Robotic gantry picking builds mixed pallets, saves space

In a press conference held Tuesday, RMT Robotics (Booth 3821) unveiled new robotic gantry designs for automated case, layer and crate picking in food and beverage distribution facilities.

Intended for high-volume, high-SKU, mixed-pallet distribution, the scalable systems do not require fixed infrastructure like racking or shelving, said Bill Torrens, director of sales and marketing.

“The compact design of the storage space under the gantry ensures higher processing rates per square foot than most picking systems,” he noted.

Additionally, the systems generate rainbow-style pallets, accommodating the high level of SKU variety demanded by retail customers. “Manual operations simply cannot keep up with that level of demand,” Torrens continued. “The systems are also ideal for cold-storage environments.”

Other benefits of the robotic gantry picking systems are space-savings through the compact storage footprint beneath the unit for higher processing rates per square foot, error-free picking and improved traceability, with the system providing details about the location of all products.

ProMat 2011 will be held March 21 - 24, 2011 at McCormick Place South in Chicago. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry.

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