Dematic grants scholarships to five Grand Valley State University students

Dematic recently granted scholarships to five Grand Valley State University (GVSU) students in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Mary Idema Pew Library and its Dematic Automated Storage Retrieval System (AS/RS) installation.

GVSU students were invited to participate in the scholarship opportunity by reading about the Dematic AS/RS that powers library book retrieval at the Allendale and Grand Rapids, Michigan campuses, and answering a question related to the technology. The scholarship recipients were each awarded $1,000 to use toward their educational needs at the university.

Who they are:

• Kallie Crouch – junior English, education, and writing major
• Isabella Gielniak – senior education, English, and history-teaching major
• Julia Jones – freshman recreational therapy major
• Tanja Morhard – freshman health information management and healthcare information systems major
• Chloe Spradlin – sophomore biochemistry major

“We believe in investing in technology as well as in our future workforce and community,” says Mike Larsson, President, Dematic, KION Group Executive Board Member. “These scholarships reflect our commitment to education and innovation, shaping a brighter tomorrow for Grand Valley State University students and the Grand Rapids community.”  

Installed at GVSU’s Allendale campus in 2013, the Dematic AS/RS fully automates the book collection process. Students and library patrons request materials through the library's ordering system, triggering the robotic crane to retrieve the book within minutes of the request.

The Dematic AS/RS at the Mary Idema Pew Library on the Allendale campus is integrated via a software control system with another Dematic AS/RS in the Steelcase Library on the Grand Rapids campus. This has eliminated off-campus storage while reducing retrieval times from days to around two minutes. The system ensures near 100% accuracy through barcode scanning. Both library storage areas are temperature-controlled, helping to preserve materials and have a total capacity of 800,000 items.

“Dematic’s AS/RS technology at GVSU has made accessing study materials quick and easy,” says scholarship recipient Isabella Gielniak. “From checking out materials to now receiving support for my future studies, it showcases how technology enhances educational accessibility and the positive impact of innovation in the Grand Rapids community.”