Kenco Opens New Innovation Lab for Warehouse Automation Testing
Kenco opened a 30,000-square-foot Innovation Lab on Sept. 10, tripling a testing footprint the third-party logistics provider first built in 2015.
The larger facility allows Kenco to run warehouse automation testing on larger and more complex systems. It also allows more of those systems to run side by side. Testing takes place inside a building designed to mirror real-world warehouse conditions so results carry over to a live distribution center.
Ainsley Williams, vice president of automation and innovation at Kenco, described the expansion as benefiting both manufacturers and customers.
“The Innovation Lab has long stood as the convergence point for leading technologies and real-world applications, helping both manufacturers and customers identify and realize what’s possible,” Williams said. “By tripling our innovation footprint, we can further provide a space for OEMs to continue experimenting with their products in a real environment and for customers to explore product and value without having to invest in them.”
The opening drew former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and Tennessee state Sen. Bo Watson, along with representatives from the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Hamilton County Schools and the University of Tennessee campuses at Chattanooga and Knoxville. A large automation project with Thomas Goldsby, the Dee and Jimmy Haslam Chair in Logistics at UT Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business, is already underway, Reilly said.