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Automated Warehousing for High-Density Apparel Distribution Logistics
GXO Logistics and Exotec deployed an automated goods-to-person robotic architecture in the Netherlands to optimize multichannel order fulfillment.
www.exotec.com
GXO Logistics and Exotec deployed an automated robotic storage and retrieval system at the Venlo logistics facility in the Netherlands to support distribution for Guess across EMEA and Asia. The implementation applies industrial automation to manage omnichannel fashion fulfillment characterized by high stock-keeping unit diversity and sharp seasonal volume shifts.
Operational Challenges in Apparel Logistics
Apparel distribution requires high inventory density, order assembly speed, and adaptability to fluctuating order volumes without compromising operational throughput. At the Venlo site, GXO manages inbound freight, garment conditioning, quality control inspection, and outbound fulfillment. Conventional manual picking under these conditions faces operational constraints during peak volume periods. Addressing these operational demands required combining contract logistics workflow management with high-density automated retrieval engineering.
System Architecture and Technical Responsibilities
Exotec supplied the hardware infrastructure and coordinated system integration, while GXO directed operational workflow alignment and system interfacing. The installation comprises:
- 127 automated three-dimensional mobile robotics units.
- 60,000 vertical bin and rack storage locations.
- 8 ergonomic goods-to-person picking stations.
- 200 meters of continuous transport conveyor network.
The mobile robotic units travel along three axes, navigating facility floors horizontally and climbing storage racks vertically to retrieve standardized inventory bins. The retrieved bins are transferred to the conveyor line, which directs items directly to operator picking stations. This operational loop eliminates manual transit across storage aisles, optimizes ergonomic picking procedures, and stabilizes sorting accuracy under sustained line loads.
Implementation and Operational Performance
The system integrates directly with existing inbound sorting and outbound packaging lines at the Venlo hub. Operating across the installed storage network, the infrastructure processes between 40,000 and 70,000 items daily. Peak performance capacity reaches 2,200 processed order lines per hour.
By decoupling storage density from manual travel time, the automated configuration delivers operational stability across shifting seasonal cycles, expands total inventory capacity within the existing building footprint, and maintains distribution schedules across international fulfillment channels.
Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.
www.exotec.com
Implementation and Operational Performance
The system integrates directly with existing inbound sorting and outbound packaging lines at the Venlo hub. Operating across the installed storage network, the infrastructure processes between 40,000 and 70,000 items daily. Peak performance capacity reaches 2,200 processed order lines per hour.
By decoupling storage density from manual travel time, the automated configuration delivers operational stability across shifting seasonal cycles, expands total inventory capacity within the existing building footprint, and maintains distribution schedules across international fulfillment channels.
Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.
www.exotec.com
