Global supply chain operator Geodis announced Monday that it has entered into a collaboration with intelligent automation and specialized software solution provider Knapp to debut a highly automated order fulfillment system for a leading specialty retailer. With an investment of over $50 million, Geodis will bring a new design and innovative technology to the unnamed national retailer’s fulfillment infrastructure by August 2022.
“Geodis’ investment in Knapp’s technology demonstrates our ongoing commitment to offering our customers innovative solutions that best meet their needs, address challenges and optimize existing capabilities,” said Kevin Stock, senior vice president of engineering and solutions at Geodis in the Americas. “Our collaboration with Knapp will enable us to be agile enough to execute e-commerce orders on high-velocity items even quicker while delivering excellent customer service to ensure shipments are received as soon as possible.”
The new design will utilize Knapp’s proprietary logistics technology to accelerate the national retailer’s fulfillment process, helping it move an estimated 850,000 e-commerce units per day to accommodate an influx of online orders.
The Specs
The new facility will feature five mirrored order picking modules, each with the ability to independently fulfill almost every order processed at the center with speed and agility. It’ll also deploy a mixture of Knapp technologies, including automated shipping carton erectors, height-reducing carton closers, 10 aisles of the OSR Shuttle Evo, 20 double Fastbox order sequencing towers and 40 Pick-it-Easy workstations.
“The solution developed in collaboration with Geodis and Knapp engineers is specifically designed to address key strategic and growth factors resulting from the rapid growth in e-commerce demand,” said Jusuf Buzimkic, chief sales officer of Knapp. “The technology platform will reduce the challenge of hard-to-find labor, while simultaneously delivering a solution that is flexible, scalable and minimizes the variable cost per order.”
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Knapp has already embedded its technology in the distribution centers of grocery giant Kroger, rolling out its OSR Shuttle Evo. But now, the company will be able to combine its proprietary automated storage and picking system with the integrated lift system of the Fastbox and the efficiency-boosting design of the Pick-it-Easy workstation, helping to greatly scale the specialty retailer’s fulfillment system.
In addition, the new facility will utilize a conveyor network alongside Knapp’s technologies to speed performance and respond quickly to customer orders. The entire system will be managed by Knapp’s KiSoft Warehouse Control System.
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