Kardex-powered AutoStore automation modernizes Warren CAT parts fulfillment

Warren CAT, one of the largest Caterpillar dealers in North America, said that it has modernized parts fulfillment at its Store 05 facility in Midland, Texas, with an AutoStore goods-to-person system empowered by Kardex.

Serving customers across West Texas and Oklahoma, Warren CAT said that it depends on parts availability to help keep customer equipment productive and technicians working.

Optimizing parts fulfillment

Warren CAT said that its Midland operation brings together a storefront, engine shop, warehouse, and parts distribution operation, creating fulfillment requirements that differ significantly from those of a traditional warehouse. Will Call, Parts Shuttle, Engine Shop and other customer orders each carry different priorities, destinations, and levels of urgency.

To support those demands while preparing for continued growth, Warren CAT partnered with Kardex to implement an AutoStore goods-to-person system. The company said that the result is a compact, integrated fulfillment environment designed around a complex parts profile, multiple order priorities, and future growth.

“Dealer parts fulfillment isn’t simply about storing more inventory in less space,” said Fred Fox, president, Kardex Solutions. “Availability and responsiveness can directly affect technician productivity, customer wait times, and equipment uptime. Warren CAT gave us the opportunity to design around those realities - connecting automation, software and dealer workflows to create a solution built around how their operation actually works.”

Designed around the realities of dealer parts fulfillment

Rather than applying a standard automation configuration, Kardex said that it analyzed more than 93,000 historical orders, nearly 300,000 order lines, and almost 25,000 products to understand Warren CAT’s volume, variability, peak demand and long-term growth requirements.

Kardex said that the resulting system was sized for Year 5 inbound and outbound volumes, and designed to support 3,648 picking lines and 751 put-away lines per day.

The AutoStore system includes:

• 20,852 storage bins within approximately 5,600 square feet
• 20 AutoStore R5 robots
• Three CarouselPorts and two ConveyorPorts
• Kardex FulfillX WES for order orchestration and system control
• Full integration with FDC WMSv2
• Workflows supporting Will Call, Parts Shuttle, Engine Shop and other priority-driven orders

Warren CAT said that the high-density design allows it to maximize available warehouse space by storing eligible parts vertically within a compact footprint. With the new system, Warren CAT said that it has moved from a manual, travel-based process toward a goods-to-person model, bringing parts directly to operators rather than requiring employees to walk the warehouse to locate and retrieve inventory.

Connecting dealer systems to automation

AutoStore provides the high-density storage and goods-to-person automation, but Kardex said that the offering also needed to work within the systems Warren CAT already uses to manage parts and orders. Kardex said that a key differentiator of the implementation is the role of Kardex FulfillX, which provides the warehouse execution layer between Warren CAT’s host warehouse system and AutoStore.

FulfillX sorts outbound orders by category, due date, and priority and translates those requirements into AutoStore tasks. Ports can be configured around specific workflows, allowing Warren CAT to prioritize orders, such as Will Call, Parts Shuttle, and Engine Shop demand, while retaining its existing host system as the system of record.

In Warren CAT’s environment, Kardex said that FulfillX connects with FDC WMSv2, a warehouse management platform used in Cat dealer operations, helping bridge dealer-specific warehouse workflows with AutoStore execution. Kardex said that the integration demonstrates how automation can be introduced into an existing WMS environment without replacing the system of record or creating a disconnected automation island.

Built for long-term growth

Since the deployment, Kardex said that Warren CAT has already seen meaningful improvements in small-parts storage density, reduced operator travel, and a cleaner, quieter, more controlled working environment. The system is live and supporting daily storage, picking and processing, while the team continues to refine workflows and build operating maturity.

“Warren CAT now has a parts fulfillment platform that is delivering practical value today while giving the operation room to grow,” Fox added. “The combination of high-density storage, priority-driven execution and flexible integration creates a foundation that can evolve as parts volumes and service demands change.”

Kardex said that the system was also engineered with future growth in mind. Robots and ports can be added independently, while storage and throughput capacity can expand with minimal interruption to daily operations.