Retailers are dominating e-commerce order fulfillment and achieving same day shipping with new technologies.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I would like to admit that I am very thankful for same day shipping. Yes, of course this comes behind my family, friends, home, etc. However as part of a two-working-parent household with two young boys, this convenience is a lifesaver. The nerdy, engineering part of my brain also loves that I work for a company that helps make e-commerce fulfillment and same day shipping happen for the numerous companies out there that bring everything from clothes, electronics, sporting goods, and medicine to our doors. It is truly amazing how far the industry and material handling technology has come. I remember even as a child being so excited when the “Big Book of Toys” came to my door, or the UPS man stopped at OUR house. Well I am here to tell you now that I have a house of my own, the UPS man stops a little too frequently these days! So how do these companies achieve same day shipping? Here are a few of my favorite examples of e-commerce success with the help of material handling automation.

Hudson Bay Company

At Hudson Bay Company (TheBay.com), they can now process and pick an order within 15 minutes of when it is received. The company’s new material handling system includes 16 aisles of a robotic goods-to-person system called Perfect Pick, combined with an Exacta warehouse control system and other key technologies. Learn More: Hudson Bay Company Case Study

iHerb.com

At iHerb.com, the solution also involved Perfect Pick. The system brings products right to the operator picking the order.  This helps iHerb pick up to 18,000 orders a day during the company’s peak season. Learn More: iHerb.com System Case Study

Rubbermaid

How many of you have received Rubbermaid containers as a gift or simply use them in your home on a day-to-day basis? At Newell Rubbermaid, they now have robots with custom end of arm tools putting together retail kits of their popular food storage containers. Learn More: Rubbermaid System Case Study

Newegg

Remember the packing peanuts that you used to have in boxes? Now companies are able to calculate the best size box to fit the order, reducing unnecessary space and shipping waste like those peanuts. This reduces operator costs for the company and shipping costs for you. This is one of the technologies used at Newegg’s ecommerce order fulfillment center in Plainfield, IN. Learn More: Newegg System Case Study Technology plays a big role in helping these companies achieve their same day shipping goals, but they also rely on a great team of people as well. A big thank you to all of the distribution center pickers, engineers, and maintenance teams who keep these amazing companies going all year long and especially during the busy season. I am so lucky to be part of a team that is involved in these amazing solutions, and I cannot wait to see where the next years take us! So enjoy that turkey and family time, and when Cyber Monday rolls around you will now know a bit more about how all of our purchases arrive at our door step. Maybe Santa could use some goods-to-person technology as well!

Author: Sarah Fronczak