Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has unveiled a fleet of 12 Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for back-of-house deliveries aimed at optimizing its hotel and Expo & Convention Centre operations.
According to information from the company, the AMRs – which are typically deployed for supply chain deliveries in factories around the world – perform the critical but manpower-laborious task of deliveries for the 24/7 integrated resort. Before their deployment, employees had been conducting more than 200 manual deliveries across 80 routes each day.
MBS said it had experienced a 35% increase in delivery volumes between 2019 and 2035, while the use of the AMRs has seen up to a 30% reduction in labor dependency. It added that Procurement and Supply Chain Team Members have been re-assigned to higher value tasks, upskilling in areas such as inventory management as well as operating and dispatching the AMRs, ensuring the smooth integration of robots into daily operations.
Each AMR can transport a load of 300kg and travel at up to 84 meters per minute across any of its 20 pre-programmed routes. Safety laser scanners allow for intelligent wayfinding and obstacle detecting, enabling them to come to a halt in front of obstacles and safely navigate around objects in their path, MBS explained. Another five robots will be programmed and rolled out in the second half of 2025.
“Running a large-scale integrated resort like Marina Bay Sands requires effective workforce planning and since day one, we have fostered a culture of productivity by investing in innovation,” said Shijith Prathapan, Vice President of Procurement and Supply Chain at Marina Bay Sands. “As we continue to invest in Singapore, we will pursue even more innovative tools to elevate workplace processes together with our suppliers, who have been instrumental in enhancing our productivity.”
MBS said it has now automated more than 200 work processes across various business functions, allowing the resort to repurpose over 162,000 manhours towards greater value-added tasks annually.
