MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 12, 2021 – FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), has recently implemented Berkshire Grey’s Robotic Product Sortation and Identification (RPSi) systems at its station in Queens, NY. Berkshire Grey, a developer of Intelligent Enterprise Robotics solutions, executed the RPSi systems to robotically sort the thousands of small packages that arrive daily in bulk into containers bound for other specific hubs and stations across the FedEx Ground network. FedEx Ground plans to install additional Berkshire Grey RPSi systems at sortation facilities in Las Vegas, Nev., and Columbus, Ohio, in the coming months.
RPSi has been engineered to autonomously process – pick, identify, sort, collect, and containerize – individual polybags, tubes, padded mailers, and other small packages that traditionally are sorted manually. This installation is the latest investment made by FedEx Ground to help accommodate the rapid growth of e-commerce through the use of automation and robotics.
“We are encouraged by the initial package handling and processing accuracy of Berkshire Grey’s RPSi system in our Queens facility,” said Ted Dengel, managing director of operations technology and innovation at FedEx Ground. “As an industry leader in technology and automation, we see the significant benefits that next generation innovation brings in terms of enabling increased safety and productivity, enhancing customer service and improving flexibility to adjust to changing package volumes and sizes.”
“Our RPSi system is engineered from the ground up to automatically handle high volumes of small packages in small spaces with limited worker intervention, which significantly reduces labor challenges, streamlines sorting processes, and increases the efficiency of carrier operations across their networks,” said Jessica Moran, SVP Parcels and 3PL businesses at Berkshire Grey. “More importantly, our system is uniquely able to address a core challenge in the traditional package sortation process: requiring package labels to be manually adjusted so they can be scanned properly. With our patented HyperScanner™ optical identification modules, barcodes can be read from any angle in milliseconds – all without manual intervention.”
This technology has been developed and installed as a direct response to the exponential growth of e-commerce, which has accelerated the demand for reliable automated solutions throughout all stages of the supply chain. FedEx Ground believes that continued innovation and automation will improve safety, efficiency, and productivity for its team members as they continue to keep the e-commerce supply chain moving.
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About FedEx Ground
FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., and is a leader in cost-effective ground package shipping, offering dependable service to businesses and residential customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Through more than 180,000 team members, 642 distribution hubs and local pickup-and-delivery stations, and 95,000 motorized vehicles operated by 5,400 locally-owned small businesses, FedEx Ground transported more than 12 million packages a day in its latest fiscal quarter. The company reported annual revenue of $30.5 billion in fiscal year 2021.
About FedEx
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $84 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 570,000 team members to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
About Berkshire Grey
Berkshire Grey (Nasdaq: BGRY) helps customers radically change the essential way they do business by delivering game-changing technology that combines AI and robotics to automate fulfillment, supply chain, and logistics operations. Berkshire Grey solutions are a fundamental engine of change that transform pick, pack, move, store, organize, and sort operations to deliver competitive advantage for enterprises serving today’s connected consumers. Berkshire Grey customers include Global 100 retailers and logistics service providers. More information is available at www.berkshiregrey.com. Berkshire Grey and the Berkshire Grey logo are registered trademarks of Berkshire Grey. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements, such as statements relating to FedEx and Berkshire Grey managements’ views with respect to future events and financial performance. Forward-looking statements include those preceded by, followed by or that include the words “will,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “targets,” “projects,” “intends” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience or from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, continued e e-commerce growth and our ability to successfully compete in the e-commerce market, FedEx Ground’s ability to successfully integrate the RPSi system in the expected time frame, and other factors which can be found in FedEx Corp.’s and Berkshire Grey’s respective press releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. FedEx and Berkshire Grey do not undertake or assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.