RG Group sponsors Smart Factory and Warehouse with leading technological solutions


Mark Proud and Paul Martello attend The Smart Factory @ Montreal grand opening
York, PA
The recent unveiling of The Smart Factory @ Montreal, has marked a milestone for the Canadian manufacturing and warehousing industry. A first-of-its-kind facility, it is intent on transforming manufacturing and warehousing through digital transformation.
“Canadian businesses tend to be sized for the Canadian market but are often competing against multinationals that have extensive resources and sophisticated systems,” says Alan Taliaferro, Deloitte Canada partner and leader, The Smart Factory @ Montreal. “This space provides an opportunity to support Canadian businesses by enabling them to learn about, and experiment with, an array of live smart technologies in a fully automated factory and warehouse. By setting stretch goals and embracing change, Canadian businesses will have the opportunity to learn how to achieve a competitive edge in both local and global markets.”
RG Group worked with Deloitte to equip the facility with various forms of Autonomous Mobile Robot Technology operating in a 5G environment, specifically in the areas of Smart Receiving and Automated Depalletizing.
Smart Receiving works by using an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) to unload pallets from a trailer, while photos of the pallet are captured from different angles. Computer vision and machine learning technology identifies the type of product, determines if there are any damages and verifies if the correct quantity was delivered. The warehouse management system (WMS) then tells the AMR where to store the goods, based on the information that was gathered from the cameras.
Automated depalletizing uses a robotic arm to turn mixed-SKU pallets into individual cases. On-the-fly case recognition allows for the robot to identify cases and begin picking without requiring any type of system integration. These cases can then be routed to the desired location using a set of conveyors and sorters. Both technologies allow the transfer of workforces to other value generating tasks, while also increasing safety by reducing risks of injury. To learn more about RG Group or the technologies they provide expertise in, please visit: www.rg-group.com.
“We have been working in collaboration with Deloitte now for a little over two years. Our collective success in this time has led us to make deeper investments in this relationship,” shared Patrick Gross, Chief Operating Officer for RG Group. “The launch of The Smart Factory @ Montreal will help RG Group reach and teach an entirely new set of prospective clients about the latest robotic technologies. For this reason RG Group has committed over $1M in assets for this facility to help business leaders visualize and experience what’s possible today in the manufacturing/warehousing environments. I can guarantee that you will be wowed by the Deloitte team and the RG Group technologies featured in this experiential center.”
Spanning over 9,000 square feet, The Smart Factory @ Montreal is designed to showcase the possibilities of automation to run production lines, efficiently store and move inventory and track inbound and outbound shipments. In its first year of operation, the state-of-the-art facility is expected to draw hundreds of national and global business leaders to expose them to revolutionary ways of working in order to maximize efficiencies. The factory leverages cuttingedge industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, robotics, internet of things (IoT), big data, cloud and edge applications. The Smart Factory @ Montreal demonstrates how digital supply networks are transforming supply chains away from siloed functions into an interconnected ecosystem that is both seamless and transparent.
About RG Group: RG Group, a group of distribution and manufacturing companies has been providing leadership in the design and delivery of innovative motion control and fluid handling products and solutions for over 65 years. RG Group operates under a very simple core concept: “We Keep Business in Motion”. The company goal is to provide its customers with a sustainable competitive advantage through the creative application of technology in the robotics, automation, hydraulic, pneumatic, electromechanical and process markets.
RG Group’s headquarters is located in York, PA, with stores, branches and distribution service areas on the East Coast including PA, NY, NJ, DE, MD, WV, VA, ME, VT, NH, MA, OH, RI and CT.
For additional information, visit www.rg-group.com or contact info@rg-group.com.