Warehouse workers using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from Locus Robotics have picked more than 500 million units. This achievement was reached 94 days after the 400-million-pick benchmark was passed.
“As e-commerce volumes increase, the pace of picking with LocusBots is also increasing exponentially. Locus’s first 100-million milestone took 1,542 days while the most recent 100 million picks took just 94 days,” said Rick Faulk, CEO, Locus Robotics.
The 500 millionth pick was made at a VF Corporation fulfillment centre in Prague, Czech Republic, and the item picked was a pair of Vans Old Skool Shoes.
With a Locus system warehouse workers stay in a picking zone, while the AMRs that are equipped with a series of order totes and a travel around on their own, bringing totes to the workers to be filled. An onboard screen directs the pick and the worker scans the item and places it in the correct tote before the bot travels to the next picking location.
As more shoppers continue to buy online and as businesses prepare for what is expected to be a record-breaking holiday season, retailers and fulfillment warehouse operators are turning to AMRs to meet growing demand and mitigate labour shortages to avoid the risk of losing valuable customers.
“DHL Supply Chain is committed to bringing innovative and productivity-enhancing technology to our customers with partners like Locus so that they have the capacity and flexibility to capitalize on new opportunities in the marketplace,” said Adrian Kumar, vice-president, global operations science, DHL Supply Chain.
“We congratulate Locus on this momentous achievement and look forward to continuing to work with Locus to drive productivity, support capacity growth, and deliver continuous improvement within our customers’ supply chains.”
LocusBots have now traveled more than three million miles in customers’ warehouses, the equivalent of more than 120 times around the Earth.
“Innovation and an unrelenting drive towards customer success have no doubt been drivers in this achievement.” Says John Santagate, vice-president of Robotics at Körber Supply Chain. “500 million picks handled on LocusBots is quite the milestone.”
Locus Robotics’s global customers includeg CEVA, DHL, Boots UK, GEODIS, Whiplash, Saddle Creek, Quiet 3PF, Radial, and others.
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