Pan Pacific Pet, one of the largest pet retail distributors across Canada, yesterday announced that it plans to use technology from Attabotics in its newest warehouse. The company plans to introduce automated storage and retrieval system, or ASRS, to its 120,000-sq.-ft. facility north of Calgary in Rocky View County, Alberta.
“Ingenuity and resourcefulness is something the Pan Pacific Pet team prioritizes when finding and creating solutions for their retail partners, and that makes this partnership a natural fit,” said Scott Gravelle, founder and CEO of Attabotics. “It’s that kind of out-of-the-box thinking that brings true innovation.”
Attabotics claimed it is “the world’s first 3D robotics supply chain system for modern commerce.” Inspired by the framework of ant colonies, the company replaces the rows and aisles of traditional fulfillment centers with a patented storage structure and robotics shuttles that use both horizontal and vertical space. This can reduce a customer's warehouse needs by as much as 85%, it said.
By empowering retailers to place fulfillment centers close to high-density urban areas, Attabotics said it helps create jobs and decrease carbon emissions by closing the last-mile delivery gap. Major brands and retailers across apparel, food and beverage, and home goods use Attabotics' storage systems. The Calgary, Alberta-based company added that it serves distribution centers across the U.S. and Canada.
Pan Pacific Pet invests in growth
Incubated in 1986, Pan Pacific Pet has remained a “stronghold” family business and regional specialty pets leader, with 130,000 sq. ft. of warehouse and office space.
“Pan believes in the future, and we’ve always invested in that future to help bring unparalleled success to our valued vendor and retail customers,” said Trevor McBratney, vice president at Pan Pacific Pet. “From our proprietary iPad app to our frozen facility to this new carbon-neutral warehouse centered on Attabotics technology – we continue to grow so our partners continue to grow, and Attabotics is the key to this next evolution for Pan Pacific Pet.”
The new, ultra-high density storage structure from Attabotics will offer more than 6,000 bins, 20 3D robotic shuttles for automated picking and packing of goods, and two picking and replenishment stations.
Attabotics climbs with ASRS adoption
While not as visible as mobile robots, the global ASRS market could expand from $7.45 billion in 2022 to $10.55 billion by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2%, estimated Research and Markets. It cited potential benefits such as labor and space savings.
Similarly, Market Growth Reports predicted a CAGR of 10.18% and growth from $12.4 billion in 2022 to $22.6 billion by 2028.
Attabotics said its scalable system condenses the typical warehouse space by creating a single, vertical storage structure that uses 3D robotic shuttles internally to store and pick goods for workers on the perimeter that pick, pack, and ship orders. This architecture maximizes the flexibility and speed of fulfillment processes while maintaining an eco-friendly methodology, the company said.
In June, Attabotics said that Körber Supply Chain Automation will resell, integrate, and implement its systems across Europe.
In July, Attabotics partnered with Modern Beauty to automate the cosmetics company's new fulfillment center in Calgary. Operations could begin as soon as the fourth quarter of this year.
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