In a factory, work in progress is a problem. In a warehouse, it’s the whole job.

Chris takes the show inside the warehouse with Josh Cloer, General Manager, North America at Nomagic, and Onur Uranli, Director, Enterprise Business Development & Strategic Growth at Intelligrated. It’s an adjacent topic, but every product a factory makes ends up in one.

Josh, back after first joining the show in 2022, explains what physical AI means for a robot that must work out what went wrong. Onur asks whether the pallets arriving at a warehouse are ready for the automation built to receive them. Together they look at why warehouses are playing catch-up with factories, and why the answer starts with Henry Ford.

In this episode, find out:

• Why most warehouses are still manual, and where automation investment has gone so far
• What the “forgotten middle” of warehouse automation looks like
• How physical AI helps a robot work out what went wrong and recover from downtime
• Why the same item can look different by the time it reaches the warehouse
• Where warehouse automation is catching up to the factory, and what each side can learn from the other
• How MHI’s Robotics Group helps automation vendors work together

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “It’s hard to build a company that can be all things to all people in a big market like warehouse automation.” - Josh Cloer, General Manager, North America at Nomagic
• “Doing that point solution business case is a really hard problem after the fact. And it should be something that you’re thinking from the beginning.” - Josh Cloer, General Manager, North America at Nomagic
• “This is not a really pallet problem. It’s a system problem.” - Onur Uranli, Director, Enterprise Business Development & Strategic Growth at Intelligrated

Links & mentions:

• Nomagic is a physical AI company that builds robotic item picking for end-to-end warehouse automation.
• Intelligrated is a warehouse automation provider that designs, builds, integrates and supports end-to-end systems for distribution centers, including conveyors, robotics and warehouse software.
• MHI is the material handling and supply chain association whose Robotics Group focuses on robotics and automation.
• PTC’s Industrial Newsletter is a quick hit of clarity on how design, manufacturing, and service data can work together for manufacturing leaders looking to modernize.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.