PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Ecommerce Innovations
Warehouse technology continues to evolve across fulfillment, storage, inventory management, and parcel visibility. Here’s a look at new solutions designed to improve operational flexibility.
← Skypod. The Skypod system from warehouse automation company Exotec streamlines ecommerce fulfillment, eliminating the need for separate picking and packing zones. The Skypod system can process up to 600 bins an hour at each workstation. It stores and retrieves various packaging types and sizes, matching orders with the right container at the workstation. With one-to-one fulfillment at the workstation, operators pick items directly from one bin to one fulfillment container.
→ AgileStore. Warehouse automation provider Swisslog introduced AgileStore, a four-way roaming pallet shuttle for high-density pallet storage. The automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) offers a modular solution for warehouses seeking to maximize space utilization and adapt to changing demand. Developed in partnership with Eurofork, the roaming pallet shuttle transitions across aisles and levels via integrated lift systems, unlike traditional bi-directional shuttles.
← AutoStore FlexBins. Designed for SKU versatility, FlexBins accommodate a diverse range of products, from bulky grocery packs to oversized spare parts and apparel in multiple form factors. Compatible with existing AutoStore infrastructure, the FlexBins option introduces multiple bin heights, helps operators maximize cubic space, expands SKU coverage, and brings more workflows into the AutoStore Grid.
→ Corvus One. The autonomous inventory management system from Corvus Robotics provides hands-free, high-frequency inventory audits that directly sync with warehouse management systems. Recently deployed at skincare company Dermalogica’s main distribution center in Carson, California—which manufactures and distributes skincare products to retail, wholesale, and ecommerce channels worldwide—the system images the warehouse 52 times per year, representing a 600% increase in inventory imaging frequency.
← Attabotics Robotic Cube Storage. Attabotics’ goods-to-person cube storage technology replaces the rows and aisles of traditional fulfillment centers with a high-density, three-dimensional storage structure, reducing warehouse space requirements. Robotic shuttles move freely in both horizontal and vertical directions. Part of LaFayette Systems, a privately owned family of materials handling automation companies, Attabotics recently launched U.S. manufacturing operations in central Kentucky.
→ FedEx Tracking+ and FedEx Returns+. In collaboration with parcelLab, FedEx Corp. unveiled improved digital tracking and returns capabilities designed to help shippers simplify the customer experience after checkout. FedEx Tracking+ and FedEx Returns+ are two enhanced tools that can be embedded directly within a shipper’s own digital channels, adding an AI-powered, white-labeled layer that can improve visibility, communication, and operational efficiency throughout the delivery lifecycle.
← ferag.skyfall. Recently introduced by Ferag America, which provides intralogistics solutions for ecommerce and production, ferag.skyfall is a modular overhead conveyor system. Processing around 1,500 items per hour, the system provides an all-in-one solution for conveying, buffering, sorting, order picking, and consignment.
→ Maersk E-Commerce. Helping shippers scale up their parcel delivery capacity, Maersk E-Commerce enables companies to ship to 93% of the United States in less than 3 days. The service offers full delivery coverage in 32 countries across North America and Europe. It also operates a “factory-to-sofa” network, including international parcel shipping, customs clearance, and origin injection points in key locations throughout China and Southeast Asia.
← Wiliot Gen3 IoT Pixel. Wiliot now offers the Gen3 Pixel, the newest generation of its battery-free sensing technology which connects products to the cloud, letting retailers and supply chain companies track the location, temperature, humidity, and movement of goods across networks. Roughly the size of a postage stamp, the Gen3 IoT Pixel broadcasts encrypted BLE signals that can be read by certified devices and access points. The Gen3 Pixel feeds data to the Wiliot Intelligence Platform, which transforms raw sensor signals into actionable intelligence.