Forklift drivers wanted: can work remotely

Phantom Auto’s technology allows ‘digital drivers’, as Geodis calls them, to sit at a console and operate a forklift from thousands of miles away. — Phantom Auto/Geodis

Logistics giant Geodis SA says it plans to begin using remote-operated forklifts in its warehouses. The Paris-based company announced early Wednesday that it has formed a partnership with Silicon Valley startup Phantom Auto to supply tele-operations.

The two companies began working together in 2019 to test remote-operated forklifts in a warehouse in Le Mans, France. With that pilot successfully concluded, Geodis is working on a plan to deploy the technology commercially, according to Stéphanie Hervé, the company’s chief operation officer for Western Europe, the Middle East and Africa.