FedEx Partners With DoraBot to Launch Sorting Robot
FedEx Express (a subsidiary of FedEx) announced a partnership with DoraBot to launch the DoraSorter sorting robot. DoraSorter is deployed at FedEx's e-commerce parcel sorting center in Guangzhou (China). FedEx and DoraBot are monitoring the robot and fine-tuning its operation, as well as exploring other applications for it.
DoraSorter has an operating radius of 40 square meters and can carry parcels weighing up to 10 kg. The robot's gripper is shaped like a pull-out drawer to connect with the conveyor belt. It is equipped with a barcode reader to scan parcels and determine their destination.
The robot receives parcels from the conveyor belt with its gripper. After determining a parcel's destination, DoraSorter moves it outward to the destination point. It can sort parcels to up to 100 destinations simultaneously.
FedEx's investment in this warehouse automation reflects broader industry trends. Amid the global pandemic, logistics companies are optimizing operational efficiency, from warehouse management to last-mile delivery, to meet growing demand for e-commerce products, seasonal peaks, and rising consumer expectations for fast delivery.
“As e-commerce becomes central to the future of retail in our region, the speed at which a parcel can be received and delivered to the customer's doorstep has become a dominant factor driving the adoption of sorting robots. Launching DoraSorter in China as a pilot program is a natural choice for us, given that it is the world's largest e-commerce market, with an expected value of $3.3 trillion by 2025”
According to forecasts by McKinsey&Company, the global warehouse automation market will reach $51 billion by 2030. By 2025, more than 4 million commercial robots will be installed in over 50,000 warehouses.
“DoraSorter helps FedEx sort a larger volume of cross-border e-commerce parcels. This is the starting point of the global partnership between DoraBot and FedEx. We hope we can work together to bring AI and robotics applications to more businesses and consumers”
Although this is the first sorting robot FedEx is using at its facilities in China, it is not the company's first overall. In August, FedEx Ground (another FedEx subsidiary) deployed Berkshire Grey robotic sorting and product identification systems at its Queens, New York station. The system sorts thousands of small parcels that arrive in bulk every day.
“As we strive to build a data-driven intelligent logistics network to help our customers succeed in the digital economy, this alliance with DoraBot is part of becoming the network for what comes next. AI-based technologies will continue to transform our customer support in the region and improve supply chains in the future”
FedEx is also investing in technology at other locations in China. In October 2021, FedEx entered a partnership with Neolix to test autonomous delivery vehicles in China. The company is also testing the FedEx SameDay Bot Roxo robot for last-mile delivery in the AMEA region.
FedEx continues to use advanced technologies to optimize its operations and helps customers of all sizes in China and beyond tap into opportunities in the global market. In addition, FedEx has launched SenseAwareID, a sensor-based logistics device designed to improve tracking accuracy, reliability, and timely delivery of critical shipments such as vital pharmaceuticals and emergency medical supplies.
“Innovation is at the core of our business and a key driver of FedEx's strategy in China. To meet changing customer needs, we are researching and investing in new technologies to improve every key aspect of transportation. The rapid growth of e-commerce has increased customer demand for timeliness and flexibility in logistics services, creating new challenges and opportunities for the entire logistics industry. Our partnership with DoraBot is our latest effort to improve operational efficiency and build a flexible logistics infrastructure using robotics technologies that will support the growth of China's e-commerce industry”
FedEx Express is one of the world's largest express transportation companies, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global network of ground and air transport to speed up delivery of urgent shipments to a specified time and date.
Founded in 2015, DoraBot provides automated intelligent warehouse solutions using computer vision, motion planning, autonomous navigation, multi-robot collaboration, machine learning, and other technologies.
The company provides comprehensive hardware and software solutions to customers in logistics and warehousing, retail and e-commerce, seaports and airports, smart manufacturing, and other industries, including part feeding, sorting, transport, depalletizing, as well as access, loading and unloading.
This helps customers address labor shortages, reduce operating costs, and improve work efficiency, digitalization, and intelligence levels. DoraBot pursues a strategy of talent diversification and market internationalization. The company has established R&D and operations centers in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shunde, Hangzhou, Brisbane, Atlanta, Singapore, and Tokyo. DoraBot was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2019, and a Carbon-Neutral Technology Pioneer in 2021.
