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6 River Systems’ Chuck AMR now has new accessories and a new “High Priority Chuck” feature. | Source: 6 River Systems

6 River Systems (6RS), part of the global commerce company Shopify, announced new features for its wall-to-wall fulfillment solution. The features make the company’s solution more configurable to increase productivity and flexibility.

“Fulfillment can no longer be an afterthought as warehouses adapt to rising demand, labor costs and faster SLAs. Our customers need smart, interconnected solutions that integrate with existing infrastructure,” Rylan Hamilton, co-founder and CEO at 6 River Systems, said. “Through both hardware and software, the improvements we made to our system empower warehouse operators to increase efficiency, stabilize labor and support continuous growth.”

The first of the features is for 6RS’ autonomous mobile robot (AMR) Chuck. The new “High Priority Chuck” feature can decrease pick cycle times and increase SLAs. High Priority Chuck is a system-guided way to direct associates to Chucks with priority tasks.

When High Priority Chuck is enabled, visual indicators like flashing blue LED lights on Chuck, as well as notifications in The Bridge, signal that the robot is doing an important task. The new feature is available to customers as a software update. 

6RS’ next new feature is “Univeral Terminal”, which aims to ease associate training with a common user interface. This feature expands 6RS’ wall-to-wall solution by incorporating pack out and sortation workflows into one device. The device has a touchscreen with 6RS’ common user interface, making training fast and easy. 

Fulfillment solutions with 6RS can now have multiple defined and independent areas of work running on one 6RS environment with the new “Work Areas” feature. These work areas can be multiple warehouse mezzanines on top of one another (vertical) or separate operating areas on the same level (horizontal). 

Finally, 6RS announced new Chuck accessories that improve operational efficiency, flexibility and safety. The company developed a Workspace Tray to make tasks like splitting cases and counting small pieces faster. The company also added a vertical and European ladder mount, making it possible for associates to carry ladders with them to reach SKUs located higher on the racks. 

In July, GXO announced a multi-year, global agreement with 6RS to use the company’s AMR in its logistics operations across the U.S. and Europe. GXO is looking to expand its technology use to meet demands for outsourcing logistics from current and new customers. By adding 6 River’s robots to its operations, GXO reduces the walking distances for employees by having the robots shuttle items across warehouses, and speeds up operations.