Latest news with #warehousing
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
KEZAD, StockSpace, Axione Development to establish $14mln warehouse
ABU DHABI - Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi – KEZAD Group has announced the signing of a 50-year land lease agreement with Grade A warehouse operator StockSpace and project master developer Axione Development to establish a state-of-the-art Grade A warehouse facility in KEZAD Area A (KEZAD Al Ma'mourah). StockSpace has invested AED50 million to set up its 14,200 square metre facility that will significantly contribute to the growth of F&B and FMCG industries in the region by providing prime quality warehousing space and operations. The company's operations are set to create around 100 new jobs at the facility in KEZAD. Mansoor Al Marar, Vice President of Industrial Business Development at KEZAD Group, said, 'As a key enabler of Abu Dhabi's Industrial Mission, we provide an innovative environment in KEZAD to boost local manufacturing, enable world-class logistics setup for efficient distribution operations, and develop ancillary industries to facilitate growth.' He added, 'We will continue to deliver world-class industrial ecosystems that create market opportunities for the F&B sector. Our partnership with StockSpace is a significant step in this direction – to build capacity and improve the economic landscape for the industry in KEZAD.'
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Walmart Tests Opening ‘Dark Stores' to Speed Up Online Delivery
Walmart Inc. is testing dark stores, which resemble retail stores but are closed to the public, as a way to speed up deliveries. The company has opened one of these smaller warehouses in Dallas and plans to add another in Bentonville, Arkansas, where Walmart is based, according to people with knowledge of the matter who weren't authorized to speak publicly. Walmart is exploring adding more locations, the people said.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Black-I Robotics Wins Global Robotics Innovation Challenge
Chewy, Inc. identifies best robotics solution to warehousing's toughest issue 'With AI-powered vision, our system can safely identify and pick large, soft bags from pallets and place them into shipping boxes—automating a task that requires high labor costs.'— Brian Hart, CEO, Black-I Robotics TYNGSBOROUGH, MA, UNITED STATES, June 23, 2025 / / -- Black-I Robotics, headquartered in Tyngsborough, has won the prestigious Chewy Challenge, an international competition to identify the most advanced robotic solution for one of the warehouse industry's most stubborn challenges: autonomously handling soft, heavy loads—typically 40 pounds or more—inside fast-moving, high-volume distribution centers. The Chewy Challenge was sponsored by Chewy, Inc., the online marketer of pet-related products, including pet food and kitty litter, and MassRobotics, the largest independent robotics hub dedicated to accelerating innovation and adoption in the field of robotics. The prize was $30,000. 'Chewy's packaged products come in variable shapes and sizes, with different surface textures and levels of deformability, presenting a multi-layered manipulation challenge,' according to Brian Hart, CEO of Black-I Robotics. 'The packages' irregular geometry and low structural stiffness reduce the effectiveness of conventional suction or parallel-jaw gripping techniques, while inconsistent stacking and presentation on pallets further complicate object recognition and grasp planning. The challenge is multiplied when building mixed case pallets, which is often required. This was a deeply technical challenge.' Twelve elite teams from across the globe were chosen to compete. Over several months, they worked side-by-side with Chewy's robotics team, gaining hands-on insight into the company's fulfillment challenges, workflows, and performance standards. To support development, the Chewy team provided contestants with photos and videos of fulfillment operations, access to the Chewy robotics lab, and a comprehensive NVIDIA Omniverse simulation package, including a digital twin of the warehouse and 3D assets for a subset of Chewy's product line. The challenge aimed to enable teams to validate their solutions, whether as simulation-based prototypes or as physical systems ready to interact with the real world. 'Our experience building heavy-lift mobile robotic arms for government and private clients laid the foundation for Black-I's solution,' Hart says. 'By combining our proprietary mobile arm with AI-empowered intelligence and utilizing an autonomous mobile robot chassis, we present a practical solution that delivers value today—without requiring major changes to a facility's physical infrastructure. With AI-powered vision, our system can safely identify and pick large, soft bags from pallets and place them into shipping boxes—automating a task that all too often leads to frustration, injury and inefficiency. We're honored to be recognized as the best solution to this complex challenge. Chewy's continuous feedback was invaluable, and we thank MassRobotics for their support.' 'We're delighted that one of MassRobotics' own, Black-I Robotics, won this very competitive contest,' says Tom Ryden, executive director of MassRobotics. 'We've actively supported Black-I's efforts for many years, and have been impressed at how the company has worked so successfully to develop a robot solution for the logistics industry that is truly revolutionary. Congrats to the Black-I team!' For further information, contact CEO Brian Hart at 978-703-1236 or [email protected]. Visit us at Brian Hart Black-I Robotics [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is it Wise to Retain Prologis Stock in Your Portfolio Now?
Prologis PLD is poised to gain from its strategically located modern distribution facilities in key markets globally and scale. Prudent buyouts and development and a healthy balance sheet will drive growth. The company is also converting some of its warehouses into data centers to capitalize on the growing opportunity in this asset category. However, amid macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical issues, customers remain focused on cost controls and delay their decision-making with respect to leasing. Elevated interest expenses add to PLD's concerns. Prologis provides industrial distribution warehouse space in some of the busiest distribution markets across the globe. The properties of the company are typically located in large, supply-constrained infill markets in close proximity to airports, seaports and ground transportation facilities, which facilitates rapid distribution of customers' products. The solid demand for Prologis' strategically located facilities has driven healthy operating performance over the past several quarters. The company's new and renewal leases are expected to translate into considerable rises in future rental income. Our estimate points to a year-over-year increase of 6.3% in rental revenues in 2025. Prologis continues to bolster its presence in high-barrier, high-growth markets through strategic acquisitions and development activities. In the first quarter of 2025, the company's share of acquisitions amounted to $811 million. For 2025, the company anticipates acquisitions at Prologis share between $750 million and $1.25 billion. Development starts are expected in the range of $1.5-$2.0 billion. Prologis maintains a healthy balance sheet position with ample flexibility. As of March 31, 2025, this industrial REIT had a total available liquidity of $6.52 billion. As of the same date, the company's weighted average interest rate on its share of the total debt was 3.2%, with a weighted average term of 8.7 years. In addition, as of March 31, 2025, the company's credit ratings were A2 (Outlook Positive) from Moody's and A (Outlook Stable) from Standard & Poor's, enabling the company to borrow at an advantageous rate. The demand for high-performing data centers is likely to increase in the coming years amid high growth in cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and elevated requirements for third-party IT infrastructure. To capitalize on this growing opportunity, Prologis is focusing on both warehouse conversions and ground-up developments, which will aid future revenue growth. Solid dividend payouts are arguably the biggest enticements for REIT shareholders, and Prologis remains committed to that. In the last five years, Prologis has increased its dividend five times, and its five-year annualized dividend growth rate is 13.71%. Given the company's solid operating platform, opportunities for growth and decent financial position compared with the industry, this dividend rate is expected to be sustainable in the near term. Check Prologis' dividend history here. Analysts seem bullish on this Rank #3 (Hold) company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2025 FFO per share indicates a favorable outlook as it has moved marginally northward over the past month to $5.70. In a volatile and still elevated interest rate environment and geopolitical concerns, customers remain focused on cost controls and delaying their decisions with respect to decision-making for leasing. As such, demand remains subdued, and this trend is expected to continue in the near term. Despite the Federal Reserve announcing rate cuts in the second half of 2024, the interest rate is still high and is a concern for Prologis. The company's consolidated debt as of March 31, 2025 was $32.26 billion. For 2025, our estimate indicates an 11.7% year-over-year increase in the company's interest expenses. Shares of Prologis have declined 6.2% over the past three months, underperforming the industry's fall of 1.2%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Some better-ranked stocks from the REIT sector are VICI Properties VICI and W.P. Carey WPC,each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for VICI Properties' 2025 FFO per share is pegged at $2.34, up 3.54% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for W.P. Carey's2025 FFO per share is pegged at $4.88, up 3.83% year over year. Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Prologis, Inc. (PLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report W.P. Carey Inc. (WPC) : Free Stock Analysis Report VICI Properties Inc. (VICI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Globe and Mail
19-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Is it Wise to Retain Prologis Stock in Your Portfolio Now?
Prologis PLD is poised to gain from its strategically located modern distribution facilities in key markets globally and scale. Prudent buyouts and development and a healthy balance sheet will drive growth. The company is also converting some of its warehouses into data centers to capitalize on the growing opportunity in this asset category. However, amid macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical issues, customers remain focused on cost controls and delay their decision-making with respect to leasing. Elevated interest expenses add to PLD's concerns. What's Aiding Prologis Stock? Prologis provides industrial distribution warehouse space in some of the busiest distribution markets across the globe. The properties of the company are typically located in large, supply-constrained infill markets in close proximity to airports, seaports and ground transportation facilities, which facilitates rapid distribution of customers' products. The solid demand for Prologis' strategically located facilities has driven healthy operating performance over the past several quarters. The company's new and renewal leases are expected to translate into considerable rises in future rental income. Our estimate points to a year-over-year increase of 6.3% in rental revenues in 2025. Prologis continues to bolster its presence in high-barrier, high-growth markets through strategic acquisitions and development activities. In the first quarter of 2025, the company's share of acquisitions amounted to $811 million. For 2025, the company anticipates acquisitions at Prologis share between $750 million and $1.25 billion. Development starts are expected in the range of $1.5-$2.0 billion. Prologis maintains a healthy balance sheet position with ample flexibility. As of March 31, 2025, this industrial REIT had a total available liquidity of $6.52 billion. As of the same date, the company's weighted average interest rate on its share of the total debt was 3.2%, with a weighted average term of 8.7 years. In addition, as of March 31, 2025, the company's credit ratings were A2 (Outlook Positive) from Moody's and A (Outlook Stable) from Standard & Poor's, enabling the company to borrow at an advantageous rate. The demand for high-performing data centers is likely to increase in the coming years amid high growth in cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and elevated requirements for third-party IT infrastructure. To capitalize on this growing opportunity, Prologis is focusing on both warehouse conversions and ground-up developments, which will aid future revenue growth. Solid dividend payouts are arguably the biggest enticements for REIT shareholders, and Prologis remains committed to that. In the last five years, Prologis has increased its dividend five times, and its five-year annualized dividend growth rate is 13.71%. Given the company's solid operating platform, opportunities for growth and decent financial position compared with the industry, this dividend rate is expected to be sustainable in the near term. Check Prologis' dividend history here. Analysts seem bullish on this Rank #3 (Hold) company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2025 FFO per share indicates a favorable outlook as it has moved marginally northward over the past month to $5.70. What's Hurting Prologis Stock? In a volatile and still elevated interest rate environment and geopolitical concerns, customers remain focused on cost controls and delaying their decisions with respect to decision-making for leasing. As such, demand remains subdued, and this trend is expected to continue in the near term. Despite the Federal Reserve announcing rate cuts in the second half of 2024, the interest rate is still high and is a concern for Prologis. The company's consolidated debt as of March 31, 2025 was $32.26 billion. For 2025, our estimate indicates an 11.7% year-over-year increase in the company's interest expenses. Shares of Prologis have declined 6.2% over the past three months, underperforming the industry 's fall of 1.2%. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks from the REIT sector are VICI Properties VICI and W.P. Carey WPC,each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for VICI Properties' 2025 FFO per share is pegged at $2.34, up 3.54% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for W.P. Carey's2025 FFO per share is pegged at $4.88, up 3.83% year over year. Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs. Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and Sells We're not kidding. Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent. Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services like Surprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators, and more, that closed 256 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2024 alone. See Stocks Now >> Prologis, Inc. (PLD): Free Stock Analysis Report W.P. Carey Inc. (WPC): Free Stock Analysis Report VICI Properties Inc. (VICI): Free Stock Analysis Report
