Sumitomo Drive Technologies taps Seegrid for AMRs

Seegrid Corporation, a provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for material handling, has announced that Sumitomo Drive Technologies has selected Seegrid’s mobile automation solutions for its expanding manufacturing operations.

The power transmission component manufacturer chose Seegrid’s Palion AMR fleet and Fleet Central enterprise software to support autonomous hauling of parts and equipment between its existing 250,000 square foot assembly facility and its new 100,000 square foot warehouse. Seegrid’s customer portfolio of global brands in logistics, e-commerce, and manufacturing utilize the company’s automation products and services to propel corporate initiatives, reduce lean waste, and build operational resiliency, Seegrid explained.

“Seegrid combines proven technology with expert automation services to ensure our customers’ automation initiatives deliver ROI from day one,” said Jim Rock, Chief Executive Officer at Seegrid. “Sumitomo is well-positioned to safely and continuously optimize, adapt, and expand their use of mobile automation as their material handling requirements scale.”

Seegrid’s entire fleet of intelligent AMRs navigate dynamic industrial environments using the company’s innovative autonomy technology, Seegrid IQ, which fuses data from cameras, LiDAR, and machine learning models with the company’s proprietary 3D computer vision system, according to the company. Sumitomo integrated Seegrid’s Palion Tow Tractors into their daily material handling workflows to increase productivity and reduce cost of non value-added activitie. Sumitomo visually tracks and optimizes real-time Palion AMR material movement with Supervisor, Seegrid’s fleet management software solution, Seegrid added.

“Reliability is a critical factor in getting parts to the line—the initial Seegrid Palion Tow Tractor workflow is 3,000 feet round trip, running up to 30-40 times per day,” said Tony Barlett, Vice President of Business Operations at Sumitomo Drive Technologies. “Seegrid had us up and running in three days—fully trained and confident, our operators immediately identified more opportunities to leverage the technology.”