Contract logistics provider GXO Logistics Inc. said Tuesday it has signed a multiyear extension with industrial robotics maker 6 River Systems to equip GXO facilities with an undetermined number of collaborative mobile robots.
The robots, known as Chucks, will operate alongside GXO workers to perform specific tasks. They are designed to reduce human operator intervention, increasing overall productivity. GXO operates more than 900 6 River robots across its network. It is not known how many that GXO will order under the expanded agreement.
Unlike traditional warehouse robots that remain stationary until a human moves them, autonomous robots can move from one working station to another using built-in navigation technology. The additional mobility eliminates the down time for employees to move the equipment between locations.
Greenwich, Connecticut-based GXO (NYSE: GXO) operates more than 900 facilities in 28 countries covering 200 million square feet. Spun off last summer from XPO Logistics Inc. (NYSE: XPO), GXO is the world’s largest contract logistics provider.
