Forklift Driving Becomes a Desk Job in Phantom-Mitsubishi Deal
- Phantom Auto to supply remote-operation software for forklifts
- Technology seen easing manufacturing sector labor crunch
A driver operates a forklift remotely.
Source: Phantom Auto
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Phantom Auto, a California-based startup focusing on remote vehicle operation, has struck a deal to provide logistics equipment heavyweight Mitsubishi Logisnext Co. with software that enables forklifts to be operated remotely from thousands of miles away.
A unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Kyoto-based Mitsubishi Logisnext is the third-biggest company in the $45 billion-plus global market for forklifts. Via their tie-up, Bessemer Venture Partners-backed Phantom Auto and Mitsubishi will offer forklifts that can rove around a warehouse in California, controlled by workers sitting at a desk a continent away.