LaFayatte Engineering
Summary
In this episode of the Warehouse Underground podcast, host introduces the guests Chris Kooyong and Jim Webb from Lafayette Engineering and Mesh Automation. They discuss their roles in the distribution industry and the benefits their companies can provide for businesses. They also touch on misconceptions about automation and the importance of educating and coaching customers on implementing it effectively. Automation and artificial intelligence have advanced to the point where they are more accessible and affordable to businesses than ever before. With the help of companies like Swanton, businesses can use data and analysis to determine the best solutions for their specific needs and goals. The return on investment for these technologies can vary based on the project, but with the right planning and implementation, businesses can see significant improvements in efficiency and productivity. While conveyors and other visible hardware may seem impressive, the real magic happens in the software: There are different levels of software involved in creating a robot cell, and it requires collaboration between the robot manufacturer, integrator, and the customer to ensure everything works smoothly. There are companies that specialize in creating these cells, and they focus on creating user-friendly interfaces and training for their customers. Robotics can help companies retain employees as well as improve efficiency in their processes. Robotic systems can also be integrated with other systems, such as WMS, to track and verify products. This can be for Licklider Licklider involves themselves with innovative material handling solutions for warehouses, distribution and manufacturing facilities, systems integrators and end-users. They discuss their companies such as Mesh Automation and Lafayette Engineering and describe their software and robotic offerings. Mesh Automation is a company that designs and manufactures robotic material handling solutions to help with materials flow, order fulfillment and more. Lafayette Engineering provides material handling solutions, software and service including inventory accuracy and efficient campaigns. They mention how automation can be brand new and exciting Today's podcast episode is on how distribution centers can keep up with the increasing demand for faster deliveries. The guests, Jim Tompkins and Chris Dwyer, discuss technology and automation solutions, workforce optimization, and network strategies to remain competitive in the e-commerce world. They also share insights on how the marketplace is evolving and the importance of data in decision-making for distribution centers. As always, we encourage listeners to join the Warehouse Underground community for access to exclusive content and networking opportunities.
Transcription
Speaker 2
[00.00.13]
Hey everyone, welcome to another Warehouse Underground podcast. This one is episode five. With me on the show today is Chris Kooyong of Lafayette Engineering and Jim Webb of their sister company, Mesh Automation. Now in the distribution world, a lot of times it's the big engineering upgrades that can seem daunting, but those are the ones for a lot of organizations out there that can bring the biggest impact. So lowering your cost per unit, increasing your safety metrics, increasing your accuracy, dropping your doctor stock time, dropping your order to ship window for your customer and all those things. But a lot of people don't know what goes on behind the scenes of organizations like that. What can I expect? How do they work? How do they operate? And so I'm very excited to have these two on the show today, because they have been in this space more than a minute. They are very, very wise in this industry, and they've got a long track record and success stories out there that they can really share. So I hope that you find this podcast very insightful and valuable. And with that, I will bring these two onto the stage.
Speaker 3
[00.01.40]
Chris. Jim. Hello. Welcome. Thank you for joining the warehouse Underground. And how are you guys?
Speaker 1
[00.01.48]
Thanks for having us. Doing great.
Speaker 2
[00.01.50]
Yeah. Doing great. We're good.
Speaker 3
[00.01.54]
Good. Yeah. I mean, so, Jim, you and I were talking a little bit before the show. We didn't really even realize this, but we live within, like, 15 minutes from each other in, uh, Georgia. And so maybe the next time that we do this show, we can we can film it here live. We'll go down to the varsity or something in Atlanta and set up, set up, shop there and film it. That sounds so pretty good. Well, maybe
Speaker 2
[00.02.19]
not the well. Yeah, sure. We'll work on the. We'll work on the location, but. Yeah.
Speaker 3
[00.02.26]
Yeah, it could be, uh, it could be pretty noisy. Little guys
Speaker 2
[00.02.29]
graduated from Georgia Tech, so he. He'd support that. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3
[00.02.34]
Good. So, um, first, just introduce yourself to the audience. So just kind of tell them a little bit about your background. What brought you here today with these two companies and high level kind of what they're all about and, and what they do.
Speaker 1
[00.02.51]
My union and my background is this development, marketing, program management. Um, I was in the automotive industry for many years, but, um, um, have really grown to love this industry. It's very exciting. Um, within the warehouse space and a little bit about Lafayette Engineering, we are a leading and, uh, nationwide provider of warehouse automation solutions, and we are 35 years strong. Um, we pride ourselves on the variety of outstanding customers we have, including fortune 500 companies. Um, so we were founded 35 years ago by Bruce and Beth Robbins, and our headquarters is in Kentucky. Um, we started out as a controls, uh, controls company and kind of naturally expanded to conveyors and systems integration and software. Um, so we just opened our fourth US office last year in Kennesaw, Georgia, and last year also we acquired Mesh Automation. So there are the robotics arm of our company and our sister company in this space. So now we have a true comprehensive offering, uh, for materials handling, you know, including conveyors, robotics, systems integration, electrical controls, high speed station software and maintenance. Yeah, there's a little everything in a nutshell for you.
Speaker 2
[00.04.15]
Yeah.
Speaker 3
[00.04.16]
Yeah. And, Jim.
Speaker 2
[00.04.20]
Well, as far as my background, um, uh, I've been around a while. Um, I've been going to say 40 years. Uh, that's probably being mined. Um, doing things, uh, in the automation space with the last 20 odd years mostly involved in robotic automation and it mesh, our primary goal is to build and, uh, install, uh, flexible automation solutions that primarily involve robotics, but sometimes also in things like gantry robots or what some folks call Cartesian robots and robots. Uh, as well as Amr, um, anything that's programmable that moves things around from place to place. Uh, mesh is the kind of company that you want to talk to about solving, uh, those material handling problems. Yeah. That is about 26 years old now. Um, we're very happy to be involved with Lafayette. Uh, they did acquire the Robbins family. That is, did acquire mesh, uh, last year in April. So we're kind of new to the whole Lafayette experience, but we found so far has been a wonderful joining of resources and talents that are putting us in a position to do some pretty wonderful and innovative things. Yeah. Yeah. Now, if you look on, um, on the websites, there's a lot of great success stories. And I kind of alluded to this in the intro that people can see lots of videos and things like miles and miles of conveyance, robotics, stabilizers, ATVs, AMS, all those type of things. So it's the type of things that can really make an impact. But who would you say, uh, Chris, is your kind of ideal type customer? And I say that because in the world of warehousing, a lot of times there is a wide variety. You may have big publicly traded companies that run big giant fulfillment centers, private equity held companies that are kind of in the middle all the way down to family owned companies. So who is that type? Customer. That is the easiest for you to provide value for. Um, and in these types of projects.
Speaker 1
[00.06.38]
That's a great question. Um, we're an excellent partner for rapidly emerging companies, companies that are growing quickly, that need to streamline the process as quickly, ensure safety, um, maximize efficiency. Um, but really, any manufacturing or distribution company that that currently has or needs in automation. Um, they may be dealing with labor challenges, but they can they can all benefit from from our offering. Um, you know, it's important for, for every warehouse to be structured to scale. And we can help with that. Yeah. Um, but also, um, companies that need high speed. So that's a that's another sweet spot for us as well. But, um, really any manufacturing or distribution company moving materials and you need to, to make it efficient. And we can help.
Speaker 3
[00.07.29]
Yeah. I mean, one of the things that I hear a lot in the industry is you you have these organizations that really start to hit it big. Their their sales are really starting to grow fast. And now they're scaling up, but they don't want there. They don't want their labor costs to scale up faster than that. And so when you're trying to lower costs at scale, it's a very effective way to do that is through as through automation. You know, if you can make that capital investment, that's how you can control that. So I would think that anybody that's out there that is is scaling fast. I mean, anyone can benefit. But those particularly I think um, I think would definitely find value. And in these types of these types of projects and it's hard for them to know I think. But usually you have those meetings and you're like, hey, this is getting much more painful for us to operate. Maybe it's time for us to look at a different solution. And Lafayette comes right in and fills that fills that void. So, uh, Jim, on you on the on the on the mash automation side. Um, you know, with robotics and automation, a lot of times you'll see, you will feel that customers or people who are unfamiliar with what automation can and can't do, they will begin to have this misconception that automation can solve every single one of their problems. Robots can solve every single one of their problems because look at company X, look at company Y, they they had that. Is that a misconception out there in the industry that just by writing a check for some robots and automation, that a magic wand is waived and all problems are fixed? Or is that is that is that a reality? I mean, is that becoming a reality for companies out there to to
Speaker 2
[00.09.25]
expect? Well, a couple of things. Uh, actually, the robotics industry has been around since the late 1950s in the United States. Uh, a couple of fellows here in the US invented the industrial robot. And even though the world has been a little bit quicker in gravitating to robotic automation solutions, the US has lagged a little bit behind. And what's going on currently is, say in the last 6 to 8 years, the US market, regardless of application or industry that we're serving, is adopting the robotic automation solution more readily than any time ever in its past. So we're seeing, to your point, lots of interest in new and different and emerging applications for us. And in some cases, those are very, uh, attainable and doable. And in fact, maybe the kind of thing we've been doing for a long time. But lately, especially with the advent of, uh, AI becoming more interesting to folks on the industrial floor in the warehouse space, um, we're seeing folks ask for things that, to your point, just maybe, are a little bit out of our reach. Um, so we're we're here to help and understand and guide and coach folks. Half of our customers, quite literally, are first time users of industrial robotics. So there's quite a little bit of, uh, understanding and, uh, future shock adjustment and sometimes paradigm shift adjustment within the organization that we're here and ready and willing to, uh,
Speaker 3
[00.11.03]
to. Yeah. I mean, do you do you find that that is part of the deal? Like, yes, we're trying to offer you a solution. Yes, we're trying to sell you this service and this product. But part of our job is sort of educating you and coaching you and bringing you along
Speaker 2
[00.11.22]
real. We cannot. Um, the old saying used to be we cannot automate chaos, right? So one of the indirect benefits of robotic or flexible or programmable automation like we offer, uh, was that we first need to have the customer organize or have some sense of organization about what it is we're moving, handling, touching because, uh, you know, we're we're very specific in our tooling, in our programs and, you know, the world of actually making it work.
Speaker 3
[00.11.52]
Um, but what's happening now, especially with, uh, AI is, uh, the requests are coming. Your your question about magic. Uh, every, every automation system I've been involved with has had some little piece of magic somewhere along the line that's helped make it work. But we're not magicians. Yes, but we need to still be grounded in reality. We walk through every application step by step, and we do have a process for doing that. And we do have a way of coaching customers in the proper direction for the best benefit for them. Uh, it's an interesting time for automation, uh, in that the software and the intelligence and the vision systems, which is the main area where
Speaker 2
[00.12.40]
we use artificial intelligence, is in the machine vision side of things. Um, allows us, uh, you know, some more opportunity to reach out and do things that literally five years ago, we would go that we can't do that. And now it's almost a regular, regular part of what we do.
Speaker 3
[00.12.57]
Yeah. I feel like just that expectation management, you know, with the customer is important so that they, they, they know what they're getting right. They know the reality. And I, I always tell people this, it seems like I feel like robotics and automation is taking the same path that big screen TVs took. I remember at one point when I was a kid, no one had a big screen TV. If you did, you were wealthy and and it was a big thing, but now everyone has them. I mean, you can go to Walmart and get a big screen, big screen TV for just nothing. And I feel like robots are kind of taking that same path, automations, that same path that just used to be something that seems so out of reach for everyone, um, and not cost effective, but but now it's not. I think it's getting into the grasp of more and more companies out there. And and I'm happy to see
Speaker 2
[00.13.48]
that the closest parallel I could comment to would be. In the early days of robotic automation, everything was custom, one of a kind. New had a lot of engineering, or maybe even developed or maybe even inventing it. Today we have pre engineered standards. We call them, uh, even some standard solutions. Uh, we can only take our standard solutions so far because everybody's parts or situation, or even the layout of the, of the robotic cell is a little different. But we can take it to an 80 or 90% level and recognize that that fits certain markets. And we offer that, uh, mesh. And, uh, I think the closest parallel to your, uh, analogy of the, of the flat screen, uh, is our cobalt visor. Yeah. It's a 1 in 1
Speaker 3
[00.14.40]
lane in two
Speaker 2
[00.14.41]
pallets out, drop in pre engineered. Hardly anything changes on that from customer to customer. Um and it's the closest thing we have to a standard product. And to your point yep. The price gets driven down down down. We make it better better better is every with every implementation and streamline it. And uh, that's uh, that's definitely having a certain facets of our business.
Speaker 3
[00.15.08]
Yeah. So when you, when you um, and this really for either you but, but when you come on board with a customer and they want to work with you. What is the beginning phases look like? What is the exploratory phase look like? What type of information and data do they need to bring? Is there analysis that's done? How do you condition that customer in the beginning with the work to get the best possible outcome? Uh, in the end,
Speaker 1
[00.15.43]
I can I can share Martha in the gym. You're welcome to as well. But, um, so the exploration phase, we first do an introduction call, um, to get to know each other. Um, we do a site visit, and then we do a data request, and that's included in our offering. It's just something we do with with everybody is look at that data initially. I'll run through those, those, uh, key points of the data in just a second. But, um, and then we present the solutions. So select them and create the project plan and get started. Um, but some of that data set, it typically includes skew data, skew data, um, which would be like the materials description category subcategories, just the volume weight unit of measure, all that, any kind of skew data that we can get. And then also um, pallet data, which is um, the empty dimensions, the full dimensions. Um. Construction type, um, number of bottom boards and the width of the boards. Um, and our slip sheets used. And then the third section would be or a set of data would be order data. So the order ID or any unique order identifiers. Um the quantity of each ordered um and then the average volume of orders per store, average lines per order would fall into that category. And then the fourth one would be operational data. So current picking style either you know, batch zone or discrete um, picking requirements. And then any special requirements such as like value added service or any other kind of documentation that's needed. Is it is it
Speaker 3
[00.17.26]
is it difficult for them to pull that data? I mean, because because some people use different levels of warehouse management system and the like, and so not all data is equal. How big of a challenge for that? Or is that for you to take all these different methods of getting data and get it into the, into the, into the way that you need it for your systems to
Speaker 1
[00.17.50]
work? Mhm. Every every operation is a little bit different. Some people have all this at the ready and they can get it to us the next day. Um some folks don't have very little of it. So that's um, we typically spend the day or two on site doing all the observation, asking the questions, and we can gather what we need ourselves as well. But, um, so it just depends on the, on the operation and what level of data they, they have already. Yeah.
Speaker 3
[00.18.19]
Yeah. Now in the. I feel like it. Like it in the conveyor world. Let's just talk with conveyors and sorters for a second. There are lots of different options there. Like some of them are, you know, very fast. Some of them are slow. They're actuated differently. So how do you kind of how do you then take that, that that data from your potential customer and, and say this based on what you have provided for us and what you are hoping to achieve, this is the best type of conveyor for you. You don't need the Mercedes-Benz. You're you're good. You're good right here. Like, how do you how do you arrive at that? Because there's there's so many different options that are out there that you could utilize.
Speaker 1
[00.19.07]
Absolutely. And our offering is is very is tailored and it's unique to each warehouse. So it really depends on on the need their goals and their budget. But we spend time on the floor to identify those opportunities for improvement, pain points, ergonomic operational challenges and then, based on the budget and data, we customize the solutions. So, um, my, uh, one of our engineers, Sarah Murdock, I like her analogy. She says we can build a Ferrari, but if you need to haul around six kids, it won't be the best solution. If you can afford a bicycle but your data says you need a semi truck, there might be some internal process improvements that need to occur before we can help. So yeah,
Speaker 3
[00.19.54]
if I had a Ferrari though, I would give it my best shot of getting that kids in and hauling them around. I just want that on the record for everyone to hear in case Ferrari ever listens to this podcast. Um, cool. So, but let me ask this question, though. Guaranteed that every time you go in and you have one of these sessions with your customers, since it's such a big investment that they're making capital investment. They're going to want to know when to. When do I start to see my ROI? How quickly can I get maybe not achieve my ROI, but how quickly can I get clarity that, okay, I'm on the path to achieving my ROI down the road? Like
Speaker 2
[00.20.38]
how fast does
Speaker 3
[00.20.40]
that happen for customers once they are up and running with with your systems?
Speaker 1
[00.20.46]
It's a good question. It depends on the scenario and the project. And and there's a lot of factors. But that's one thing we do upfront is we do that analysis and we can share, you know, share that information. That's why the data is so important that we can we can give them that kind of ROI estimate. Um, so we're we're very, um, you know, collaborative with that process. And we've got the right folks on our staff that, that do that day in and day out. So they're able to to really make sure that the numbers and the investment makes sense and that we're helping them reach their ultimate goal.
Speaker 3
[00.21.21]
Yeah. I mean, I would feel like as long as the system is up and running and it is operating in the way that you said that you wanted it to be designed, I would think that you can look at that and say, okay, well, day one, it seems to be operating at 85% or 90%, so it's not too big of a leap to then think, oh, I'm already on the path for ROI because it is doing exactly what I already reduced. You know, one picker or my pick to ship window for these hundred packages went down 30% or whatever it may be. So I think that that is probably, uh, a realistic. You know, it's just it's just going through that, that upgrade period of installing it and getting it all in there that they have to kind of kind of work through. So speaking of conveyors, though, um, you know, when you look at automation out there with fast conveyors and sorters and those type of things, it's like if you do a tour of a facility, let's say that me and my CEO of my small company are considering investing in conveyors, and so we're going to take a tour of facility X down the road that has one. When you see a fast moving conveyors like that with sorters that are moving boxes everywhere, if you're not used to that, if you haven't run a facility like that, it's just like eye opening and can be and can be mesmerizing, mesmerizing. What's happening up there with the conveyor? But is it true to say, though, that the real like work the real heavy lifting? The real magic, if you will, is happening underneath the hood in the software and the programming and the controls and not necessarily what you see. So, you know, gem, I guess for you. Like, have you seen that to be the case and like what is a what is a W or a w CS is that term gets gets thrown around a lot when it comes to conveyors and uh, and sorters and automation.
Speaker 1
[00.23.32]
Well
Speaker 3
[00.23.33]
yeah we, we build robotic systems. Right. And the fun part about messing around with robots, frankly, is there's tooling, there's mechanical elements to it. Uh, there might be vision systems to give the robots eyes, or might be for sensors to give the robots a sense of touch. Um, but always, always, always. There's programming and there's robot programming to make the robot move. There's, uh,
Speaker 2
[00.23.58]
cell plc, uh, programmable logic controller type level programming and safety programming that allows people to work with the robot cell, um, in a safe and, uh, kind of easy way. Our philosophy meshes. Literally. If you can run a microwave oven, you can run one of our 2 or 3 or $4 million cells. Right? But we recognize that a lot of our customers have, unfortunately, turnover in their operator level staff. And, uh, sometimes, folks, uh, English isn't their first language. So there's things we do within our PLC level programming and interface to the human that allow for easy use and maintenance. Uh, the vision system, there's vision programming, and if there's a WCS, a warehouse control system and or an interface to a WMS, the warehouse management system, there's another layer in there that was the execution system, all these different layers of software, plus the actuarial things that we do to make the robot do what it's supposed to do. When you look at our effort, software is super important. And a lot of our upfront work that you've been, uh, speaking to here recently has to do with how all that communication is going to work. Uh, certainly how we're going to touch the part, whether it be a case or a or a pallet or a tote or a bin or a pail or whatever the heck it might be, we have end of arm tools that allow us in our library because of our many systems we put in. We have sort of a library of our tools that we can bring to bear that would maybe a slight modification here or there. Okay, that that questions answered. Let's move on. And then the robot selection, the safety system that goes around the robot okay. Let's move on. But then when we get to the software and the actual commissioning and implementation of the system and interfacing to the local control system, the WCS or overall WMS, that's when our software teams take over and uh, that, uh, we what we do there to make sure everything goes smoothly. And I know Lafayette does very much the same thing. We have meetings with customers and understand their expectations and all that sort of thing. But then we take it to a functional spec. We'll write a document that that explains very clearly the signal exchange or the information exchange between the elements that are in the system. And if we sometimes Lafayette and Mash both get involved where we have yet another vendor, right. Who's supplying yet something else, whether it be an AGV system or, or a storage retrieval system. So we are a part of what we do. The big lift often is our project management folks working at mesh, uh, working with the various elements of software and project managers on the other side to all come together as a cohesive team. For that customer you were mentioning who walks in and sees these mesmerizing conveyors and how does that all work? Well, the way it all works is there's folks, uh, like us, like Lafayette and Meche, who spent a lot of time and and a lot of rooms talking about a lot of details and agreeing to either an overall functional spec document or in some other way, coming to an agreement on how all this, who's going to do what and how it's all going to work. If we don't do that, if we don't do that, we're we're destined for a tough road ahead. So we don't experience, we obviously avoid, uh, avoid that whole path by addressing everything right up front. Yep.
Speaker 3
[00.27.41]
Preparation is key. Jim, I need to make sure that I add, uh, microwave use on my screening checklist for all the managers that I. That I might hire in the future if you just just watch them operate the microwave. If they can't, and then they're out, they're never going to make. Well, yeah.
Speaker 1
[00.27.57]
You don't want them anywhere near one of our robot cells. No. I'm kidding. Excellent. We will do everything from videos. We do a manual, but we'll do videos and we'll do training as well. Yeah, we want our customers to be.
Speaker 3
[00.28.12]
Not, uh, not not scared of what they're about to get into. And as I mentioned earlier. And there's my hat on. There's there's everybody.
Speaker 2
[00.28.23]
Um, um, it can be intimidating. And being in more of the robot side of things. Uh, and having a lot of first time users of robots in our mix. Uh, people think they're going to lose their job. Oh, you know, the robots are going to take over. And then, you know, with AI out there, the scare. Right? The stuff that, uh, all of a sudden AI is going to become sentient and take over the world. None of that. Okay. We have customers who have taken, uh, employees and just reassigned them into other areas. And there's several stories we could share about, uh, customers having on floor operating type people who've taken great promotions and taken over whole swaths of the plant as far as responsibility. Um, and become more, uh, quality control, uh, type folks, or movement and flow and optimization type people as opposed to dedicated to a specific manual function. Uh, so robots actually get in most cases that we've seen in the last 20 odd years. Uh, an opportunity for folks to advance within the organization as well as as long as they embrace it. Uh, we're we're not here to put people out of work. Um, actually, in today's world. On your point of return, on investment, we have customers who are coming to us to implement robotic automation in order to retain employees.
Speaker 3
[00.29.54]
Absolutely. Yep. Absolutely. There's easier. It's
Speaker 2
[00.29.59]
different. It's not direct labor savings, only calculations. Straight linear math. There's a lot of variables now. The indirect benefits of automation that are coming into play in the accounting folks are starting to recognize some of those. And the high level, you know, the sea level folks are starting to say, we got to get robots in here. We're not gonna be able to make our product. Yep.
Speaker 3
[00.30.20]
That's a that's a point that is come up on other other podcasts that I've done, and it is shared throughout the industry. And I'm happy to hear that that is becoming more mainstream now, because that is true. Uh, warehouse work can be very grueling work. It wears you out over a long time, and robots can really help make life easier for employees. Let me ask you about this piece of equipment. So what about users and deep users? Because I've always felt like, like a lot of automation is a big IT list. It has to be very integrated with your, uh, ERP, a lot of cases, your WMS, but. For palettes and deep appetizers, though that's really not necessarily the case. It's really just kind of taking on manual labor and making it easier for employees. So have you found that that is a good like gateway or a good entry for people that want to explore the use of automation or robots with the advantage of, you know, quick implementation and not having to get it so ingrained in your other systems. So
Speaker 2
[00.31.30]
we've certainly put in detail and systems that are, if you will, blind to the WMS in that we're just moving things in a what some folks might call a black box. The cell is a black box. We're moving item from here to here. Uh, and nobody really is tracking what it is. But we've also put in systems that are tightly integrated with, uh, through the way of tracking everything that's moving in a way that a human can't. So we have barcode scanners, we have a barcode scanning tunnels that we can feed through. We have case, for example, case, uh, sizing tunnels that can verify, verify, um, the SKU data that we received from the WMS, that's actually true to that case. And scan the barcode and track it. Um, the, uh, some of our big box retailers. Thanks not to them, because they're demanding that their fulfillment operations understand where everything is and almost at any moment. You know, the guy in the big office wants to push a button or where everything is. Yep. So it gets right down, down to our little induction detail at a at a distribution center where we're just taking boxes of different color spray paint. And it's, you know, Q1, Q2, Q3 is red, green, blue, but they're all in the same pallet, and we're separating those off, for example, with a robot. But the boxes are all the same. They all look the same to, you know, the to a glance. But the vision system tells us, no, this one goes here, that one goes there, and then one goes over there. Um, yeah, it's it's definitely part of our world that, uh, uh, we can just be pal and pal, and that's a great project for us. But we can also do that and track and verify and interface.
Speaker 3
[00.33.25]
Uh, yeah. And that's good to not only, like, internally to your building. Could I see value in that? But I feel like it's also a selling feature that they will then kind of sell to their customers. Hey, look at this. You can do business with us. We take care of your product. Look, I can track it wherever it is in the facility, and it builds up that comfort level and that confidence that. Oh, okay. Well, you know, my my product is good here or I should do good business with them here because, uh, they're very accountable and they track their inventory no matter where it is. So I think that there's a lot there's a lot there too. We recently completed a project that was a reverse distribution center. A returns okay. Yeah, for cell phones. And every cell phone has a unique identifier. It's an IMEI. It's a number that's identified to the cell phone and we track the device. Um, our portion of it was the robotic material handling. There's a whole bunch of other things that were involved in facility that. We just we just interfaced with. But whenever we had a touch on a cell phone, that IMEI was reported back to the WMS again, to the point that, uh, at the level that, uh, no matter what was going on, wherever a guy could push a button and know where every phone was.
Speaker 2
[00.34.42]
This is this is 60,000 phones a day. Well,
Speaker 3
[00.34.46]
that's a that's a good that's a that's a large amount.
Speaker 2
[00.34.48]
Software has to be, you know, particularly robust, uh, in any situation. But certainly in a situation like that you get off one character and here we
Speaker 3
[00.34.57]
go. So
Speaker 2
[00.34.59]
it has to be very done, you know, correctly. And I know Lafayette with conveyor works and their, their, uh, WMS package has much the same capability and it is quite a little bit in apparel and other industries. And uh, uh, yeah, whether those are often import type operations as well as domestic production, lots of times mixed. So,
Speaker 3
[00.35.23]
uh, yeah,
Speaker 2
[00.35.24]
our challenge on that front is getting standardization when getting the customer to the point, uh, you know, where everything we can be tracked because the labeling on it, uh, is, uh, somehow standardized, or at least within the realm of being standardized. So we.
Speaker 3
[00.35.42]
Now, Chris, let me ask you this question. Once you kind of get a customer up and running and everything steady. How much of a lift for them? Do they have one in their IT realm, you know, for the projects you do, but also in their maintenance realm. So should they be carrying spare parts? They're on site for the for the conveyance. Is there some type of service agreement, preventative maintenance, like what can they expect on those two departments that they have inside their their company.
Speaker 1
[00.36.14]
Mhm. Well we do we offer help desk um and other you know various levels of customer service and, and PM contracts and that kind of thing. But and then we also provide a list of critical spares and we recommend, you know, customers to stock certain items perhaps locally. Um, but we do offer, um, several maintenance options. Uh, you know, as far as, like quarterly PMS, um, even on site, a full time person on site, even for a few months or a year or what have you. Um, we've done that on occasion too, depending on the project and and the level of experience that the the company's team has with the equipment. Um, and then we also offer training, training on, on the, the conveyors, the systems and all that as well. So, um, we're we're a good partner and I love I always love hearing unsolicited compliments about our company in that regard that we're a good partner after after everything's up and running. Um, you know, we stick with you to make sure it's it's meeting your needs, and. And we do all that.
Speaker 3
[00.37.20]
Yeah. Yeah, I think that's key. I mean, at least at least in the beginning, because people are still learning to crawl, walk, run with it. And they don't have the familiarity yet. They don't know where all the weak points are and all the little tricks and everything. They kind of learn that over time, I think as as they have it, and they're not going to have that in the beginning. So yeah, so one of the products that is front and center on the Lafayette website is this the magnetic exhortation divert switch. Can you tell me what that is. How does that operate. And what's, um, what's valuable about that? Why is it something that is a big deal for your audience, for your company? Yeah. Thanks for asking. Um, it's specifically designed for high speed station. Um, and it uses electromagnetic technology in the form of multiple magnets inside the elements, which, um, the magnetic fields are used to draw the pins and bearings of the shoes toward the diverting path. Um, so it's the only divert switch to use multi magnetic technology. There are no moving parts. Um, so it's capable of eliminating issues such as noise level and wear and tear. Um, so it's got speed capabilities up to 725ft per minute. Um, and the, the switch can be used, um, in a new system or with minor adjustments. It can be a drop in unit to your current high for your rotation system. So ideally anybody who needs it needs to move materials or packages fast, um,
Speaker 1
[00.38.55]
into a great solution for it. Yeah. All
Speaker 3
[00.38.58]
right. I got you, I got you. Well. What's on the horizon for both of you? I mean, what are. I know, I know, I know you're at the trade shows. In fact, I feel like I've seen your ear booths at the trade shows before. But what's on the horizon in 2025 and and and beyond? I mean, what's what's cooking?
Speaker 1
[00.39.16]
Yeah. I'll let you go first to the exciting announcement.
Speaker 3
[00.39.20]
Um, you know, uh, when the Robins family purchased mesh, uh, Mitch Larsen was our founder. Um, and he came from industry, high level engineering, uh, a very smart guy, uh, registered professional engineer in multiple states, mechanical engineer. And he created mesh automation. Um, and my take on Mitch is that he he he's a development oriented fella. Uh, he loves running the business. He's done it very successfully year on year for many years. But he always has, uh, you see a little glint in his eye like a little kid
Speaker 2
[00.40.03]
when you start talking about something new and different. That needs to be. Oh, yeah. We need a little in the blood magic, right? He. He likes. He likes coming up
Speaker 3
[00.40.10]
with the magic. So our team at mesh, um, the applications engineering team and the design team is very oriented towards, uh, standardization, of which we've adopted more recently, more of recently than maybe, perhaps in times past, so that we could scale the company as a more viable and successful business. Uh, as years go by. But every once in a while, something comes along and it's like, hmm, we need to build that. And currently, I'm I'm happy to say we I'm, I'm happy to say it, but we currently have more development stuff going on at mesh than we've ever, ever, ever had. So development stuff that has a specific target in mind now. So getting an inquiry from a customer and developing and building something and then shipping it. So um, okay, that's one exercise. What I'm referring to is we have development things underway that we know have markets, but we don't necessarily have an order for yet. And thank you, Lafayette, for
Speaker 2
[00.41.19]
providing the funding and, and the support for some of these things that we're doing that as a smaller company, we might have been able to do, but it would have been slower. Uh, so to answer your question, uh, come to Matt, visit our booth. You're going to see, uh, you're going to see a high speed, uh, uh, induction system. Yeah. 3D vision with the robot capable of 1800 each. Pics and we will be showing it onto a conveyor for the sake of the demonstration, but it certainly can be sidled up next to a shorter amount based order, for example. But it can also be retrofitted into existing facilities that already have a sorter. Perhaps humans doing the induction, uh, and it does have an economical return on investment that we can talk about with you at the show or afterwards. Yeah. So like that big old monster that's going to be the predominant thing in our booth. But, uh, what won't be in the booth, but certainly is going on at mesh. We have a tray former, uh, uh, we have a whole range of pallet dispensers that continue to be developed and redeveloped are ongoing. I'm looking at my fingers. Sorry. Ongoing development of our end of arm tools and our control system. Um, we have, uh, AI driven vision systems, uh, barcode scanning tunnels, uh, verification tunnels and things of that nature that just naturally come out of our play in the robot material handling spaces. We have to know what we're getting to know what to do with it. So the barcode scanning tunnel piece is, uh, is vitally important. Our cobalt palate is, uh, front and center. And we're doing some pretty cool things with AMS. We're doing something with Amr that we think the industry needs that we haven't quite seen yet. And we're partnered up with a couple of vendors in that space that, uh, yeah, there's going to be some pretty exciting things coming for us in the this is like, uh, this is like a teaser. I feel like I'm doing a teaser on my show, and there's all this stuff that's going to be revealed, but, like, we need to have a follow on show with a video of your booth at promo. I might post that on my on my website. You know what? We're about a week out from having a video if you'd like to see it on this. Yeah, we're calling it X and Dot. So we have a awesome software called Palette Builder, which is a piece of software that helps us and our end users, you know, to your point of service and support. And Chris did a great job answering about Lafayette service and support. Sometimes when you throw some vision systems and robots in there too, into some of these locations, the service and support, um, we again try to make it as simple as possible. We document document, document, document, and we provide spare parts, lists and training and all that kind of thing. But still, this time goes on. Even some of our more sophisticated customers need, you know, that 24/7 support. And we offer that, um, as well. But the true answer for us is to make it so easy to operate. And easy to troubleshoot and given troubleshoot guides, even video training type stuff. Think of a video that's embedded in the cell controller that you can push a button and listen to the video on how to do that.
Speaker 3
[00.44.40]
It's cool.
Speaker 2
[00.44.41]
It's totally just simple technology for us these days, right? And it helps, uh, helps the new operator get familiar with the system and that kind of thing.
Speaker 1
[00.44.54]
Awesome. I can't wait to show you the video of the Ian doc. Yeah. And, uh, the pallet builder, which is, again, a piece of software that makes it a system very easy to use and change and modify and stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 2
[00.45.10]
Very cool. Pretty cool. That's, you know, we're just we're not a big company, but we're we're very excited about what we're doing. We're very motivated. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sounds
Speaker 1
[00.45.21]
like it. Well, and I didn't I can tack on to that and just say that we're excited about pro map for mesh. We're we're supporting them cheering them on and super excited about, uh, about this this reveal. and just to see them at the show next month. Um, but also just as far as exciting on our end, we're growing. Um, and as word spreads from ecstatic customers, we naturally get referrals, which is really. That's always exciting. Um, but I'm working hard to get our logo and our offering in front of operations managers nationwide. Um, so, you know, if anybody is interested in starting these conversations, conversations, seeing what's possible. Um, or coming to have a chat with us at the booth, um, at Matt. Um, please reach out. Um, I guess we'll share our contact information. I'm certainly available on LinkedIn as well. Um, through messaging, but, um, but but I get I get excited about the opportunity and where the companies are headed. Awesome.
Speaker 2
[00.46.20]
Me, too. Yeah. I mean, I always ask. I always finish with that question, like, where can people find you and the whole thing? But it's almost always the same.
Speaker 1
[00.46.29]
LinkedIn. Our website. Pro map. Yep. Well, that's that's where we're going to be. Uh, so
Speaker 3
[00.46.35]
one of those places. Cool. Well, um.
Speaker 2
[00.46.40]
Go ahead. So that's where we are. We're saying, uh, our Rita Shugart is our marketing manager, and she's just she's hitting the link in her, and it's great. There's almost always something new. Probably three times a week popping up on
Speaker 3
[00.46.57]
LinkedIn for us as well. This this, uh, clip from this show will pop up on LinkedIn, as Chris has seen. So, uh, and a little bit more.
Speaker 2
[00.47.05]
Yeah, we're all
Speaker 1
[00.47.06]
shot with it. This is very valuable. So thank you for. Thank you for your work making these episodes happen.
Speaker 3
[00.47.13]
Yeah. No, it's my pleasure. And, you know, thank you very much again for coming on the show. It was very insightful. I mean, there's a lot of cool stuff that's going on out there, and it's obvious that both of you would are a great resource, a great avenue for people to go to as, as they grow and, and really get some solutions that can provide a lot of value. So thank you very much for coming on the show. And, you know, I really appreciate it. I'm sure that we will see each other in the future as the as our paths cross in the, in the distribution world. So thank you again.
Speaker 2
[00.47.46]
Ben. Hey, Chris. Thank you for setting this up.
Speaker 1
[00.47.49]
Thanks, everybody. Appreciate your time here.
Speaker 3
[00.47.51]
Yeah. All right guys. All right. Thank you. Thank you very much. Bye bye. Bye bye. All right guys. Well, that concludes the show today. Thank you again for Jim and Chris for for coming on. Very insightful. Very good information. If you are in that space, if you're at Pro Matt,
Speaker 2
[00.48.11]
I'm would go by the booth at Mesh Automation and see, uh, exactly what Jim was teasing there. So you might see some really cool stuff. So, uh, thank you again for tuning in. Remember at the Warehouse Underground, please sign up for the community. Lots of very, very cool stuff that's going on inside the message boards. Lots of good content in their network information. Share. And so that's really growing. So I encourage
Speaker 3
[00.48.36]
everybody to sign up for that. And with that I will see you next time for the next podcast.
Speaker 1
[00.48.42]
Thank you guys.
