Kaufland tests robots: never again empty supermarket shelves?

by times news cr

No more empty supermarket shelves

Kaufland is testing robots in its stores


December 24, 2024 – 10:50 a.mReading time: 2 min.

The Tally robot is already being used in the branches of the US supermarket chain Schnucks. (Quelle: Simbe)

In some Kaufland supermarkets in this country, robots are currently driving through the aisles. They are primarily intended to relieve the burden on employees, they say.

Kaufland is testing robots in some stores to drive through the aisles. This is announced by the Californian robot manufacturer Simbe, whose devices are used at Kaufland. Kaufland itself says it expects the smart helpers to reduce inventory shortages and save time for staff.

The robot, called Tally, will travel independently during the day in the Kaufland stores in Heilbronn, Schwaigern, Ravensburg and Sinsheim. With the help of numerous cameras, Tally records the items on the retailer’s shelves, Simbe continues.

“The current test scenarios are primarily about the autonomous robots recognizing gaps and incorrectly placed products or discovering incorrect pricing,” says Kaufland. Employees received the data from the robots and could react accordingly. The time-consuming inspection of the shelves is no longer necessary.

In order not to confuse customers, the robots are marked according to Kaufland. A sign attached to the smart helpers reads: “Hello, I’m Tally! I check the shelf stock.”

Tally is not the only robot that Kaufland is currently testing, says Simbe. Another pilot test is taking place in a branch in Stadthagen, Lower Saxony, with a model from the manufacturer Ubica that is used outside of business hours. Here too, the focus is on detecting gaps in shelves, Simbe continues.

The Bremen startup Ubica is best known as dm’s technology partner. Rewe has also been testing the robots in some of its branches for some time.

The Neckarsulm-based company says it is still too early for the first results of the pilot projects at Kaufland. The tests with the two robots are scheduled to run until at least the end of February 2025.

The robot provider Simbe says it is already working with major US retailers such as BJs Wholesale Club, SpartanNash, Albertsons and Schnucks. In Europe, Simbe is active in Ireland and France. In Turkey, the robots are used in Carrefour stores.

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