View original at www.dcvelocity.com

Material handling companies continue to focus on social distancing strategies in warehouses and distribution centers (DCs), advancing the trend toward automation that had already been growing even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit this spring. Faced with new labor challenges and the need to reduce human interaction within the four walls of the warehouse, companies are increasingly turning to their material handling partners for solutions, according to Mark Dumont, senior technical sales reprsenentative for Pennsylvania-based battery technology company EnerSys , which makes a range of battery and charging solutions, including for forklifts and other material handling equipment. Dumont points to growing demand for battery technology that can power automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in the workplace—a trend that’s accelerated over the past three to four months. Dumont specializes in EnerSys’ AGV business. “There is a huge uptick in interest [in AGV technology] and in companies going into it [AGV development and manufacturing] as well,” he explained, pointing to the growing number of AGV developers in the industry over the last few years. “[Less than 10 years ago] there were probably only three or four notable companies that I would call AGV companies. Today, there are 35 to 40.” Customer interest in such solutions is growing as well, especially since this past spring. Dumont’s colleague Tim Wittig, general manager of motive power specialty products, says EnerSys continues to add resources to its AGV-focused business to accommodate demand. “Since Covid, we’ve seen very strong orders [for AGV battery solutions] coming in,” Wittig said. “We brought Mark [Dumont] over in 2014 to solely focus on AGVs. In the last six months, we’ve brought on another individual to focus on it as well. Their responsibilities continue to increase, and we continue to add resources to grow the business.” Dumont and Wittig say that’s because AGVs […]