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Gatik’s vehicles are geared up with commercial-grade autonomous driving know-how. | Supply: Gatik
Gatik, an organization seeking to automate middle-mile logistics, is partnering with Tyson Meals to deploy autonomous refrigerated field vehicles alongside routes in Arkansas. This multi-year collaboration can have the vehicles working 18 hours a day to ship merchandise to Tyson’s distribution and storage services within the Rogers and Springdale, Arkansas areas.
Beginning this week, Gatik’s autonomous vehicles will function on predetermined short-haul, repeated routes to maneuver merchandise from plant to storage services.
“We’re excited to companion with Tyson Meals to scale back price and complexity inside their regional distribution structure,” Gatik CEO and co-founder, Gautam Narang, mentioned. “This can be a important second for Gatik as we introduce Class 7 autonomous field vehicles into our fleet. Our partnership with Tyson is poised to drive long-term innovation and provide chain resiliency whereas delivering tangible, near-term worth.”
All the vehicles are geared up with a 26-foot temperature-controlled field purpose-built to move refrigerated and frozen items shortly and safely. Gatik makes use of a number of sensor modalities which might be custom-designed for fail-safe, short-haul, B2B operations.
Initially of the deployment, a security driver can be current within the cab to watch the autonomous system and take over driving if wanted.
Gatik has three phases that it really works via for deployments. The primary includes hundreds of thousands of miles of simulated coaching, which is adopted by the second part, which includes non-public closed course monitor testing, first with security drivers after which with out. Lastly, the Gatik group strikes into its public testing part.
“At Tyson Meals, we’re innovating and utilizing automation all through our enterprise, together with in transportation,” Patrick Simmons, vp of transportation for Tyson Meals, mentioned. “This partnership permits us to strategically place our drivers the place they’re wanted most whereas nonetheless reliably and safely transporting protein from the plant to distribution facilities.”
Tyson hopes that the partnership will convey it elevated asset utilization inside its short-haul logistics community, help with stock goals, and help a transition to a extra responsive method to shifting items.
Earlier this yr, Gatik introduced a multi-year business collaboration with Kroger to move buyer orders inside Kroger’s Dallas distribution community. This partnership includes Gatik’s medium-duty autonomous field vehicles transporting merchandise from a Kroger Buyer Achievement Heart (CFC) in Dallas, Texas to a number of retail areas.
