As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Gideon Brothers and the Atlantic Group are well known, highly successful companies and the pair coming together is likely to yield impressive results. The two companies have launched a project to develop an intelligent modular platform for process management in logistics, including a special solution for integrating autonomous mobile robots into a warehouse management system (WMS).
The central part of this research and development project are the advanced robots of the Croatian company Gideon Brothers, which will be directly connected to the WMS system of the Atlantic Group in its logistics and distribution centre in Velika Gorica near Zagreb. The move will serve as a testing ground for new product development and further testing.
As part of the large project, the Croatian Gideon Brothers will work on the development of the so-called “swarm” way of using robots, in which robots reach users in certain storage areas by following orders generated directly from the WMS system. Users will be able to read, on an integrated screen that the robots are equipped with, which products from a particular zone must be placed on the robot in order to complete a particular order.
One of the key objectives of the project is to increase the efficiency and flow of logistics operations to mitigate the risk of labour shortages, especially in periods of high demand.
“Humans are the main creators of value when it comes to logistics operations and that will certainly not change at any point in the foreseeable future. The close collaboration of humans and their robotic helpers is a way in which we can strengthen supply chains in the post-COVID-19 era and help the economy alleviate the pressure of labuor shortages and provide resources for growth. Our robots are here to help,” said Matija Kopic, CEO and co-founder of Gideon Brothers.
“We’re witnessing a robot revolution across various industries, accompanied by changes in attitudes. They’re no longer a threat to the business or existence of (human) workers, but experience has shown that they can be a useful tool, working together with people to make the role of the human employees easier, more fulfilling and more productive. With this new solution and the complete integration of robots into our logistics operations, we want not only to alleviate any labour shortages, but also to meet increasingly complex market and consumer demands while maintaining business stability and profitability,” added Darija Pizent, the Atlantic Group’s supply chain management director.
Given the great potential of the new solution, the two successful Croatian companies applied for co-financing from the European Structural and Investment Fund – Increasing the development of new products and services arising from research and development activities – Phase II, together with their academic partner, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Zagreb.
The Croatian Gideon Brothers company is one of the pioneers in the field of autonomous navigation for mobile robots. Their impressive technology is based on advanced, human-like 3D visual perception, which allows robots to recognise various objects and understand what surrounds them, making it easier to adapt to their environment and spot obstacles when working safely in close contact with human workers.
Robots and vehicles powered by Gideon Brothers’ technology currently work in warehouses and plants of some of the largest Croatian, European and global companies in the manufacturing, logistics and retail sectors.
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