BALYO REACHY Driverless Forklifts to Automate Four Behr Paint Co. Distribution Centers

BALYO Inc. yesterday announced that Behr Paint Co. has chosen its REACHY autonomous forklifts for four additional distribution centers across the U.S. Over the course of this year, BALYO plans to deploy a fleet of robots at each facility to automate storage and retrieval operations.

“We are very excited to convert new sites for Behr after a first successful project over 2022 and proud to pursue our journey with such a prestigious brand as Behr," stated Pascal Rialland, CEO of BALYO. "We engaged collaboratively with Behr at the first site in Dallas with three robots coping with extreme space conditions and will now engage with four new facilities with 12 of our 'Gen2' reach robots. All four sites will be operational in 2023."

BALYO SA said its Driven by Balyo technology transforms standard forklifts into intelligent robots, automating pallet movements in factories and distribution centers and freeing humans for more enriching and creative jobs. The company has developed systems for traditional warehousing operations, including tractors, pallet stackers, reaching, and very narrow aisle (VNA) robots.

Behr Paint applies robots to operations

Behr Paint Co. said it is one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains, surface preparation and application products for do-it-yourselfers and professionals in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China, and Chile. To optimize its storage space and reduce operating costs of its U.S. distribution centers, Behr chose BALYO's autonomous forklifts.

Not only can BALYO's systems automate operations, but they can also improve safety and reduce the damage often associated with the manual handling of goods, said the company.

BALYO's robots use simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), lidar, and other sensors. The guidance systems enable robots to locate their positions and navigate autonomously inside of buildings without needing any additional infrastructure, said the company.

The REACHY robots are designed to operate in very narrow aisles and within space constraints at high elevations -- such as minimal pallet spacing in racks. BALYO said the driverless lift trucks offer a high level of accuracy, throughput, and safety, meeting the high expectations set out by Behr.

The simplicity of use and ease of deployment also influenced Behr’s decision to expand its fleet, said BALYO.

"This renewed trust through this extensive rollout across the Behr network is a fundamental proof of the many advances made by BALYO in recent years, in terms of performance, ease of use, flexibility, and the fast deployment speed of our robots and technologies," said Rialland.

"The robotization of logistics flows for high-bay storage remains an untapped challenge facing manufacturers and logisticians, and BALYO is perfectly positioned to meet this growing demand," he added.

BALYO partners for global reach

To accelerate the material handling market conversion to autonomy, BALYO has entered into two global partnerships with KION (parent company of Fenwick-Linde) and Hyster-Yale Group. The Arcueil, France-based company has subisidiaries in Woburn, Mass., and Singapore and serves clients in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

BALYO claimed in August 2022 that its VNA robots at Singapore Storage and Warehouse Pte. Ltd. were the world's tallest.

The company has been listed on EURONEXT since 2017, and its sales revenue reached €21.8 million ($23.12 million U.S.) in 2021.