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Today’s number is 30%. That is incremental capacity Lone Star Overnight (LSO) shippers can accommodate for its customers.

Hello and welcome back to news, trends & insights in the industry.

In today’s edition:

• 3 Start-ups (Dunzo, Agility Robotics, LexxPlus )

• 2 Old guards (Alibaba, LSO)

• 1 Robotic warehousing (Hai Robotics)

• 1 Origin story ( Folklift history)

Let’s dive in.

In the Box

Agility Robotics’ Digit set for 2025

The race to develop a humanoid robot is on. Recently Agility Robotics announced that it’s working on Digit - a self-charging humanoid robot that is 140 pounds and has a height of 5’9.

The goal as per the company CTO Jonathan Hurst: “Everything we do is about building a robot that can work in human spaces and do human workflows,"

Even though Aglity is leading the charge, other companies in the space include:

• Tesla’s Figure

• Sanctuary AI recently deployed its humanoid robot at Mark’s retail store in Canada.

Dunzo to secure $50 million funding

The Reliance Retail and Google-backed Indian hyperlocal delivery start-up is in discussions to secure a $50 million new financing round.

The funding efforts are currently focused on the existing giant backer: Reliance and Google.

The Bengaluru-headquartered -Dunzo is not the only player in this on-demand space; others include:

• Tata-owned BigBasket

• Zomato’s Blinkit

• Swiggy’s Instamart

• Y-Continuity backed Zepto

LexxPlus to enter the US market with the recent funding

“many tasks were still manual as over 85% of warehouses have almost no automation at all.” - Masaya Aso

When Aso was working at Bosch in Japan, he realized this was a huge problem and this led to the founding of LexxPlus.

The two-year-old Japan-based start-up designs and develops autonomous mobile robots to transport loads and optimize workflows within warehouses and logistic sites.

The mobile robotic start-up is now preparing to enter the US with the latest injection of $10.7 million of Series A funding.

The funding was led by Drone Fund with other participants that include:

• SBI Investment

• DBJ Capital

• Incubate Fund

• SOSV’S HAX

Technology

HAI Robotics receives MHI Innovation Award

This leading provider of automated intelligent warehousing solutions received an award for their groundbreaking and advanced equipment for automated storage and retrieval solutions (ASRS).

The award is to recognize Hai’s commitment to advancing robotic warehousing solutions.

For instance, the A42T ACR is a revolutionary robotic design, freeing facilities of the old rigid ASRS constructs.

This robot provides maximum system flexibility typically seen with AMR or AGV technology while allowing facilities to obtain modern warehouse density with maximum use of vertical storage.

Old Guards 

Lone Star Overnight

With the recent tension of the UPS strike, LSO is allowing its existing customers to increase their thresholds with regional parcel carriers.

The current LSO shippers can receive 30% additional capacity based on the carrier’s threshold volume.

Alibaba

The e-commerce giant’s logistic arm Cainiao Network is preparing for its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO).

The other day I covered Alibaba’s plans to split into six entities, the logistics arm is the first to gear up its IPO.

The firm worth $20 billion is set for a 2023 IPO.

Logistics Origins

Forklift History

Forklifts, also known as lift trucks or industrial trucks, were first developed in the early 20th century.

The initial purpose of forklifts was to move materials within factories and warehouses. However, the need for efficient and versatile material handling equipment quickly spread to other industries such as construction, shipping, and agriculture.

The first forklift was invented by American engineer George Raymond in 1906. It was a basic wooden platform with a lifting mechanism that was raised and lowered manually. This forerunner to the modern forklift was called the "Truck, Platform, and Fork Lift Attachment".

Today, forklifts are an essential piece of equipment in many industries, and there are many different types and models available, including narrow aisle forklifts, rough terrain forklifts, and automated forklifts.

Thank you for reading.

My goal is to break down complex technologies in the logistics and supply chain industry. Hope it is worthwhile.

Over and out,

Okerosi