First Supply LLC decided to transform its supply chain to optimize inventory management and warehouse automation company Exotec SAS announced a partnership with the Madison, Wisconsin-based company.
First Supply improves efficiency and reduces manual picking
This company, recognized as Wisconsin’s largest wholesaler of HVAC, building, plumbing, lighting, water supply, industrial PVF (pipe, valves and fittings), pumps, well and septic supplies, needed a solution to handle a growing number of SKUs, optimize use of available space and reduce reliance on manual picking.
At its new building located in western Wisconsin, Exotec will deploy its robotic technology. The company expects the Skypod system to improve picking efficiency, optimize resource utilization and ultimately improve customer service.
Katie Poehling Seymour, president and chief executive officer of First Supply, said,“Our fifth-generation, 127-year-old company is committed to innovating in our employees’ daily work environment. He also noted that its history has been fundamental to its success in distribution and in creating partnerships with communities, customers and partners.
What will First Supply’s inventory management look like?
First Supply is transforming its supply chain with a focus on optimizing inventory management inventory management through advanced technology and improved procedures, reflected in its new distribution center.
Exotec’s Skypod system at First will include more than 43,000 storage containers, 36 robots, three picking stations and three induction workstations. With future growth in mind, the design of the new distribution center allows it to scale its storage capacity by up to 30% by adding more containers and robots.
The Skypod system also incorporates Skypath conveyor technology, which will feed six packing stations and a sortation circuit with 12 outbound destination lanes. This distribution center will support all of the branches of First Supply branches in the Upper Midwest and will make direct deliveries to customers.
Robotic technology for warehouse management
The company is committed to innovating its operations, improving the working conditions of its employees and facilitating business growth. As Poehling Seymour stated, “We believe in working smarter, not harder. Robotics offers us an efficient way to store and retrieve items, improving efficiency and allowing us to adapt quickly to the changing demands of our business.“.
The integration of robotic technologies in distribution centers optimizes operational efficiency and improves accuracy in inventory management and significantly reduces human error, which is crucial to maintaining competitiveness in the logistics sector.
Exotec’s global expansion
Exotec continues to expand globally. In 2022, it reached a valuation of $2 billion and has manufactured more than 7,000 Skypod mobile robots at more than 100 customer sites. Headquartered in Lille, France, the company has opened an office in Atlanta and has increased its workforce by 80% over the past year to more than 850 employees.
The company recently won the RBR50 2024 Robotics Innovation Award for its implementation of Skypod at Lane Automotive and shared best practices for change management in warehouse automation in a free webinar.
In February, Louis Esquerre-Pourtere was appointed director of research and development at Exotec. Previously, as systems team manager, he helped build teams to design robust, standardized products tailored to customers’ logistical needs.
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Source: mobilerobotguide
Photo: Exotec
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