Geek+ (极智嘉), one of the world’s largest AMR solution providers, announced recently that it has again partnered with British logistics firms ASDA and AMH Material Handling to provide ASDA with goods-to-person order picking and returns processing solutions.
With Geek+’s technologies, ASDA’s warehouse operators are able to process peak-season orders and regular returns from the same spot, considerably enhancing the picking and order fulfilment efficiency.
According to a WeChat account post by Geek+, the tie-up also set a record for returns to be put up for sale again in the shortest period of time possible.
Somehow, the post did not mention how much time it takes for an average return to be handled or when ASDA joined hands with Geek+ for the first time.
Soaring return costs have been a major issue for British retailers and e-commerce vendors in recent years, causing them to lose £60 billion (US$72 billion) every year, industry data show.
The use of four-sided racks is at the heart of the solutions provided this time by Beijing-headquartered Geek+, allowing warehouse operators to pick from four faces and handle returns without going far from their posts.
Geek+’s solutions reportedly can process around 7,200 SKUs a day and add more storage space while reducing the number of racks needed.
This proves a massive boon to the startup’s clients like ASDA, whose clothing sub-brand George.com faces ever-higher pressure to meet customer needs as its business volume climbs and returns start to pile up.
“We are happy to see this project go live and empower our growth. This is a result of synergies between our team, AMH and Geek+,” said Chris Hall, deputy president of ASDA’s logistics arm.
“This project is the second AMR project we put together. It allows us to see the real, visible benefits automation scale-up has brought to our employees.”
“We are very honored to see the new warehouse of ASDA being put to use and able to fulfil orders and handle returns simultaneously,” said Lit Fung, overseas business director at Geek+.
He added the company’s sytem has a unique advantage in handling returns and helps customers better cope with challenges.
“As ASDA’s first successfully replicated project, it fully demonstrates the value of Geek+’s solutions,” said Fung.
Adrain Carter, sales director of AMH, added this project has outstanding quality and can fulfill his firm’s commitment.
Geek+, founded in 2015, claims to have 10% of the global AMR market, with more than 10,000 of its robots completing 200 projects on four continents to date, under a robot-as-a-service (RaaS) model.
