Storage Solutions Provides Robotics Demonstrations

As of 2018, Plainfield, Indiana, boasted 50% of all warehouse jobs in Central Indiana, including employers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Foxconn. As the supply chain and logistics industries continue to grow in Central Indiana – and Hendricks County in particular – there is a high demand for training and education to maximize employment for skilled labor.

To support that educational demand, Storage Solutions has partnered with Vincennes University’s Logistics Training and Education Center (VULTEC) to introduce students to on-demand automation and its increasing role in warehouse operations.

Storage Solutions has loaned Fetch Robotics’ HMIShelf robot, a picking transportation solution, to the Vincennes center for training purposes. The robot works alongside warehouse associates to carry a wide range of bins, totes, and packages from multiple pick zones or locations to a packing area. The HMIShelf is designed to reduce associate travel time, increasing productivity, and lessening the hardship of employees who would otherwise be carrying the loads.

“As a Fetch Solutions Certified Provider, we can be at the forefront of implementing on-demand automation in warehouse environments,” explained Nathan Storey, Vice President of Operations at Storage Solutions. “Our partnership with Vincennes allows us to help students of all ages learn about how warehouses currently operate, but also be prepared to adjust to technological advances.”

For the next two years, students and visitors to the VULTEC can obtain first-hand experience with the autonomous mobile robot and see how it can assist in real-world applications in the supply chain industry. Whether it comes to programming or picking, students in the programs will likely be working with elements of warehouse automation in some form in their next jobs.

“We are thrilled to have Storage Solutions exhibiting their automated mobile robots at our training and education center,” explained Debbie Furnish, Warehouse Technician at Vincennes’ Logistics Training and Education Center.

“Partnerships like these help us put premium value to the educational opportunities we give to our students. These AMRs are part of the future of the industry, so it gives our students a leg-up to have that first-hand knowledge of how they work and how to work with them.”

THE VULTEC is a 30,000 square foot warehouse that combines a hands-on learning environment with classroom instructions. Students gain the knowledge base that makes them attractive to potential employers while providing the opportunity to apply their education using the latest equipment and technology.

For more information on the VULTEC, visit www.vulogistics.com.