Meet Wise Robotics

Exhibiting at IMHX 2022

Stand 5D47

Ahead of IMHX 2022, Joe Daft - Head of Robotics at Wise Robotics, chatted to us about all things IMHX, new product launches, sustainability and key market trends to watch out for.

To learn more about BotsAndUs, visit them at IMHX 2022 or head over to the Wise Robotics website.

How do you view the outlook for the UK logistics industry?

The outlook is bright, but as always there are challenges that we face right now.

Yes, there’s been more and more buzz around warehouse automation in the past two years – and we continue to move in a positive direction. Yet, misconceptions still exist. The biggest one being that warehouse robotics solutions, the sort that Wise Robotics provides, are still years away or only really for large enterprises. Slowly but surely, more and more businesses are realising that warehouse automation is here right now and offers unrivalled advantages. It won’t be too long before the question transitions from ‘can I afford to automate?’ to ‘can I afford not to?’.

As the technology becomes more accessible, more and more businesses are realising that the advantages of flexible warehouse automation are within reach – and the pace of transformation is accelerating. That’s going to mean plenty of change, and while that can be daunting it also presents plenty of opportunity.

What new products or services are you launching in 2022?

We’re constantly innovating at Wise Robotics, looking at how we add new and complementary capabilities to our offering.

Recently we announced our new partnership with VisionNav, bringing vision-guided autonomous robotic forklifts into the range. This will start with the VNP15 model which, aside from being an extremely accurate and efficient provider of pallet-based materials handling, features ground-breaking navigation technology that is really at the core of what makes industry 4.0 truly revolutionary.

Our existing relationship with HikRobot is also going from strength to strength. We can’t wait to get out to events in the sector to showcase the significant advancements being made in robotics manufacturing, and demonstrate how we can help turn these developments into genuine value for warehouse and logistics operators.

How has Wise Robotics embraced sustainability?

Sustainability is an area of ongoing discussion in our sector. One aspect we’re particularly focused on as a business is the stocking of our supply and spare parts in the UK. Rather than relying on ad-hoc imports of equipment, Wise Robotics instead makes larger and more efficient single bulk orders. Not only does this make our enterprise much greener, but it also means our UK-based customers don’t have to wait on lengthy international import timetables for the equipment they might need.

Further investigations into how we can improve our processes and reduce our carbon footprint are always at the forefront of our minds. We’re very aware of the important responsibility businesses like ours have when it comes to tackling the ongoing challenges of our age.

What key trends should we watch out for?

The biggest changing trend is going to be acceleration. As more businesses realise the affordability of the advantages offered by flexible warehouse automation, the demand for this technology will only grow.

With that increased demand comes pressure to innovate – for example, how we make AMRs even more effective and accessible. As that happens, interest and adoption will grow and grow. The defining characteristics of a successful industry 4.0 provider are going to become less about how advanced your robots are (although of course that still will be crucial) and more about the quality of the service you provide when it comes to things like installation and integration.

It’s for this reason we’re very confident at Wise Robotics. Strong, client-centric operations have been a key component of our business since day one. While other companies will need to address these elements as demand from the wider enterprise sector rises, Wise Robotics is already well placed. We’ve always been an automation provider, not a mere robotics reseller. And, thanks to the expertise in our wider business group which boasts market-leading ERP and WMS solution OrderWise, Wise Robotics is ideally placed to be the bespoke warehouse automation provider of the future.