
DM turns to automation to accelerate order processing
Distribution Management is a 3PL for consumer brands and a wholesale distributor serving the imaging reseller channel. With more than 50 years of experience with inventory management, the St. Charles, Mo.-based company said it strives to deliver efficient order fulfillment to meet e-commerce demands.
“Onward’s Meet Me solution is an intelligent, scalable, and flexible way to increase efficiency and optimize order-picking workflows in our fulfillment centers,” said Rick Goe, senior vice president of supply chain management at DM.
In the first quarter of this year, DM plans to install Meet Me in its fulfillment center in St. Peters, Mo. The company said it expects the robots and software to enhance its ability to process orders quickly and maintain its 99.98% order accuracy. This replaces a deployment of AMRs from another vendor.
“DM is one of the first to transition between robotics solutions,” said Link. “We’ve had IT systems conversations, and there have been some process changes and change management.”
Onward said its Meet Me model decouples the work of warehouse associates and Lumabot AMRs, allowing each to function as independent agents of the overall fulfillment system. Pyxis uses intelligent mission planning and dynamic labor balancing to optimize task management. This reduces unproductive travel time and enables re-routing of robots as needed, the company asserted.
“We’re using three metrics in our deployment with DM,” said Link. “First is the proximity of the workers to orders, and second is the priority of orders — we can flag rushes or VIPs. Third is dwell time, since the robot can get there before the human, we can reprioritize the picker. It’s like an equalizer on a stereo — we can move them around as we get smarter with machine learning. It’s also a function of preference, like if we want VIP orders to go faster.”
DM said it could expand the deployment to multiple sites this year.
FST Logistics works with Onward Robotics on picking
“FST chose Onward Robotics’ Meet Me solution as part of our ongoing commitment to finding innovative ways to increase pick and pack efficiency in our fulfillment centers,” said Zak Hancock, chief operating officer of FST Logistics. “Leveraging Onward’s unique Pyxis technology and user-friendly Lumabot AMRs as part of our order-fulfillment processes will empower our team, boost throughput, and allow us to continue providing exceptional service that keeps our customers’ supply chains moving.”
FST Logistics is a 100% employee-owned 3PL specializing in warehousing, transportation, and distribution. The company serves customers across industries including CPG, offering systems customized to meet their specific supply chain needs.
Onward Robotics said Meet Me will reduce travel times and increase capacity for high-volume payloads in FST’s warehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
FST Logistics plans to deploy Pyxis, which uses proprietary algorithms to manage human picker and robot workflows, optimizing the flow of goods. Directed by a wearable device, pickers will interact with Lumabot’s put-to-light shelving, reducing human error and driving efficiency for increased customer satisfaction, the companies said.
“Labor isn’t as hard to find as during COVID, but it’s still unpredictable and inconsistent,” said Link. “We don’t eliminate humans, but collaborative robots help release that dependency and can absorb inconsistency.”
“We’ll have five contracts and eight deployments by the end of this year, and every customer has multiple sites,” said Link. “We’ve scheduled constant demonstrations at ProMat.”
Onward Robotics will be exhibiting at Booth N8132 at Chicago’s McCormick Place next week.
