Dive Brief:
- S&S Activewear added over 200 robotic picking systems to its distribution centers in Reno, Nevada, and Reading, Pennsylvania, in a bid to increase speed and accuracy of customer order fulfillment, according to a Dec. 4 press release.
- Together with Geekplus and Körber Supply Chain Software, the apparel and accessories distributor deployed a Geekplus “PopPick System” that leverages autonomous mobile robots, mobile racks, tote-based storage and an automated picking and replenishment module, John Santagate, SVP of robotics at Körber Supply Chain Software, said in an email.
- The added automation aims to help S&S Activewear grow at scale, CTO Brian Beale said in an email. The robots also limit strenuous aspects of warehouse operations, such as operating a forklift.
Dive Insight:
S&S Activewear first deployed the PopPick System in its Lockport, Illinois, distribution center, resulting in operational efficiencies that the retail distributor expects to see in its Reno and Reading facilities.
“Since deploying the PopPick system in our Illinois distribution center, we’ve not only seen production rates jump from 40 picks per hour to 150 picks per hour and a drastic increase in picking accuracy, but turnover has also decreased by 75% as many of the typical warehouse safety risks have been reduced or eliminated,” Beale said in a statement.
Not only has the automation helped the company keep up with demand and increase accuracy, but it also provides customers with much quicker turnaround times, according to the release.
The robotic system used by S&S Activewear is known as a goods to person system, according to Santagate. The robots store totes full of product on mobile racks and when an order is dropped for a particular SKU, the system locates it on the floor area. A mobile robot is then dispatched to fetch the rack and shuttle it to a picking station, where a robotic arm extracts the tote from the rack and presents it to the picker.
Both distribution centers in Reno and Reading house 2,750 racks storing 110,000 totes, according to the release.
The market for mobile robots has become a bigger part of several company strategies. Robotic picking-systems can help company’s not only optimize warehouse operations through higher production output, but expedite delivery times.
Staples, for example, in early 2024 deployed a RightPick system that grips items of various shapes, sizes, weights and packaging. The system is expected to help the company offer next-day delivery to over 98% of the United States.
