Geekplus optimizes new Alpen ecommerce facility with Goods-to-Person flagship solution

TOKYO, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Geekplus has again partnered with Alpen to bring its Shelf-to-Person solution to the company's new 33,000-square-meter ecommerce warehouse in Western Japan. The facility, located in Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture, is expected to go live this Spring. 

This phased expansion adds to Geekplus' existing work with Alpen at its facility in Eastern Japan.

Alpen first began using 56 flagship Geekplus Goods-to-Person robots in its Eastern Japan ecommerce center in 2018. As its ecommerce business grew, Alpen scaled up to 216 robots in the 23,000-square-meter facility, achieving a 4x efficiency improvement and doubling storage capacity while shortening delivery lead time.  

"Due to ecommerce demand, we have launched strategic fulfillment centers in eastern and western Japan, aiming to establish a network capable of fast and efficient supply to the market," said Ryuichi Hamanaka, Alpen's head of logistics. "The mission was not only to decentralize distribution but also to ensure healthy profits in terms of managing cost and productivity."

For its order fulfillment automation, Alpen needed modular, flexible automation that could adapt quickly to changes in order flows and allowed a scaled approach to implementation.

The Shelf-to-Person solution provides high flexibility, easy deployment and high throughput with a short implementation period. There's no need for infrastructure investment, making it the most mobile Goods-to-Person solution on the market, handling goods of all sizes. The solution is simple to use, quick to deploy and easy to relocate. Geekplus robots carry shelves to picking stations instead of requiring workers to walk through the facility, searching for each product. 

"We see Geekplus as a true partner in the evolution of our warehouse automation," Ryuichi Hamanaka said. "The culture of fast action from proposal to implementation and validation aligns with our company's corporate culture, and we' re proud to once again partner with Geekplus on our newest ecommerce facility."

Geekplus grows with each customer at their own pace, enabling sustainable and flexible operations through stable and cost-effective solutions, dependable service and local teams. This localization enables maximum support for Alpen's longterm business objectives, introducing efficiency improvements and service enhancements as needs evolve.

About Alpen

Alpen is a leading sports retail company in Japan with approximately 400 stores nationwide, operating under various formats such as Alpen, Sports Depo, and Golf 5. The company's strength lies in its private label brands, making it one of the top comprehensive sports retail companies in the country.

About Geekplus

Geekplus is a global leader in mobile robotics technologies. We develop innovative robotics solutions for order fulfilment. More than 1,000 global industry leaders use our solutions to realize flexible, reliable, and highly efficient automation for warehouses and supply chain management. Founded in 2015, Geekplus has over 1,500 employees, with offices in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore.

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SOURCE Geekplus Europe GmbH