Kerry Logistics has introduced six fully-automated and programmed robotic butlers at its flagship product customisation and consolidation centre (PC3) in Hong Kong.
The logistics service provider says it has brought in the robots to meet “the ever-growing consumer demands in online shopping”.
According to Kerry Logistics, the robots “speed-to‐market order fulfillment is the key to success in the retail industry. The process of picking products is at the heart of e-commerce operations, where high volumes of small and irregular orders predominate”.
The robotic butlers have been deployed in Kerry Logistics’ order fulfilment centre, where sales orders from retailers and e-commerce marketplaces are processed. Real-time orders are transmitted to the robots via Kerry Logistics’ proprietary warehouse management system (WMS) .
Designated shelves are then delivered to the pick station. A simple lighting indicates which items to include in shipments, with every item tracked via barcodes.
The robotic butlers operate 24 hours a day, and can pick 280 items per hour, Kerry Logistics says, benefiting from a pick rate four times faster than that of traditional methods. This solution, according to the logistics specialist, is ideal for retail brands which sell a wide variety of consumer products.
Kerry Logistics operates across China and Asia. It has more than 550 offices in 40 countries and territories.
