Businesses Tackle Growing E-Commerce Demands With the Latest Technology

S&S Activewear will deploy Geekplus’s robotic solutions in three facilities across America. Image used courtesy of Geekplus 

Geekplus Robotics Solutions

S&S Activewear, a leading clothing distributor, announced the expansion of its relationship with Körber Business Area Supply Chain, kicking off with the installation of 340 Geekplus robots at a 750,000-square-foot S&S facility in Lockport, IL. Körber and Geekplus have been partnered since 2020. Together, the two companies help businesses across the globe deploy AMR solutions. S&S Activewear intends to deploy the companies’ solution in three of its American warehouses. 

The S&S-Körber partnership leverages Geekplus's PopPick robotic handling solution, which has a Connect Four-type frame and mechanism. The automated picking station retrieves crates and deposits them during inbound and outbound package delivery and distribution. Shelf-to-person robots transport shelves with totes to the picking station, where totes are removed and then placed in front of the operator for picking. Small to large items and even full pallets are accessible for picking with this solution. Warehouse spaces can accommodate high-density, diverse storage with totes (spaced 2 cm apart), pallets, and shelves.

Geekplus boasts a tote-delivery efficiency of up to 6.5 seconds, and its tote-carrying robots have a threefold maximum throughput capacity. When it comes to cost, Geekplus says that picking robots are half (or less) as costly as conventional tote robots. 

Floware is an AMR solution designed to pick 3.5 times faster than manual methods. Image used courtesy of Floatic

Floatic Secures $3.8 Million

Floatic, a South Korean startup focused on robotics for logistics, received $3.8 million in a pre-Series A bridge deal sponsored by Capstone Partners, bringing the company’s total amount raised to $8 million. The money will go towards research and development, in addition to the commercial launch of Floatic’s Floware. Floware is a robotic solution made up of AMRs and a management system designed to increase operational efficiency and achieve higher throughput. The solution is being tested in the field and will likely be commercialized later this year. 

LocusBots increase throughput and free up human coworkers to focus on other tasks. Image used courtesy of Locus Robotics 

A Historic 500 Millionth Pick Milestone

On May 18th this year, DHL Supply Chain achieved a milestone of 500 million picks at its Toledo facility in Spain. This impressive feat was achieved by employing LocusBots from Locus Robotics. The duo's enduring partnership spans the globe, with no less than 35 DHL sites home to operational fleets of LocusBots.

The LocusBots travel to a designated induction area where human operators induct a tote or multiple totes onto the robot. The bots then select a path that saves the most time and avoids obstructions to reach the picking area. The LocusBots bring totes to the human pickers, cutting out the time that pickers would spend walking across the warehouse, which can be as much as 10 miles of walking a shift! 

Human coworkers appear to enjoy working alongside the LocusBot colleagues and have even given them names such as Botty Mcbotface, Colin, Lenny, Sheldon, and Nosey. Not only does this robotic solution enhance the order fulfillment process and boost productivity, but it also increases worker satisfaction and comfort. 

Hai Robotics’ HaiPick A42 multi-layer autonomous case-handling mobile robot. Image used courtesy of Hai Robotics

Hai Robotics and L'Oréal

Hai Robotics has outfitted L'Oréal's new 46,000-square-meter SMART Fulfillment Center in Suzhou, China, with innovative automation technologies, including HaiPort, conveyor picking solutions, and 39 HaiPick A42 Multi-Layer Autonomous Case-handling mobile robots. The collaboration focuses on enhancing L'Oréal's distribution network by boosting storage capacity and outbound efficiency while retaining flexibility and ensuring operations are as sustainable as possible.