Berkshire Grey Shines at MODEX 2022

The Berkshire Grey team participated in MODEX 2022, the first major in-person U.S. supply chain experience trade show in two years, where the material handling industry showcased innovation to more than 37,000 attendees. This year’s MODEX event featured more than 850 exhibitors presenting a wide range of manufacturing and supply chain solutions. Attendees viewed cutting-edge technologies and learned about the latest trends in the industry.

Three New BG Robotic Solutions Showcased

Attendee excitement and the positive response to the three new robotic automation systems we demonstrated were contagious.

1) Robotic Shuttle Put Wall with Identification

This robotic product (BG RSPWi) is an automated put wall that integrates with existing eCommerce fulfillment processes to sort customer orders. The fulfillment process starts with batch-picked totes of diverse items arriving at the station. Next, an operator scans and places items onto an induction conveyor. The system then automatically shuttles and sorts items into order locations. The shelves light up to indicate completed orders, and an operator removes them from the shelf and packs them for shipment. The system delivers up to 300% improvement in sortation productivity, and because it supports larger batch sizes than manual sort walls can process, customers also experience up to a 30% improvement in the upstream batch-picking efficiency.

2) Robotic Pick and Pack with Identification for eCommerce Autobagging

This robotic product (BG RPPi) works with industry leading autobagger technologies to autonomously package eCommerce orders. The fulfillment process begins with totes of mixed SKUs that arrive at the packing area. Next, the RPPi system uses an industrial robot outfitted with advanced machine vision, sensor arrays, and AI software. The robotic system picks individual items, identifies the product barcode, orientates the item to safely and efficiently deposit it directly into a bag, and then does the placement. The BG RPPi passes the item identification information to the autobagger machine which bags, boxes, or wraps each item, sealing and labeling the package for shipment. Finally, the system conveys the finished packages to shipping.  

3) Mobile Robotic Sortation

Our mobile robotic sortation product (BG MRS) enables dynamic any-to-any induct-to-discharge sortation that turns any floor into a dynamic unit sortation system. BG MRS can sort nearly any type of case, item, package, and order container, including non-conveyable products like cases of water and large bags of pet food. The sortation process begins with goods getting inducted into the sortation field through FlexFeeds located on the periphery of the floor. Mobile FlexBots that work as an orchestrated fleet then transport the goods from induction points to buffer storage and then on to desired discharge points in an intelligent sequence, enabling any-to-any point-to-point sortation. Finally, the system discharges (via FlexFeeds) items, cases, and containers to conveyor systems or manual workstations to build store aisle-ready pallets or load delivery vans in route sequence.

Berkshire Grey Led a Well Attended Speaking Session

Chief Scientist Dr. Matt Mason and VP of Marketing Pete Blair led a speaking session at MODEX titled, “Robotic Pick, Pack, and Sort Systems at Fortune 50 Retailers Fill the Labor Gap.”

This well-attended session covered the difference between automating tasks and automating processes and how organizations can get started with robotic automation. Modern robotic systems can transform picking, sorting, packing, and shipping for a wide range of industries. It can also help organizations solve labor challenges and increase throughput.

What We Learned at MODEX This Year

Our team had some key learnings at MODEX 2022, such as: 

• Customers seek solutions, not products.
• Customer use cases are diverse, so modularity is critical in a solution.
• Customers seek margin growth and cost optimizations with supply chain automation and efficiencies.
• Integration and solution footprint are vital factors in customers’ decision-making process.
• Our customers value our products, and we will continue to develop cutting-edge robotic automation for supply chain applications.

We look forward to participating in ProMat 2023 and encourage everyone looking for innovative manufacturing and supply chain solutions to attend.

Accelerate Your Business with Intelligent Enterprise Robotics

Berkshire Grey’s portfolio of robotic automation solutions includes Robotic Package Sortation and Identification, Robotic Shuttle Put Walls, Robotic Shuttle Product Sortation, and Mobile Robotic Sortation and Fulfillment. Berkshire Grey’s automated solutions are modular, flexible, and available via Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) implementation models, allowing customers to accelerate the adoption of automation technology without upfront capital expenditures. For more information about BG’s latest Robotic Product Sortation solution, visit here. To learn more about Berkshire Grey and RPS, please visit BerkshireGrey.com and follow Berkshire Grey on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.