DHL Supply Chain rolls out robotics integration platform across global warehouses

DHL Supply Chain says it is deploying a new robotics integration platform across its global warehouse network to speed up automation rollouts.

The company said the SOFTBOT platform, developed by SVT Robotics, allows it to integrate robotics systems up to 12 times faster than traditional custom coding approaches.

DHL said its operations already include more than 8,000 collaborative robots, but previous automation deployments required separate coding for each new technology, taking up to six to eight weeks to launch new solutions.

“The logistics industry is characterized by rapid change – whether its customer profile, volumes, or newly emerging technology – so our automation solutions need to adapt just as quickly,” said Sally Miller, global CIO, DHL Supply Chain. “The SOFTBOT Platform gives us an effective and efficient way to connect different types of robotics to our warehouse systems, monitor performance in real time and scale solutions across sites with confidence.”

The company said the platform enables a shift toward modular warehouse systems that can accommodate multiple automation technologies and be reconfigured as needs evolve.

“Our operations worldwide are already seeing clear benefits from deploying robotics and automation via SVT,” said Tim Tetzlaff, global head of digital transformation, DHL Supply Chain. “As a standard integration layer, the SOFTBOT platform provides the glue between our warehouse management system (WMS) and our digitalization agenda. It has enabled us to replicate Goods to Person solutions across Europe with integration work completed in just three hours. We’ve also added new operational technology to live operations in Asia Pacific with zero downtime. The platform’s global, real-time data access also unlocks significant opportunities to scale logistics AI.”

“It’s been exciting to collaborate with DHL on their accelerated digitalization efforts and to support their team in their use of our SOFTBOT Platform,” said AK Schultz, CEO and co-founder of SVT Robotics. “In fact, DHL now does the majority of implementations without hands-on support from SVT. This means they can scale even faster and further reduce costs, accelerate their deployments and take advantage of the data visibility that our platform uniquely provides. These are benefits that positively impact their customers.”

DHL said the platform also provides a centralized dashboard for monitoring operations across multiple sites and enables better coordination between human workers and robotic systems.

“Not only is this a gamechanger for the speed at which we test and deploy new technology across our operations, the platform’s real-time visibility, data synchronicity and system alerts further maximize resiliency and orchestration opportunities of both our sites and our networks,” Miller added.

The company said the platform is now live at 30 sites worldwide and is expected to expand to more than 100 locations over the next three years.