Online retailer Catch.com.au will roll out a fleet of robots at its Victoria distribution centre in partnership with German supply chain giant Körber.
More than 100 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) will join Catch.com.au’s warehouse operations in Truganina, Victoria, in what the company is calling the largest AMR deployment of its kind for an ecommerce marketplace in Australia and New Zealand.
The deployment will be aided by global technology provider and robot specialist Geek+.
Catch Group, owners of Catch.com.au, opted for the AMR solutions following its acquisition by Wesfarmers in 2019, a deal that subsequently saw Catch add thousands of extra stock to its lineup.
Additionally, Catch Group said it had recorded a 68.7 percent increase in total sales for the second half of the 2020 financial year. The online retailer’s head of fulfilment Richard Whetton said the online shopping demand surge brought about in part thanks to COVID-19 also played a role in the move.
“With COVID-19 driving more consumers online, Catch is very well placed to meet this rise in demand and this investment ensures that we continue to increase and improve our product and service offering for our rapidly growing consumer base,” Whetton said.
The AMR devices will operate across 3785 sqm of space within the 20,000 sqm facility. The 100 robots will allow Catch to manage an additional 80,000 stock keeping units above its existing range.
Körber Supply Chain Software head of transformation Rizan Mawzoon said the bots would help Catch move an extra 2000 orders each hour.
“With its growing consumer base and the increased demand for timely and efficient delivery across Australia, this solution will play a crucial role in Catch being able to deliver the excellent customer experience the retailer is known for,” Mawzoon said.
The deployment is expected to be completed and online in November.
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