Another Amazon acquisition
This week, the e-commerce giant Amazon revealed that it has purchased Ring – a global home security startup company that manufactures smart video doorbells along with other home security products. This acquisition provides Amazon with a better position in the home security and delivery markets as well as allowing the company to diversify its markets. Furthermore, it will help Amazon get a little bit closer to solving the last mile delivery problem of package theft.
The Ring Video Doorbell, which was previously featured on ABC’s Shark Tank back in 2013, could be a central component to Amazon’s Key Service that was launched in November last year and allows packages to be delivered into customers’ homes while they are away. With Ring’s Video Doorbells, motion detectors are used to identify someone approaching the door. Video footage is then sent to the customers’ smartphone app. As a result of the acquisition, Amazon is now in a new category of competition with rival Google, which is also expanding into video doorbells with the Nest Hello Video Doorbell.
More information about this acquisition can be found here.
Levi’s to establish a more sustainable supply chain
On Tuesday, Levi Strauss & Co (Levi’s), an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi’s denim jeans, announced it will be using a new operating model, dubbed Project F.L.X, to transform its supply chain. The new model allows the company to automate the garment finishing process by using a laser instead of manual techniques. For assistance in this digitally enabled design and development project, Levi’s consulted with their established partner Jeanologia, which is leader in eco-efficient solutions for garment finishing.
The new denim finishing method should be fully implemented by 2020 and can help the company be more responsive to local markets. As a result, Levi’s can reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals that are created. This is part of the clothing company’s goal to release zero chemical emissions by 2020. There are other environmental benefits from this project including reducing textile waste thanks to the more accurate operations. Moreover, with Project F.L.X, the company uses almost 100% recycled water in the final manufacturing stages and is looking into implementing this in other areas in the future.
To read more about this, click here.
More Robotics solutions for warehouses and distribution centers
This week, Magazino, a German startup company that develops mobile robots for intralogistics, revealed it had received $24.8 million in funding from a range of new investors including international technology group Körber, Fiege Logistics and Zalando. With this new investment, the robotics startup can continue to develop its robotics technology alongside its expansion plans. Magazino wants to grow its sales and distribution network both in Germany and internationally.
The technology used in the robots makes warehousing and order picking more dynamic as well as processes and ultimately companies more efficient through automation and intelligent material disposition in e-commerce and assembly lines. The main development of Magazino is its mobile picking robot TORU, which uses 3D camera technology to pick, handle and store individual objects. This means that the concept of ‘Pick-by-Robot’ becomes a reality. These innovations in robotics solutions could have a lasting impact on intralogistics.
To find more about the robot development, click here.
Have a great weekend!
