FedEx Ground has teamed up with intelligent enterprise robotics company Berkshire Grey to install a first-of-its-kind AI-enabled robotics solution in its Queens, New York, facility.
The Robotic Product Sortation and Identification (RPSi) systems will sort the thousands of small packages that arrive daily in bulk into containers bound for other specific hubs and stations across the FedEx Ground network.
RPSi has been engineered to autonomously process – pick, identify, sort, collect, and containerise – individual polybags, tubes, padded mailers, and other small packages that traditionally are sorted manually.
This installation is the latest investment made by FedEx Ground to help accommodate the rapid growth of e-commerce through the use of automation and robotics.
Jessica Moran, SVP parcels and 3PL businesses at Berkshire Grey, said: “Our RPSi system is engineered from the ground up to automatically handle high volumes of small packages in small spaces with limited worker intervention, which significantly reduces labour challenges, streamlines sorting processes, and increases the efficiency of carrier operations across their networks.”
“More importantly, our system is uniquely able to address a core challenge in the traditional package sortation process: requiring package labels to be manually adjusted so they can be scanned properly. With our patented HyperScanner optical identification modules, barcodes can be read from any angle in milliseconds – all without manual intervention.”
FedEx Ground added that continued innovation and automation will improve safety, efficiency, and productivity for its team members, as they continue to keep the e-commerce supply chain moving.
“We are encouraged by the initial package handling and processing accuracy of Berkshire Grey’s RPSi system in our Queens facility,” said Ted Dengel, managing director of operations technology and innovation at FedEx Ground.
“As an industry leader in technology and automation, we see the significant benefits that next generation innovation brings in terms of enabling increased safety and productivity, enhancing customer service and improving flexibility to adjust to changing package volumes and sizes.”
FedEx Ground plans to install additional Berkshire Grey RPSi systems at sortation facilities in Las Vegas and Ohio in the coming months.
