How Warp is introducing robots to automate its network of warehouses

WARP was founded in 2021 to help companies rationalize their delivery supply chains and reduce costs thanks to its technological network of sender, carriers and warehouses.

Now he wants to make supply chains more effective using robots to automate his warehouse network.

Daniel Sokolovsky, co-founder and CEO of Warp, told Techcrunch that Chain is always looking for means to make shipment more effective for its customers, who include companies like Walmart, Gopuff and HelloFresh. With AI progress, the company thought there could be more opportunities to automate.

Warp cannot automate the aspects of long-haul or short-range delivery of the supply chain, said Sokolovsky, so it works on what he can Potentially change: workflows inside his warehouses.

Warp started by installing cameras in his test warehouse in Los Angeles and used computer vision to transform this data into a virtual warehouse to start experiment.

“We have indeed created a digital twin or a simulation environment for our installation of the,” said Sokolovsky. “”[We] Basically, he started throwing things on the wall. Honestly, is it largely, what happens if we do this? What’s going on if we do that? What happens if we do this other thing?

One of their first ideas was to train humanoid robots to use traditional palette catches, which did not work. Then Warp began to find success using robots out of oneself with some modern additional technologies.

“We have taken really very complicated logistics problems, divided them into many easily digestible components, of the system included and fed on the system,” said Sokolovsky. “We are now using, whether it be AI in the form of voice, sms, email, phone calls or robotics, [to make sure] that we unload, store and recharge the freight. We actually think that we can really continue this and really achieve our goals as quickly as possible, without hiring more people. »»

Troy Lester, co-founder of Warp and CRO, said that these robots will help give partners of the Underlying Warp warehouse-apart from its Los Angeles test installation, the company does not have by its network warehouses-an advantage, also helping to reduce labor costs.

“They complain about us personnel problems all the time,” said Lester. “The work that does work in these facilities, they don’t like it either. So I think that there is a possibility of allowing these companies to have these robotic kits which would help not only to improve our network, but to help improve their business with other companies as well. ”

Warp has raised a series of $ 10 million has to help this last development. La Ronde was co-directed by Up. Partners and Blue Bear Capital.

Warp is testing several different versions of the robots and ambitiously claims that it will start to deploy this year.

Sokolovsky said that the Los Angeles test installation of Warp is completely autonomous, and that the company plans to start deploying these robots in warehouses in its main networks – Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, Dallas and Miami – first. Warp does not plan to sell technology outside its hub – at least for the moment – because it gives Warp and its partners from the underlying warehouse, a competitive advantage.

“Instead of going out and saying, hey, we are only a robot company, an AI company, and to spend money like this potential concept, it’s like no, we are in fact a logistics company that has really had an impact and services to our customers,” said Sokolovsky. “For a few years, we have developed an incredible system and an ecosystem that allows us to deploy this type of authorship.”