Locus Robotics Corp. yesterday announced that it has expanded its partnership with DHL Supply Chain. The companies will deploy Locus mobile robots at DHL's facilities in Canal Winchester and Lockbourne, Ohio, to support high-volume order fulfillment for global clothing retailer, Carhartt, a DHL customer.
“Implementing Locus has quickly proven to be an ideal choice to deliver high productivity, letting us fulfill orders at a record pace,” stated Tony Gariety, vice president for distribution operations at Carhartt. “Locus' ease of use and fast training has also helped us with recruiting and retaining employees and seasonal workers. So, all the way around, there are some real competitive advantages.”
DHL Supply Chain is a contract logistics unit of Deutsche Post DHL Group, which generated revenues of more than €57 billion ($54.5 billion U.S.) in 2016. The company has about 350,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide and serves industries including energy, automotive, and retail. Its divisions offer services including parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping, and fulfillment services.
LocusBots offer flexibility, productivity
Founded in 2014, Locus Robotics claimed that its multi-robot offering includes autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that can collaborate with human workers to double or triple productivity with less labor than traditional piece-handling systems. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company said it can help retailers, third-party logistics providers (3PLs), and specialty warehouses meet increasing fulfillment demands.
LocusBots can navigate autonomously through warehouses and be flexibly and seamlessly deployed as demand changes, said Locus. The AMRs support a diverse range of picking strategies and workflows and can be easily integrated into existing warehouses, according to the company.
Locus Robotics recently marked its 1 billionth pick. Robotics 24/7 named the company as one of the top 10 mobile robot providers to watch this year.
DHL and Locus relationship continues to grow
Since 2017, DHL Supply Chain North America and Locus Robotics have partnered to support piece-picking order fulfillment in warehouses for a range of retail and healthcare brands. In June, DHL Supply Chain said it planned to acquire up to 2,000 AMRs from Locus Robotics.
“Locus' growing relationship with DHL Supply Chain further emphasizes the increasing demand for warehouse automation to support fast-growing retail brands such as Carhartt,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Locus's flexibility, seamless scalability, and fast ROI has been a proven approach that enables DHL to consistently meet and exceed their customers' expectations, especially as we head into the peak season.”
DHL Supply Chain said its ongoing implementation of Locus AMRs will ensure that its fulfillment center operations can meet rapidly increasing volumes and seasonal peaks while also helping to control operating and labor costs. LocusBots optimize worker productivity in the order-fulfillment process by decreasing walking time and improving worker ergonomics and workplace quality, said the partners.
“As the supply chain and logistics industry has rapidly transformed, we have developed an accelerated digitization program, which aims to identify, nurture and deploy innovative technology solutions at scale,” said Tim Dolcich, director of engineering at DHL Supply Chain. “Locus has been a trusted partner in providing solutions that challenge how we do business and improve customer outcomes.”
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