California-based Fetch Robotics worked with Honeywell to create autonomous pallet transportation for distribution centres.

The offering combines autonomous mobile robots from Fetch with Honeywell’s Momentum warehouse execution system software and expertise to optimise fulfilment and distribution operations.

The Pallet Transport 1500 is an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) that supports cross-docking, returns and case picking workflows for contactless pallet transport in distribution centres. It will use Honeywell’s Momentum warehouse execution system software, known as Momentum WES, to move safely pallets and other large payloads up to 1136kg. This is designed to support workflows for ecommerce fulfilment, store replenishment and wholesale distribution centre operations.

With next and even same-day delivery quickly becoming expected service levels, distribution centres are under immense pressure to meet rising consumer expectations with a limited labour supply. To contend with growing order volumes and accelerated order cycle times, many facilities have increased their reliance on forklifts despite the safety risks; each year, over 11% of all forklifts are involved in an injury, and a single work site injury can cost facility owners an estimated $150,000.

Additionally, with vendors demanding increasingly strict service level agreements and the diversity of SKUs exploding exponentially, it’s no longer possible to keep up with delivery commitments just by hiring more people. Traditional warehouse workflows in which associates fulfil individual orders one at a time are breaking down, leading to inefficient pick paths through large warehousing facilities. This approach results in unnecessary travel time and reduced picking volume, a problem that is further exacerbated by rising order volumes.

“Even the most well-managed distribution centres are struggling to keep up with the on-going growth of ecommerce, which is putting tremendous stress on facilities and warehouse associates to move goods in and out of facilities at record speed,” said Fetch chief product officer Stefan Nusser. “By combining Fetch’s new Pallet Transport 1500 with Honeywell Intelligrated’s Momentum WES, distribution and fulfilment centres will now be able to orchestrate every aspect of automated warehouse execution for maximum facility efficiency and safety.”

The Pallet Transport 1500 consists of the Fetch Freight 1500 AMR with an integrated lift and a pick-up and delivery station, and already conforms with the new Ansi RIA R15.08 standard for autonomous mobile robots.

When combined with Momentum WES, which is designed to address ecommerce fulfilment by orchestrating nearly every aspect of automated warehouse execution, the Pallet Transport 1500 can manage long-haul material transport without any need for human involvement, saving the time spent operating forklifts and freeing up workers for more value-added activities.

By taking care of long-haul movements in the facility and keeping forklifts contained to inbound and outbound docks, it can reduce injuries and create a safer, more efficient warehouse environment overall.

“To compete in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of ecommerce, modern distribution and fulfilment centre operations are introducing increasing levels of automation,” said Thomas Evans, CTO of Honeywell Robotics. “Too often these automated systems operate independently, performing very discrete tasks and processes. This collaboration with Fetch to have a turnkey solution with Momentum gives those in the ecommerce industry a competitive advantage that will optimise productivity, increase operational safety and provide significant return on investment.”

Through the integrated Pallet Conveyance, facilities can leverage the Pallet Transport 1500 to support a wide variety of workflows including:

• Cross-docking: The AMR can transport pallets directly from inbound to outbound shipment areas. After pallets are unloaded from the truck, the AMR carries pallets routed from the inbound trailers and containers directly to the respective outbound shipping area location.
• Returns: Once inbound items are sorted based on product type or vendor, the AMR transports pallets to their appropriate return station such as inventory, recycle, charity and so on.
• Warehouse transport: After received products are unloaded and palletised, the AMR moves inventory to storage locations based on business needs.

This offering builds on Fetch’s on-going partnership with Honeywell, which combines Honeywell software with Fetch’s existing suite of AMRs to support autonomous workflows for smaller payloads. With the additional capabilities of the Pallet Transport 1500, the combined offering now supports picking and material movement workflows for payloads of all sizes, enabling a fully optimised warehouse environment.

Fetch Robotics is an intralogistics automation company headquartered in Silicon Valley. By combining AMRs with the cloud, its platform provides on-demand automation for material handling and inventory management, with the power to find, track and move almost anything in any facility.