Robotic picking pilot doubles productivity for apparel retailer

To tackle the record-low unemployment rate (~3%) and the strain on labour during peak seasons, Geodis and a major online women’s apparel client partnered to pilot collaborative each-picking using 30 autonomous mobile robots from Locus Robotics in a 139,000 square foot (13,000 sqm) warehouse in Indianapolis.

The location handles over 30,000 SKUs and uses a manual picking process that is complex and leaves little margin for error.

The results have been ‘staggering’, says Geodis. Now, 80% of the units are picked to the robots daily. The firm says employee productivity has doubled and there was an at least 50% reduction in time to train new employees.

Geodis is looking to expand the partnership with Locus Robotics in more warehouses with their retail and eCommerce customers.

“Our mission is to help our clients succeed by overcoming their logistical constraints and we are committed to innovative solutions for our customers to address industry-wide challenges” says Geodis CEO Marie-Christine Lombard. “The labour market is tight, especially during peak seasons, and we want to enable our team to better execute for our customers. And in this case, the technological support of robots effectively solved the challenge.”

The success of the pilot started with simplifying Geodis employee training. Rather than spending hours in the classroom, team members were instructed on how to pick to the robots on the warehouse floor, completing the training within a matter of minutes. The messaging on the robots is displayed in their preferred languages allowing for faster absorption of training and a decrease in picking errors. Picking units to the robots also reduced physical demand by eliminating the need to pull pick carts and decreasing overall travel.

“We are very proud to welcome Geodis as a customer,” adds Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Our robots enhance more than worker productivity; they improve worker job satisfaction by removing some of the more physically demanding aspects of the picking process. We look forward to continuing to help the Geodis team drive operating efficiencies.”