Jervis B. Webb Co named nine value-added resellers (VARs) to supply, install and service the firm's SmartCart automatic guided carts (AGCs) in certain geographic areas.

Under agreements with Webb, the VARs are Advanced Equipment Co of Charlotte, North Carolina; Conveyability Inc of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Skarnes Inc/DL Systems of New Brighton, Minnesota; Flexicell Inc robotic systems of Ashland, Virginia; HCM Systems Inc of Willowbrook, Illinois; Herr Industrial Inc of Lititz, Pennsylvania; Lorik Tool & Automation Inc of Brantford, Ontario, Canada; Schneider Packaging Equipment Co Inc of Brewerton, New York; and Technical Packaging Systems of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The Webb firm intends to sign agreements with other VARs in strategic locations in the US and Canada.

"The affordability and flexibility of SmartCarts make them the ideal choice for companies looking to increase productivity while reducing costs," said Bruce Buscher, Webb vice president of sales and marketing, in a statement.

Magnetic tape guide paths control the movement of SmartCart AGCs in materials handling applications involving assembly line or goods transportation within a plant or warehouse.

Farmington Hills-based Webb has manufacturing locations in Harbor Springs and Boyne City, Michigan; Carlisle, South Carolina; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Bangalore, India; and Shanghai, China. Webb is a subsidiary of Daifuku Company Ltd of Osaka, Japan.