CASE STUDY: B2B materials supplier
B2B materials supplier prepares for a fast-growth future with a fleet of mobile robots
Many companies integrating robotics seek to add them to their current warehouse layout to keep the workflow moving seamlessly. Material Bank, a B2B materials supplier, saw an opportunity to build their entire business model and warehouse around the robotic solution from the very start for even more gains.
There was a specific need to find a technology that can scale as the company grows, with plans to build a facility six times larger than their 74,000 ft facility within the following two years.
Locus initially deployed a multi-bot solution of 10 bots that were fully up-and-running in just 14 weeks, picking up to 8 orders at a time on each robot.
Founder and CEO Adam Sandow said, “My team thought I was crazy to start with robots. Typically, you bring in robots to gain additional efficiencies. Instead, I wanted to find the right robotics partner and then build around the right robotic technology to have maximum efficiency.”
Disruption is just the beginning
In just the first 7 months since go-live, Material Bank grew to over 11,000 users in the design industry, growing 30% each month with thousands on a waitlist.
Two years since the successful deployment, Material Bank tripled the amount of robots to 45 with plans to top 100+ in early 2021. They also quadrupled the number of SKUs and grew revenues by 300%. LocusBots initially processed 100,000 units per month and are now processing three times that amount.
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The solution has also evolved to meet Material Bank’s changing inventory. LocusBots are now utilizing 7 unique tote configurations.
“Speed and accuracy are critical for us to meet customer demand especially with a guaranteed next day delivery by 10:30 a.m.,” shares Sr. Director of Fulfillment and Logistics Mike Nowell. “Locus delivers a flexible solution to support our ever growing and changing business model which makes them a leader in the industry. They easily stand out above the rest as a great business and solutions partner.”
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The November/December issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Kimball Midwest. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and Mike Marks, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
