XPO Logistics has increased its use of intelligent robotics in the UK in anticipation of holiday retail volumes.
The robots work alongside XPO’s employees to help manage inventory for distribution during the seasonal peak. The automation is manufactured by 6 River Systems, part of e-commerce company Shopify and one of XPO’s robotics partners in the USA.
The autonomous mobile robots adapt quickly to changes in fulfilment, guide employees to the correct inventory area, validate the items picked and transport them to designated packing stations.
According to XPO, the technology uses machine learning to double productivity rates on average and improve accuracy by as much as 40%. Safety is enhanced by reducing repetitive employee movements and time spent walking.
Mario Harik, chief information officer of XPO Logistics, said, “Our successful collaboration with 6 River Systems in the USA has led to a seamless roll-out of the robots at our UK sites.
“Based on our pilots with retail apparel, the system handles peaks in consumer demand with near-perfect accuracy by complementing the work performed by our employees. The synergies are ideal for retail and e-commerce fulfilment this holiday season.”
Jerome Dubois, co-founder and co-CEO of 6 River Systems, added: “Our collaborative fulfilment robots are a strong fit with XPO’s high-volume warehouse environments. This partnership has already delivered significant benefits for XPO customers.”
