Geodis, Phantom Auto Partner On Remote-Driven Forklifts

If office workers can perform their duties remotely, why not forklift operators? The question isn’t rhetorical. France-based Geodis, one of the world’s biggest logistics providers, and Phantom Auto, a Silicon Valley expert in software for long-range remotely-operated unmanned vehicles, announced Wednesday a deal to develop forklifts that can be operated from as far as thousands of miles away.

“Office workers have the privilege to work remotely, as long as they have phones and computers with Zoom,” said Elliot Katz, Phantom Auto co-founder and chief business officer, in an interview. “Now, for the first time, warehouse workers have that same privilege — it is Zoom for the physical world.”

Phantom and Geodis have been working up to this moment for a couple of years in conjunction with forklift manufacturer, KION Group and its Fenwick-Linde brand. During the multi-year runup, Phantom has been working with Fenwick-Linde to integrate its software into forklift trucks and with Geodis to develop remote work stations for operating the units that include multiple screens, audio links to the warehouses, a steering wheel and foot pedals.

The desire to have the capability to run forklifts remotely centers on safety, a sparse labor pool and opportunity for disabled workers, according to Geodis chief operating officer Stephanie Herve.

“We need more and more workers in our activity. At the same time it's more and more difficult to recruit for our activity because for forklift drivers we need very qualified people with skills and a license and at the same time our warehouses are outside the main areas,” said Herve in an interview. “This is the partnership with Phantom to find innovation to make our profession more accessible to people, like for example people with disabilities, also for young people to be more attractive and to be able to recruit and retain talent in our organization.”

Both Herve and Katz insist the ability to hire workers far from worksites to operate forklifts will not threaten jobs even though one “digital driver” could conceivably teleport into multiple locations to operate units in several different warehouses.

“We need one driver per forklift,” said Herve.

Katz elaborated that point saying, “Remote operation increases the productivity, flexibility, safety, and health of companies' most important resource: people. As opposed to technology that displaces jobs, this is human-centric technology that makes people’s jobs better, while simultaneously increasing efficiency and productivity. It is the transformation of ‘warehouse work’ into ‘office work’ — you can remotely operate a forklift while sipping your morning coffee.”

The technology behind Phantom’s system is based on what Katz terms its “network- agnostic software” that he says delivers “secure, low-latency communication over volatile and constrained wireless networks, enabling reliable sensor streaming and safe control of vehicle functions.”

In addition, Phantom’s software aggregates all available networks from all available carriers such as AT&T and Verizon VZ , according to Katz. They key, he explained, is there must be some sort of connectivity available to make the link between remote operator and forklift work.

Adding some urgency to putting remote forklift operation into use is the issue of supply chain resiliency. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed glaring weaknesses in the supply chains in several industries including automotive. On February 24, Pres. Joe Biden issued an executive order mandating a shoring up of supply chains to help avoid parts shortages, such as the slim supply of semiconductors, that’s closed several auto assembly plants.

Phantom’s Elliot Katz believes the ability to operate forklifts remotely can at least contribute to building supply chain resiliency by reducing the number of people physically present at a worksite, especially during a pandemic. In addition, manufacturing and shipping activities can be more closely monitored.

“Remote operation enables companies to virtualize their supply chain operations,” Katz explained. “With vast amounts of on-the-ground operational data at operators' fingertips thanks to real-time data streaming, companies can identify and react to potential supply chain shocks before they happen. For example, a company can not only see in real-time that there is a surge in operational demand at a certain site, but they can also teleport digital drivers there on-demand and as needed. This type of dynamic workforce allocation unlocks unprecedented efficiencies and opportunities.”

Neither Herve nor Katz would reveal the value of this latest phase in their relationship. Herve explained they’re still in the testing phase, so it is unclear how many remotely operated forklifts Geodis will be ordering.

“Today we are finalizing the test with Phantom and finishing the design of the solution and the plan of deployment for the coming months,” said Herve.