GreyOrange opens US headquarters in Atlanta and plans to build 20,000 robots

Warehouse robotics and automation provider GreyOrange is establishing its US headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

The company says this will help it to better serve local customers and meet market demands. Approximately 50 new jobs will be created in various departments.

In its first client site in the US, GreyOrange will deploy 740 robots in Atlanta, and create several thousand jobs across this and other initial client sites. 

To further support its growth, GreyOrange has started setting up its local manufacturing facility in the US which will be completed in 2019.

In the next three years, GreyOrange plans to expand the facility to manufacture and deploy an additional 20,000 robots in the US.

GreyOrange is also opening a research and development center in Boston, Massachusetts, to further expand its technology development capability and propel innovation in robotics logistics.

GreyOrange says it plans to build a team of more than 60 engineers for R&D in artificial intelligence, human-machine interface, machine vision and data intelligence, adding to the current global team of 250 R&D engineers.

GreyOrange selected Atlanta and Boston for “their respective reputations for excellence in supply chain and emerging tech”.

With the robotics segment of the materials handling equipment market expected to reach over $20 billion by 2024, the US is “ripe for robotics innovation”, says GreyOrange.

To drive GreyOrange’s rapid growth in this market, GreyOrange recently hired Chris Barber to lead as regional CEO, North America.

Barber joins from Honeywell Intelligrated where he served as vice president, southern operations.

He was a key member of the senior management of Intelligrated, a leader in supply chain and warehouse automation solutions before its acquisition by Honeywell in 2016.

In his new role, Barber will oversee GreyOrange’s expansion starting with the US, bringing “supply chain innovation and streamlined solutions powered by AI to e-commerce, retail and logistics customers”, says the company.

Samay Kohli, CEO and co-founder at GreyOrange, says: “GreyOrange is the world’s largest supply chain robotics company and the global leader of robotics technology for operating flexible automated warehouses.

“With our expansion into the United States and Chris Barber as our Regional CEO, we will transform warehouse processes and efficiency and enhance employee engagement and retention, bringing it on par with tech jobs.

“Embracing robots, who work hand-in-hand with humans, enables our customers to boost overall productivity, minimize inventory waste, increase consumer choice and improve their company’s bottom line.

“We strongly believe in preparing our customers for the future so that they focus on what they do best, without sacrificing their unique strengths.”

Barber says: “Having built my career in the industry, I see a massive opportunity in the US to make robots widespread in the workplace – to increase worker safety and allow humans to do more meaningful work with support from their robot companions.

“I’m excited to join GreyOrange to fuel the robotic revolution in the supply chain industry.”

The company’s intent is to expedite and automate the delivery process from warehouse to customer by reducing 10-15% of supply chain inventory in transit. With less excess inventory, companies can run their supply chain more efficiently.

With customer sites located across the globe in Japan, India, APAC, Europe, Latin America and the US, GreyOrange serves e-commerce, retail, consumer electronics, fashion, third-party logistics, fast-moving consumer goods, apparel and industrial tools companies.

For one client in Japan, GreyOrange says it has provided a 15 percent increase in warehouse storage efficiency and a four-fold increase in throughput from the same warehouse.

Another client in Latin America was able to fulfill 50 percent more orders while significantly reducing operational expenses, says GreyOrange.