GXO Logistics Inc. today marked the successful deployment of Lowpad BV's autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, for a customer in the food and beverage sector at a major warehouse facility in the Netherlands.
“GXO’s industry-first collaboration with Lowpad on a custom-designed and engineered automated solution for our customer’s outbound process has significantly improved efficiency,” stated Luc Laurijssens, managing director for Belgium and the Netherlands at GXO.
“By deploying Lowpad AMRs that are fully linked to our warehouse management and electronic data interchange systems, we’re enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and quality for our customer, while easing the strain of a tight labor market and reducing costs,” he added. “We’re looking forward to applying the success of this installation in the Netherlands to our other warehouses in all sectors.”
Greenwich, Conn.-based GXO Logistics claimed that it is “the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider.” The company said it is benefiting from the rapid growth of e-commerce, automation, and outsourcing.
GXO has about 135,000 team members across more than 970 facilities totaling approximately 200 million sq. ft. (18.5 million sq. m). It said it partners with leading companies to solve complex logistics challenges with advanced supply chain technologies, at scale and with speed. The company said it operates about 22% more tech-enabled warehouses than the market average.
GXO optimizes outbound operations for food and beverage
Approximately two years ago, GXO began working with a major food and beverage retailer to optimize the outbound process at its state-of-the-art facility in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. The temperature-controlled site, which operates 24/7, needed a system that would place orders in the right sequence to be loaded onto specific trucks.
The warehouse also needed to place orders on those trucks in the optimal arrangement for unloading at their destinations, said GXO.
The introduction of Lowpad robots at 16 pickup points in the outbound process brought significant increases in safety, productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness for the customer, said GXO. The company asserted that it was the first such implementation in the food and beverage industry.
The global AMR market could grow from $1.67 billion in 2020 to $8.7 billion by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.7%, according to Fortune Business Insights. The research firm attributed that growth to continued e-commerce demand, especially in Asia-Pacific, as well as developments in self-driving forklifts.
Lowpad specializes in warehouse optimization, automation
“We are delighted to partner with GXO to help its customer optimize their warehouse performance,” said Jan Bakker, CEO of Lowpad. “Lowpad specializes in designing automated solutions for intralogistics processes.”
Bleskensgraaf, Netherlands-based Lowpad develops and produces AMRs, software, vision, and handling systems for third-party logistics providers (3PLs), grocery retail, horticulture, and e-commerce. Its customers include DHL, monta, Double R Trading, KWS, and Royal Lemkes.
The company designed its Lowpad S robot for food distribution centers and post and parcel companies, while its Lowpad M is intended to move pick carts and Danish CC trolleys. The Lowpad L is designed to move racks and trolleys for the e-commerce and parcel markets.
Lowpad's Supervisor is its fleet management software, and Organiser is the integration layer between Supervisor and a customer's warehouse management system (WMS) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
“Our solutions comprise a fleet of Lowpads, intuitive software, and high-tech process equipment such as the I-transfer,” Bakker said. “Combining GXO’s vast experience and industry-leading expertise with our advanced technology and know-how is making warehouses safer, more productive, and more efficient.”
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