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Mecalux and MIT launch Intelligent Logistics Systems Lab
Mecalux SA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a five-year project to expedite the integration of artificial intelligence in logistics. The partners said they will use the MIT Intelligent Logistics Systems Lab to explore new applications of AI models “with significant potential for business and society.”
In the first year of their collaboration, the teams at the MIT Intelligent Logistics Systems Lab and Mecalux plan to research two ways to accelerate innovation. The first will focus on increasing the productivity of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Using advanced simulation, optimization, and machine learning techniques, researchers will develop a “swarm intelligence” system enabling multiple robots to operate as a single entity, making collective decisions. The second research area will center on training self-learning AI models. The Intelligent Logistics Systems Lab intends to design systems capable of learning from demand patterns and anticipating new customer purchasing habits.
PepsiCo installs its first automated warehouse in Poland with Mecalux
PepsiCo, a global leader in food and beverages, has installed its first automated warehouse in Poland, its most sustainable in Europe. Automation facilitates production with the push system, which involves manufacturing in advance to meet anticipated demand.
The facility was designed in line with the push system, which involves manufacturing in advance to meet anticipated demand. While this method reduces unit costs, it requires sufficient space to manage large production runs. With 9,000 locations, PepsiCo’s new finished goods warehouse receives a large number of pallets daily, loaded with ready-to-ship bags of potato crisps for clients. “The production process is fully integrated with the automated warehouse. Each potato crisp bag is transported from the manufacturing area to final packaging, ready to be picked and loaded onto the lorry,” says Pietrusa.
Transporting goods internally between storage and production is now faster thanks to electric monorail and conveyor systems for pallets. These solutions also connect the warehouse with the docking area, facilitating the shipment of thousands of pallets a day. The electric monorail deposits pallets ordered by clients into five double-channel live roller conveyor lines. Each channel has a 34-pallet capacity. SKUs are grouped according to delivery route, vehicle type, client and shipping priority, among other factors.