Geek+ and Decathlon are pleased to announce the successful deployment of hundreds of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in three key European distribution centers to automate Decathlon’s e-commerce logistics platform.

Challenge

The modernization of these three centers, located in Castelnau, France, Łódź, Poland and Campania, Italy, leverages Geek+’s AMR technology to enable Decathlon to increase its storage capacity, streamline its logistics processes, and better serve its expanding online customer base across these countries.

The two companies have long collaborated to deliver outstanding logistics services in Asia, and this upgrade, achieved within the past six months, sees Decathlon similarly entrust the modernization of several warehouses to Geek+. Geek+’s cutting-edge AMR and AI technology give Decathlon a high degree of flexibility.

Sébastien Alcasena, logistics transformation manager at Decathlon, said: “The past two years represent a turning point in how people engage with e-commerce, and we have to provide service of the highest quality. In Geek+, we have found a great partner with a flexible and scalable robot-based solution to meet our customers’ expectations. We look forward to continuing our logistics transformation in Europe.”

New customer expectations for e-commerce – higher volumes of orders and returns, same- and next-day delivery, and near perfect accuracy – have brought new challenges for retailers and a need to address logistics bottlenecks. With 1045 stores in 25 European countries, Decathlon requires a highly flexible and fast supply chain, and has turned to Geek+’s goods-to-person solutions to optimize its B2C logistics.

Solution

Jackson Zhang, Vice President of Geek+ Europe said: “Decathlon placed special emphasis on scalability at an international level when looking for an automation partner in their search for a solution that could cope with the rapid growth and the challenges of their e-commerce business. Geek+ is uniquely positioned to support this objective, having a successful track record of projects in China and the wider Asia Pacific region that have permitted double-digit growth in Decathlon’s warehouse flows.”

Geek+ tailor made a new robotics solution for each distribution center using hundreds of its P-series picking robots, as well as the RoboShuttle, Geek+’s next-generation tote-to-person AMR solution. The number and configuration of AMRs operating within Decathlon’s distribution centers can be easily adjusted to respond to fluctuations in order volumes during peak season. Unlike traditional infrastructure, the AMR systems allow for flexible maintenance and modification without any interruption of service.

Results

The upgrades made to these three centers represent just the beginning of the collaboration between the two companies in Europe. Given the rapid success of this project, the companies aim to identify other areas where Geek+’s AMR technology can help Decathlon deliver the world-class e-commerce service that has become its new standard.