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Kenco Triples Innovation Lab to Test 30 Robot Types Before Live Deployment

Kenco is expanding its automation testing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 10,000 to 30,000 square feet. A September 10 ribbon-cutting will mark the opening of the third-party logistics provider's expanded facility. The lab will evaluate at least 30 robot types across more than a dozen technologies in integrated workflows rather than isolated solutions, reducing customer deployment risk. The lab will showcase an end-to-end automated trailer unloading process where robots unload pallets from trailers, transport them deeper into the facility, and depalletize cases — all orchestrated by Gray Matter software alongside AutoStore and GrayOrange platforms. The expanded footprint enables vertical testing capabilities previously impossible, including cycle-counting towers that travel warehouse aisles. Kenco's automation chief emphasized that failed tests provide valuable insights. The original lab, launched in 2015, had become too constrained for comprehensive system testing.