Knowles Logistics, one of the UK’s leading end-to-end supply chain specialists has invested in two new autonomous cleaning robots to drive forward efficiencies and hygiene standards within its warehousing operation.
Supplied by industrial floor cleaning machine provider Crescent Industrial, Knowles Logistics has purchased the company’s increasingly popular CR700 Robotic Scrubber dryer and K900 Industrial Vacuum Sweeper Robot from their Cleaning Intelligence brand.
Both vehicles have been purchased at a time where Knowles Logistics is integrating state-of-the-art automation technology within its operation to enhance its warehousing offering on its site based in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
As a fully autonomous vacuum-sweeper, Knowles’ new K900 robot comes with advanced SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) navigation and 3D environmental perception, meaning it not only is able to choose the most efficient way to clean, but also reacts to a constantly changing environment, enabling it to seamlessly operate through complex spaces.
The K900 boasts a generous running time of five hours, and a charge time of only 90 minutes.
With a height of only 35cm, the Vacuum Sweeper Robot can also comfortably clean in hard-to-reach places where cleaning is only possible by hand. Its sweep systems also allow it to clean everything from microscopic dust through to larger debris such as discarded bottles and cans.
The second robot acquired by Knowles is the CR700 Robot Scrubber Dryer, which is specifically designed for the frequent scrubbing and drying of large floor areas.
It is the first commercial scrubber-dryer robot currently on the market that offers a fully autonomous system. By having its own docking station, the robot can load and unload its water tank while also being able to self-charge on its own – eliminating any requirement for manual intervention.
The CR700 can run for up to five hours and charge in as little as 6 hours for maximum working time.
Operating 24/7, both the CR700 and the K900 have enabled Knowles to reduce unnecessary allocation to cleaning activities within their warehousing facility, allowing the company to redeploy resources to more high-value tasks across its operation.
Alex Knowles, Managing Director at Knowles Logistics commented: “Finding new and innovative ways to drive efficiencies within our warehousing facility is something that is always top of mind for us as a business. We ultimately want to position ourselves at the forefront of innovation in the logistics sector, utilising the best and most innovative technologies available on the market to help us maintain a competitive edge and to meet and exceed the expectations of our custom
“We are therefore actively exploring how autonomous technologies can be successfully integrated into our operation to improve our workflow and allocate as much internal resource as possible to providing exceptional service to our customers. The addition of the CR700 Robotic Scrubber Dryer and K900 Industrial Vacuum Sweeper Robot is a positive step forward in this direction.
“We’ve been delighted with the early results shown by the robots so far in allowing us to maintain high standards of cleanliness and we look forward to continuing to further leverage similar technologies that can help us drive further efficiencies and enhancements across the business in the years ahead.”
To learn more, visit www.knowleslogistics.com.
