Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

Third Wave Automation gains fresh financial backing from Qualcomm and Zebra

Firm plans to integrate its autonomous forklift technology with Zebra’s Fetch robots.

thirdwave TWA_ClarkNPX_20_2.jpeg
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
By Supply Chain Quarterly StaffFeb 15, 2023
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
See Full Bio

Third Wave Automation (TWA), which provides artificial intelligence (AI) for high-reach autonomous forklifts, has landed a new investment wave from Qualcomm Ventures and Zebra Technologies that brings its total funding to $70 million.

California-based Third Wave did not specify the amount of the round, but a $40 million “series B” round in 2021 had brought the company’s total backing to $59 million.

Stocked with the new cash, Third Wave plans to accelerate new innovations as its first product expands its select pilot program, the firm said. Third Wave said it will now expand its market offerings, accelerate new solutions for automating other classes of forklifts—including narrow aisle and counterbalance trucks—and integrate with automation solutions such as Fetch Robotics, which is now part of Zebra Technologies.

“As our supply chain customers continue to battle labor shortages, they are turning to automation solutions to improve productivity. TWA's autonomous, high-reach fork trucks streamline warehouse workflows, enabling operators to increase throughput and lower costs while also improving worker safety," Tony Palcheck, managing director of Zebra Ventures at Zebra Technologies, said in a release.

Third Wave says its “TWA Reach” platform is the only forklift automation solution on the market today that offers users the flexibility to deploy their fleet in four modalities: fully autonomous, remote operation, remote assist, and traditional manual operation. According to the firm, customers in pilot deployments have used that technology enable users to meet their daily quota of throughput in inbound putaway, replenishment, and outbound workflows.

“The increasing adoption of advanced robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G connectivity is facilitating the use of autonomous solutions within the warehouse,” said Carlos Kokron, vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and managing director, Qualcomm Ventures Americas, said in a release. “Third Wave Automation’s shared autonomy approach with continuous learning capabilities delivers immediate value to the customers by easily integrating with existing workflows while enhancing labor productivity and safety. We are excited to invest in Third Wave Automation to bring next-generation autonomy to the forklifts.”

 

ArticleMoveStoreTechnologyTech & Infrastructure
third wave automationqualcommzebra technologies
ArticleMoveStoreTechnologyTech & Infrastructure
third wave automationqualcommzebra technologies

Recent

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year
Featured

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Industry Press Room

Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Group Announces UniCarriers® Forklifts’ Premier Club Winners for 2024

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands
Featured

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

screen shot of returns apps on different devices
Technology

Optoro: 69% of shoppers admit to “wardrobing” fraud

More Stories

robots carry goods through a warehouse

Fortna: rethink your distribution strategy for 2025

Facing an evolving supply chain landscape in 2025, companies are being forced to rethink their distribution strategies to cope with challenges like rising cost pressures, persistent labor shortages, and the complexities of managing SKU proliferation.

But according to the systems integrator Fortna, businesses can remain competitive if they focus on five core areas:

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

A computer-generated image with a series of document icons represented in a curve against a sweep of digital text and maybe the lights of highway or circuitboard below.
Store

How Gen AI can be used to standardize distribution processes and procedures

photos of white house and a loaded containership
Plan

Supply chain groups push back on Trump tariff plan

A generative AI image of a future warehouse with two figures looking at digital overlays of traditional warehousing racks. An autonomous mobile robot is nearby.
Store

Strategic planning and smart investments: Unlocking the potential of automation

Industry Press Room

CJ Logistics America and OneTrack Redefine Warehouse Operations Using AI and Computer Vision

chart of consumer spending
Plan

Consumers “took a breather” on January spending after holiday rush

photo collage of containers and ports
Plan

DHL Supply Chain expands offerings in returns, multi-shoring

shopper uses smartphone in retail store

EY lists five ways to fortify omnichannel retail

In the fallout from the pandemic, the term “omnichannel” seems both out of date and yet more vital than ever, according to a study from consulting firm EY.

That clash has come as retailers have been hustling to adjust to pandemic swings like a renewed focus on e-commerce, then swiftly reimagining store experiences as foot traffic returned. But even as the dust settles from those changes, retailers are now facing renewed questions about how best to define their omnichannel strategy in a world where customers have increasing power and information.

Keep ReadingShow less
artistic image of a building roof

BCG: tariffs would accelerate change in global trade flows

Geopolitical rivalries, alliances, and aspirations are rewiring the global economy—and the imposition of new tariffs on foreign imports by the U.S. will accelerate that process, according to an analysis by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Without a broad increase in tariffs, world trade in goods will keep growing at an average of 2.9% annually for the next eight years, the firm forecasts in its report, “Great Powers, Geopolitics, and the Future of Trade.” But the routes goods travel will change markedly as North America reduces its dependence on China and China builds up its links with the Global South, which is cementing its power in the global trade map.

Keep ReadingShow less
woman making purchase with smartphone

C.H. Robinson says shippers are stressed about tariffs and trade changes

Shippers are actively preparing for changes in tariffs and trade policy through steps like analyzing their existing customs data, identifying alternative suppliers, and re-evaluating their cross-border strategies, according to research from logistics provider C.H. Robinson.

They are acting now because survey results show that shippers say the top risk to their supply chains in 2025 is changes in tariffs and trade policy. And nearly 50% say the uncertainty around tariffs and trade policy is already a pain point for them today, the Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based company said.

Keep ReadingShow less
woman shopper with data

RILA shares four-point policy agenda for 2025

As 2025 continues to bring its share of market turmoil and business challenges, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has stayed clear on its four-point policy agenda for the coming year.

That strategy is described by RILA President Brian Dodge in a document titled “2025 Retail Public Policy Agenda,” which begins by describing leading retailers as “dynamic and multifaceted businesses that begin on Main Street and stretch across the world to bring high value and affordable consumer goods to American families.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2025.