Technology
JD.com, Shutterfly & Walmart Has Been Reportedly Testing CMC’s Packing Technology
Amazon was not the first and Walmart has had their boxing jobs done by machines years ago.
Amazon has been reported to have bought and operated new boxing machines made by Italian Firm, CMC Srl. The CartonWrap machines cost $1 million each and is expected to take no more than 2 years for Amazon to recover the cost.
It was also revealed and Amazon was not the first to test the technology; many e-commerce companies are racing to be the first to implement the boxing machine in their process. Walmart began using the machines 3.5 years ago. JD.com Inc as well as Shutterfly Inc have also been reported to use the boxing machines according to a person familiar with CartonWrap.
The machine is expected to replace the job that was run by 2,000 workers across fulfillment centers in Amazon. About 1,300 will lose their job if Amazon doesn’t find a way out, but official spokesperson explains that this is not something to be concerned of.
Much enthusiasm, much to do.
The companies are intensely showing their interest in the development of the boxing machine technology, but one issue is yet to be handled. Robotic arms do not possess the grip that human beings have, making it hard to not crush paper cup and hold a glass of water firmly. Which is why the simple job of carrying goods from one place to another is still handled by humans, a role that is still far from being replaced by automated robotic arms.
Amazon has also been reported to work with Soft Robotics among many other vendors. Soft Robotics have developed arms with suckers that work like tentacles to gain strong grip on items without crushing them. But it can be inferred that the technology is not ready to replace humans.
The boxing machines are the biggest advancement made in the company and it has been seen to be used in multiple busy warehouses, such as Milan, Manchester, Seattle, Frankfurt, etc. The company has also planned to open more fulfillment centers by 2020 and this might mean that new jobs are opening up to replace the ones these new boxing machines took.
