GEODIS Maurices Case Study

High-Throughput Fulfillment with Omnichannel Flexibility

GEODIS, a leading third-party logistics provider, manages order fulfillment and distribution centers for clients all around the world. After being hired by women’s clothing retailer Maurices to create and manage a new omni-channel facility to fulfill all retail and ecommerce orders, they knew they needed a reliable, high-throughput system to keep up with demand. This new facility needed the flexibility to replenish store inventories, ship directly to customers, and fulfill buy-online-pick-up in-store orders, all at the speed that today’s customers expect.

Looking for a proven, high-throughput order fulfillment technology to serve as the center point of this new facility, GEODIS identified the AutoStore system as their best option. Understanding that the right integration partner would be key to project success, they searched for an integrator with significant AutoStore experience and found Bastian Solutions.

The new 404,000 square foot facility centers around a 60,000 square foot AutoStore that is integrated into a cohesive system with Bastian Solutions SmartPick™ robotic piece picking, automated packing equipment, sortation and more – all coordinated with Exacta intralogistics software. This advanced system provides the flexibility to fulfill orders quickly and effectively from any channel on the fly, adapt if future growth plans change from the forecast and allow for future expansion without major construction.

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“To see what has been done here is incredible. I think this proves that if you really want to go to the next level, Bastian can do that.” – Gary Thompson, Senior Director of Operations at Geodis

Key Technologies

AutoStore is at the center of this system that combines goods to person with goods to robot methodologies for a fast, flexible omnichannel order fulfillment solution.

AutoStore system with 60,000 ft² grid
- 320 robots with room for growth
- 92,000 bins
- 34 relay ports
  - 29 for operators
  - 5 for SmartPick robotic picking system
5 Bastian Solutions SmartPick™ robotic piece picking stations
13,540 linear feet of Hytrol Conveyor
Inbound and outbound sortation
Automated packing equipment
- Vertical and horizontal baggers
- Right-size carton erectors
- Scanners, label applicators
Exacta intralogistics software

"SmartPick is reliable. It doesn't take sick days. It's always here. People love working with the robots, the technology. The robots are doing the heavy lifting for them." – Gary Thompson, Senior Director of Operations at Geodis

Results

The GEODIS Maurices facility has the capacity to effectively meet today’s high-volume demands and the scalability to meet future growth.

Decreased operating costs by 30% – The AutoStore system reduces labor needs while increasing throughput; right-size packaging reduces shipping costs by saving materials and maximizing truck space.
Future-proof flexibility with 50% growth capacity – Facility can be expanded without major construction and can adapt to unexpected challenges.
Maximum throughput with channel-agnostic operations - The picking process is the same regardless of whether the order is for e-commerce or store replenishment, maximizing the amount of throughput regardless of which channel the orders are coming through.
Minimum touches for maximum efficiency – Reducing unnecessary work for both inbound and outbound processes saves time and reduces costs.
Increase labor flexibility and workflow balance – Exacta intralogistics software allows operations to flex labor as needed to handle increased demand in any channel, without having to move people around.