EX9, a technology startup, announced a new unmanned transport as a service solution dedicated to moving trailers, containers or other heavy loads on sites such as logistics warehouses, distribution hubs or industrial sites.
The service is being released after completing a pilot with DHL France.
EX9 says it deploys a complete solution for automating terminal movements of heavy loads (trailers, containers, swap bodies, pallets, etc.) by integrating autonomous electric robot-tractors into a site’s operational process, thereby increasing the pre-loading and “drop & hook” shunting operations rate. Its core is an Autopilot Turnkey system.
The company describes the solution as follows: “Developed in-house for heavy loads, the robot’s autopilot algorithms are based on AI and computer vision and are trained for a dense and dynamic logistics environment, with the addition of dock door identification, real-time mapping, etc. They give the robot complete freedom of maneuvering, in changing environment and weather conditions, and integrate object detection, trajectory planning, dynamic control of the robot, as well as connectivity with the control tower. The robot knows where it is, which trailer to pick up, where to drop it off and when, where to park or go back to the charging station etc. EX9 also ensures the integration into the site’s operational process that includes on-board control, API to the fleet management tool and additional functions such as the remote monitoring, data analytics or tele-driving, adapted to the needs of the robots’ supervisors.”
In September, the EX9 autonomous electric robot and suite were tested by DHL EMEA’s supply chain division, for moving trailers, at its Mitry-Mory site, in France. The site handles around two hundred lorry movements a day, both incoming and outgoing, including roughly thirty pre-loading operations.
According to the company, these were the results of the test: “The EX9 solutions contribute to considerably increase preloading (+20%) and thus reducing waiting time transport truck drivers’ while speeding up rotations. It also allows DHL to increase the practice of ‘drop & hook’, which involves dropping off a trailer and setting off again with one that is already loaded. Eventually, a site like Mitry-Mory could operate with two or three robots. As an example of a logistic hub deploying 10 robots, a three-year service could generate $1.5M costs savings and 500 tons of GHG reduction (EU-based calculations).”
“After a successful pilot with DHL France, we are thrilled to launch globally and help accelerating the progress of automation in industrial closed compounds with concrete solutions, thanks to our in-house autopilot software focused on logistics use cases and fast deployment tools for operations in real conditions,” said Ksenia Duarte, CEO of EX9.
