DHL Supply Chain is swiftly expanding its use of automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) products from material handling robotics vendor AutoStore, announcing today that it will add the technology to five new facilities.
DHL Supply Chain already uses AutoStore systems for its contract logistics business at nine active sites and four more in the planning stage, so the news will eventually bring DHL to 18 total installations and make it one of AutoStore’s largest 3PL clients.
The cost and location of the new systems was not disclosed. But since 2012, DHL Supply Chain and AutoStore said they have partnered to implement these solutions across sites in Singapore, Poland, Germany, Australia, and the U.S.
According to DHL Supply Chain, AS/RS technology helps it to efficiently manage and optimize inventory using vastly reduced space within warehouses, particularly for e-commerce and businesses handling smaller products such as fashion and tech items. The company’s nine existing AS/RS systems effectively operate 800,000 bins, with the forthcoming four systems elevating the total number of bins to 1.2 million.
The company has been ramping up its investments in warehouse technology in recent months, following the news in May that it would expand its fleet of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from Locus Robotics up to 5,000 units across its global network of warehouses and distribution centers.
