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Exclusive Interview: Mark Messina, COO Americas, Geek+America Inc

Geek+ lets robots do what robots do well, and humans do what humans do well.

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Exclusive Interview: Mark Messina, COO Americas, Geek+America Inc. Image: Geek+
Exclusive Interview: Mark Messina, COO Americas, Geek+America Inc. Image: Geek+
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Geek+America , COO Americas Mark Messina in an exclusive interview with Freightcomms to tell us more abouts AI-driven global warehouse robotics market

How is industrial automation changing the new ways of doing business?

The impact of automation is quite large– depending on which hardware or software you’re using, it will affect everything from the production process to the delivery of goods. It’s easy to underestimate the impact of automation on product quality, transport, and delivery experience. Customers have come to expect levels of service that were unobtainable before the scale-up of industrial automation.

How are Geek+ autonomous robots becoming the primary differentiator in the global warehouse robotics market?

Our solutions enable companies to provide a superior customer experience. Today, three-days-or more delivery is no longer accepted, with customers preferring stores that offer free same-day or next-day delivery. Our systems enable real-time accurate delivery estimates to fulfill customer expectations. Apart from providing visibility, our systems empower fulfillment centers to deliver goods in ten seconds compared to a minute or more in traditional fulfillment centers. This allows the order to be completed to satisfy the customers’ need for instant gratification while reducing the cost per item fulfilled.

 Could you tell us more about your AI-driven mobile robot solutions?

Our integrated software and hardware platforms leverage machine learning to optimize the utilization of physical assets. There are many aspects to this; key elements include the real estate utilization by optimizing storage density, robot assets through logical task management, route and maintenance management, energy conservation, and human resources. These assets are applied in the most efficient and effective way. In essence, Geek+ lets robots do what robots do well, and humans do what humans do well.

What is the future of distribution centers in terms of the automation industry?

We’re working on this. We will continue to apply machine learning and AI techniques to further upstream and leverage cloud compute and 5G connectivity in the near future. This enables Geek+ to share optimizations in real-time across all of our deployments. In the long term, we see further commoditization of hardware while operational intelligence continues to be refined. Geek+ makes highly complex, highly integrated mission-critical systems flexible, reliable, scalable while offering in-depth and actionable data to the operator.

Is sustainable operations an important point of consideration with mass handling of volumes in warehouses? How is Geek+ contributing to sustainable operations and waste management?

Sustainability is not only an environmental and financial issue, but it has become a cultural issue as well. Our systems are especially efficient in that robots will only carry an item if there’s an order command. Traditional systems tend to run many elements, such as conveyors, that operate and consume as much power carrying one item as they do carrying 1000’s of items. Therefore, peak and nominal demand consume similar power. Geek+ robots only consume the power required to operate. This has a cascade effect as energy consumed by a device in a building generates heat, requiring more energy to cool the building by that amount. It’s a double whammy environmentally, or for us, a big win.

 What are Geek+ plans in terms of global expansion?

Geek+ plans to continue the expansion of our already broad and deep product portfolio with the goal to provide flexible, scalable, and functional automation. As eCommerce business continues to be more dynamic and unpredictable, our end users can invest in systems that will help them to quickly scale and grow their business. We believe that by offering this value, we will maintain our position as the world’s biggest logistics robot provider.

 

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Logistics & Supply Chain

Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley

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Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Image: Ryder
Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Image: Ryder
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Ryder System, Inc., a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, announces the establishment of Baton, A Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Baton’s mission is to pioneer a suite of groundbreaking customer-facing technologies designed to revolutionize how Ryder’s customers interact with their transportation and supply chain networks. These technologies will digitize and optimize networks at a level not currently available in the industry and will prepare Ryder for the coming artificial intelligence wave.

“The establishment of a Silicon Valley-based technology lab is a natural evolution for Ryder, as we build on the $1.3 billion in strategic investments we’ve made over the past five years to develop, acquire, and invest in innovative technologies, products, and services that help make our customers’ logistics networks more efficient and resilient,” says Karen Jones, CMO and head of new product development for Ryder. “To build on that success, it’s paramount we continue to invest in recruiting the brightest technology minds out there and provide them with a startup environment where they have the space and freedom to create, along with the resources of a $12 billion company.”

Leading Ryder’s innovation lab are Andrew Berberick and Nate Robert, co-chief product and technology officers for Ryder. The two founded San Francisco-based startup Baton, which was known for the development of a proprietary logistics technology focused on optimizing transportation networks. Ryder initially invested in Baton’s Series A funding round and then acquired the startup last year.

“What piqued our interest in Ryder then, and what keeps us excited today, is the fact that it’s the only fully integrated port-to-door logistics provider in North America managing the complex supply chains of many of the world’s biggest and best-known brands. That gives Ryder tremendous perspective and reach, and as engineers, it provides us with the unique opportunity to tackle some of the largest and most daunting problems in the industry today, while preparing Ryder and its customers for the coming AI wave,” says Berberick.

Baton’s first challenge is to create a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered digital platform and optimization engine that facilitates a new, integrated approach to managing transportation networks for customers where seasonality and fluctuating demand inhibit the continuous use of resources.

“There is a massive amount of waste when supply chains do not communicate. We believe we can change that and bring deep transformation to an entire sector,” says Robert. “That’s why we’re now actively recruiting talented technologists from some of Silicon Valley’s most respected technology firms to help solve some of the most complex problems plaguing the nearly $2.5 trillion North American transportation and logistics industry. We’re looking for engineers excited by the challenge and who want the autonomy and nimbleness of a startup environment but with the power, reach, and stability of a highly respected industry titan.”

Berberick holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Stanford University and worked for Google, Accenture, and Mindtribe; Robert holds a bachelor’s degree from MIT and master’s degree from Stanford University and worked for BuildZoom and Bain & Company, prior to cofounding Baton. Other key members of the Baton technology lab bring experience from Apple, Meta, OpenAI, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tesla, Loadsmart, Kinema Systems (acquired by Boston Dynamics), PlayStation, Zynga, and LinkedIn.

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Logistics & Supply Chain

Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals

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Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals. Image: APM Terminals
Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals. Image: APM Terminals
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Rail is acknowledged as the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land, with a gallon of fuel stretching an average of 500 miles, according to the Association of American Railroads. In July this year the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) endorsed the push for freight railroads, stating that the transport mode can play a key role in the solution to climate change.

That assessment is something that APM Terminals has been fully on board with for some time. We’re committed to raising the standards of responsibility by offering low or zero carbon solutions for customers and consumers through our decarbonisation efforts and increasing rail transport options.

Record loads in India

Take for example APM Terminals Pipavav, which has taken nearly 50,000 containers off the road to substantially reduce traffic congestion and pollution. Just last month the port handled 206 trains – the highest number this year so far, pulling significantly ahead of its previous loading record of 157 double stack trains in a month in 2020.

Carbon-conscious in the US

Pipavav is not an exception. A few months ago, our operations in Mobile Alabama announced a bumper $60 million rail expansion in response to demand from increasingly carbon-conscious customers.

According to EPA data, freight railroads account for just 0.5% of total US emissions and only 1.7% of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Added to this, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) states: “Moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers GHG emissions by up to 75%, on average”.

Sustainability with speed

The benefits of rail extend even beyond important net zero targets, as APM Terminals Americas Head, Leo Huisman acknowledges: “Our customers are looking for expanded options for their supply chains so we are focusing on faster connections to rail providers into inland markets.” The APM Terminals Mobile rail facility will therefore enable faster rail loading and departures.

Eyes trained on the future

Customer demand for sustainable and fast transport in the US and India is mirrored in Europe, where our colleague Homam Mansour is keeping his sights on the future of intermodal transport in his role as Rail Planner in our Gothenburg terminal, Sweden. Under his watch, Gothenburg has set an ambition to never refuse extra trains. Says Mansour: “We kept this promise throughout 2022, receiving and handling 84 extra trains requested by our customers at short notice”.

The commitment to rail has seen the volume of containers transported by rail via APM Terminals Gothenburg increase by 13% this year compared to 2021. More than 55% of all goods now reach the port by rail.

At APM Terminals globally, we train our sights on customer-focused, environment-friendly, and speedy supply chain solutions, and those priorities will continue to gain momentum.

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Environment

Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains

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Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains. Image: Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains. Image: Hapag-Lloyd
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Hapag-Lloyd has entered into a partnership with DB Schenker for the purpose of decarbonising supply chains. Following the launch of “Ship Green” in May, the renowned logistics provider has selected Hapag-Lloyd’s sustainable transport solution as part of its sustainability initiatives.

DB Schenker and Hapag-Lloyd have signed an agreement for emission-reduced container transports with a waste- and residue-based biofuel. By end of 2023, DB Schenker plans to claim approximately 3,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions avoidance. This is based on at least 1,000 tonnes of pure biofuel.

“We are excited about this new partnership with DB Schenker as we share the common goal of making logistics more sustainable. Collaborations like these set a clear signal in the industry and are another example of a step-by-step approach to further decarbonise supply chains”, said Henrik Schilling, Managing Director Global Commercial Development at Hapag-Lloyd.

“I am very pleased that together with Hapag-Lloyd we are setting another example for sustainability in our industry. This partnership further enlarges our global biofuel offer in ocean freight. With this commitment we are one step closer to our goal of becoming carbon-neutral”, said Thorsten Meincke, Global Board Member for Air & Ocean Freight at DB Schenker.

Hapag-Lloyd has launched the Ship Green product to offer its customers emission-reduced ocean transports. Based on biofuel, customers of Hapag-Lloyd can add Ship Green as an additional service to their existing bookings – thereby avoiding CO2e emissions. Using the so-called “Book & Claim” chain of custody, Hapag-Lloyd can attribute avoided emissions to all ocean-leg transports, regardless of the vessel and route used. Ship Green is available for all shipments containing standard, hardtop or tank equipment. By offering Ship Green, Hapag-Lloyd is continuing along its path towards achieving climate-neutral fleet operations by 2045.

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