S&S Activewear Deploys Hundreds of ‘PopPick’ Robots at Distribution Center
S&S Activewear (asi/84358) is “geeking” out, and the Top 40 firm says that’s helping streamline warehouse operations and drive efficiencies.
Executives shared Wednesday, May 29, that the supplier has deployed an advanced mobile robotics (AMR) solution called PopPick from provider Geekplus at an S&S distribution center in Lockport, IL.
This video demonstrates how Geekplus’s PopPick solution works.
S&S, which operates more than 4 million square feet of warehouse space at sites across North America, plans to implement PopPick at another distribution center this year and a third come the first quarter of 2025, executives told ASI Media. More locations could follow.
Currently, S&S has 340 Geekplus robots in action at the 750,000-square-foot Lockport facility. Aimed at optimizing warehouse processes, the bots rely on autonomous mobility and slotting of inventory to efficiently move apparel products stored in totes to pick stations.
This process eliminates redundant walking for picking workers, which Geekplus said improves picking accuracy and reduces labor intensity. It also, the tech firm said, enhances picking efficiency at least two to three times compared to straight manual picking.
“The system, designed to support more than 4,500 lines per hour through 24 picking stations, has proven its effectiveness in enhancing speed and efficiency in warehouse operations, order fulfillment and quality assurance,” according to a statement from S&S.
The PopPick set up at S&S Activewear’s Lockport facility.
A developer of order fulfilment-focused robotics solutions that was founded in 2015, Geekplus has offices in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore. The firm said more than 1,000 customers use its solutions to power automation for warehouses and supply chain management.
Geekplus is partnered with Körber Business Area Supply Chain, which provides supply chain management solutions including software. S&S is a Körber customer, and the implementation of the PopPick system ultimately came about through these connections.
“Advancing our warehouse operations with Körber and Geekplus’s robotics and automation expertise has been a natural and impactful evolution in our technology journey,” said Brian Beale, chief technology officer for S&S. “Our customers deserve a seamless experience from order to fulfillment, and we’re excited about the increased efficiencies we’re already seeing through our collaboration with Körber.”
S&S’s use of PopPick is another example of a promotional products industry supplier introducing a fulfillment-streamlining solution that involves humans working in tandem with intelligent, automated systems.
Last year, for instance, ASI Media reported on how select suppliers were starting to use autonomous mobile robots at distribution centers to gain efficiencies. In March, ASI Media spotlighted how Top 40 supplier Cutter & Buck (asi/47965) deployed a new automated order picking system to fuel operations at its distribution center in Renton, WA.
Based on estimated 2022 North American promotional product revenue of $2.1 billion, S&S Activewear ranked second on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry. The new rankings are due out this summer.
