GEODIS has announced the deployment of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) from Geek+, a global technology company specialized in smart logistics through advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), at its Yuen Long Warehouse Distribution Centre (YLDC) in Hong Kong, SAR China. The YLDC will be provided with an exclusive AMR operating area with QR coding to guide automated operations.
Onno Boots, Regional President & CEO, Asia Pacific said: “These solutions not only bring long-term cost-savings, operational efficiencies, and safety, but also enable us to maintain high-quality control standards while providing customers greater speed and flexibility of movement of goods.”
GEODIS’ states that its initial project AMR deployment features customized storage racks and shelves that do not require aisles in between while parked. This high-density storage buffer aims to allow GEODIS to maximize its storage capacity for improved customer fulfilment processes. Furthermore, the Geek+ robots will be used for locating, tracking, and moving inventory through “Goods-to-Person Picking” solutions. This method allows orders to be delivered directly to pick and pack stations, eliminating any movement time needed by operators to search for items.
In addition to improved real estate utilization, GEODIS hopes AMR adoption minimizes manual labour and reduces the risk of human error—improving picking accuracy and reducing inventory count errors. The use of AMR is planned to also mitigate some of the challenges brought on by COVID-19, such as social distancing protocols in warehouses.
Chris Cahill, Managing Director, North Asia Sub-Region said. “In the long run, digital solutions and technologies like robotics and AI give us more data and insights so we can continue to finesse our operations to fulfil the needs of our customers.”
The Geek+ solution advances GEODIS’ goal of boosting its smart logistics portfolio and aims to provide a competitive edge to meet the rising demands for agility and accuracy amidst what GEODIS describes as soaring demand in the e-commerce, retail and FMCG segments. GEODIS has around 250 autonomous mobile robots worldwide.
Source: GEODIS
