GEODIS Deploys High-Throughput AutoStore System for Maurices

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GEODIS is one of the world's largest third-party logistics (3PL) providers, offering transport and logistics services across a global network. The company operates over 230 sites in the United States alone, representing more than 50 million square feet of warehousing space.

With their client Maurices’ thousands of SKUs varying in size, style, and color, GEODIS needed a solution for its Ashville, Ohio facility. Drew Bailey, VP Design Engineering at GEODIS explains, “We knew we needed a mature technology that could handle a significant amount of throughput.” Their choice was AutoStore, empowered by Bastian Solutions, a system optimized for fashion retail’s need for scalable efficiency and high throughput. “Upon deployment, this was one of the highest throughput AutoStore system in the world,” an Account Executive at Bastian said.

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The challenge: Meeting demand for rapid, high throughput

GEODIS faced challenges brought by the growth of online shopping, dramatically increasing order volumes, and rising customer expectations for swift delivery. Compounding these challenges were persistent labor market pressures such as workforce shortages and elevated wages, which intensified the need for a solution that maintained competitiveness and efficiency.

GEODIS needed a fulfillment system that could manage fashion retailer Maurices’ diverse and complex inventory and maintain high throughput across retail and eCommerce channels. Crucially, the system needed to handle an enormous array of SKUs, with variations in size, style, and color, whilst meeting tight service-level expectations during holidays and other peak periods.

The solution needed to be scalable to support Maurices' growth and increasing volumes – eCommerce volumes were expected to rise by 50% in the following few years. GEODIS faced two additional challenges: implementing these complex changes quickly and integrating new systems smoothly within their current warehouse operations.

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The solution: AutoStore – Ideal for fashion retail complexity

AutoStore was chosen as ideal for fashion retailers, who deal with vast and ever-changing inventories, rapid product turnover, and diverse style options. Today, GEODIS’ Autostore system efficiently manages the complexity of thousands of SKUs, easily accommodating new styles, sizes, and colors, as they're introduced. Designed for high-throughput demands, the system fulfills orders across multiple channels, whether for in-store stock, online purchases, or other distribution needs.

Key features

• Robots and Bins: 320 Robots move across a 5,574 m² (60,000 ft²) aluminum Grid that stores 92,000 Bins. These Bins contain inventory items with a wide range of SKUs, including variations in size, color, and style.
• Workstations (Ports): There are 34 RelayPorts, 19 ConveyorPorts, and 6 CarouselPorts, where Bins are delivered to operators for order processing. The setup ensures that products reach the fulfillment area quickly and efficiently.
• Non-stop operations: AutoStore operates around the clock with 99.7% uptime, ensuring seamless and reliable performance when demand spikes during peak seasons like holidays.

Software integrations

AutoStore integrates with GEODIS' existing Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Bastian Solutions’ Control system.

• Exacta control system: Exacta controls AutoStore and ensures that all subsystems are in sync. The Warehouse Management System (WMS) communicates with Exacta, which manages conveyors and oversees the entire fulfillment operation. The result is smooth communication between systems and real-time inventory tracking.
• Warehouse Management System: GEODIS uses Manhattan WMS, which manages inventory tracking, order processing, and overall warehouse operations. The benefits of this integration are real-time updates and synchronization across all systems for smooth, accurate order fulfillment.

Integration with other technologies

After AutoStore has retrieved and delivered the inventory, it integrates smoothly with other technologies to ensure end-to-end fulfillment:

• Conveyor systems: AutoStore is connected to an extensive conveyor system that transports items from the Ports to packaging or dispatch areas, streamlining order handling.
• Vertical autobaggers: 18 automated baggers integrate with AutoStore, streamlining eCommerce fulfillment. These machines autopack items, boosting operator productivity and cutting order preparation time.
• Robotic piece-picking: AutoStore integrates with piece-picking technology, such as SmartPick. Piece-picking robots installed at the AutoStore workstations (Ports) select individual items from Bins and place them into customer orders, reducing manual labor and increasing efficiency, especially for Maurices' diverse fashion SKUs.
• Automated packing: The system integrates with manual and automated packing stations, adapting to different order types. Fully automated stations pack, close, and sort orders independently, further reducing labor needs.

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Key benefits: High throughput with reduced costs

AutoStore is at the core of a set of integrated technologies which create an efficient, scalable fulfillment operation that now meets the high-volume demands of Maurices' fashion business.

• High throughput for fashion: AutoStore processes 120,000 retail units and 60,000 eCommerce units per day, with the capability to scale up to 250,000 units daily during peak periods, ensuring Maurices can meet high seasonal demand.
  
  Gary Thompson, Senior Director Logistics Operations at GEODIS says, “The RelayPort keeps the bin transition time between inventory bins to the lowest possible amount, aiding in efficiency, maintaining picking productivity, and allowing us to achieve the throughput we need.”
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• ‍Scalability: The system supports Maurices’ projected eCommerce growth, allowing for increased volumes and future expansion without disrupting operations.
  
  “This solution, by design, is able to support the client's (Maurices) eCommerce business to grow up to 50% from where we stand today,” says Thompson.
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• Reduced costs: With AutoStore reducing labor needs and enabling high throughput, GEODIS reduced operating costs by 30%.
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• Labor optimization: Automation has reduced dependence on labour and improved fulfillment speed, especially during peak seasons. Employee productivity increased by over 60%: Target productivity levels that usually took 4 to 6 weeks were achieved in just 1.5 weeks.
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• Store-friendly replenishment: AutoStore picks directly from the system and delivers shelf-ready products to stores. Sorting time and labor are reduced at stores, and the supply chain is streamlined.
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• Seasonal flexibility: The system manages seasonal inventory, storing off-season items and prioritizing new arrivals. This means fast response times for new stock in stores and online.
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• Seamless integration: The AutoStore system integrates seamlessly with other technologies – conveyor systems, vertical autobaggers, and robotic piece-picking systems – for a fully automated fulfillment process.
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• Employee satisfaction: A Bastian Solutions Account Executive says that “automation has helped transform people’s lives by making their jobs easier in the warehouse. We’ve automated portions of the picking process that our typical operators don’t want to do. That makes them want to come back to work on a daily basis.”
  
  Gary Thompson at GEODIS agrees: “AutoStore has attracted talent from all levels here. People love working with the robots.”

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Optimized for high-throughput fashion fulfillment

The implementation of AutoStore at GEODIS' facility represents a significant leap forward in omni-channel fulfillment for the fashion retail industry. With the ability to process 120,000 retail units and 60,000 eCommerce units per day, scaling up to 250,000 units during peak periods, the system exemplifies high-throughput efficiency. As Bailey explains, "The business case was to develop a true omni-channel solution that was flexible and scalable for the future." This vision has been realized through a system that not only meets current demands but is poised to adapt to future growth and market changes.

The benefits extend further, Bailey notes, "Working with technology that is more on the leading edge aids in job satisfaction for people." The system's reliability, a crucial factor in maintaining consistent operations, is emphasized by Gary Thompson, Senior Director Logistics Operations at GEODIS: "Another great aspect that AutoStore brings to the table is the reliability." The simplicity of AutoStore compared to traditional systems offers long-term advantages, Bailey points out, "Compared to AutoStore, traditional ASRS systems would require far more motors, drives, controls, and mechanical complexity, leading to higher maintenance needs."

This streamlined approach ensures that GEODIS can continue to meet Maurices' evolving needs while maintaining a robust, efficient, and employee-friendly fulfillment operation capable of handling high volumes across retail and eCommerce channels.

Project Specifications

• Implementation type: Brownfield
• Grid size: 60,000 ft² (5,574 m²)
• Robots: 320 Robots
• Workstations (Ports): 34 RelayPorts;19 ConveyorPorts; 6 CarouselPorts
• Bins: 92,000 Bins
• Warehouse Management System (WMS): Manhattan WMS
• Warehouse Control System (WCS): Exacta
• Integrated technology: Conveyor systems; 18 Vertical Autobaggers for automated packaging of eCommerce orders; SmartPick Robotic Piece-Picking System; manual and fully automated packing stations
• Implementation partner: Bastian Solutions