Dive Brief:

• Warehouse automation provider Locus Robotics on Tuesday announced a new channel partnership with Minnesota-based technology integrator Supply Chain Services (SCS).
• The partnership extends Locus' autonomous mobile robot solution to more than 2,000 warehouse and distribution center clients in the U.S.
• The LocusBot system employs a traveling bot which enables faster picking, less movement strain on workers, and greater item accuracy within distribution centers, according to the press release.

Dive Insight:

Distribution center and warehouse bots are growing in popularity, thanks to their ability to support workers and improve efficiency.

With at least 35% of companies investing in warehouse robotics, the rise in automation's popularity is growing alongside the increase in workers, which results in a higher ROI, as greater efficiency results from the pairing of human and 'bot.

Locus Robotics works with clients such as Quiet Logistics and DHL. Now, with SCS as a channel partner, its LocusBot will likely appear as a resource for warehouses and distribution centers new to automation.

"What LocusBot does is absorb unproductive walking time for workers, who may now remain in location while the bot itself travels around," Al Dekin, senior vice president of sales at Locus Robotics told Supply Chain Dive. "Another source of efficiency involves the fact that the LocusBot is programmed to accept orders in advance. It can therefore plan the most effective path for quick fulfillment." 

With human help requiring higher pay and a growing set of perks to remain on the warehouse job, maximizing worker's skills by adding automation as support is increasingly cost efficient. And as peak season nears, the rate of warehouse automation may do so as well.