Badger Technologies and STCR plan to take Autonomous Robots to independent grocers

Badger Technologies, a product division of Jabil, is teaming up with STCR, a provider of advanced retail point of sale (POS) and self-checkout solutions, to increase the momentum of multipurpose robot rollouts by independent and regional grocers around the world.

This collaboration will speed deployments of Badger Technologies autonomous robots to address critical out-of-stock, price integrity, planogram compliance and other operational inefficiencies.

Farrell McKenna, GM of STCR, says: “Our mission is to bring much-needed retail automation to the independent and regional grocer, empowering them to run their stores more efficiently while competing more effectively with the largest supermarket chains.

“Adding Badger Technologies autonomous robots to our portfolio was a no-brainer, as they complement our existing solutions and extend the amount of actionable data and insights we can offer our grocery customers.”

For over a half-century, STCR has aided hundreds of independent and regional grocers in the selection, implementation and support of innovative retail systems to improve operations and shopping experiences.

The addition of Badger Technologies autonomous robots to the company’s portfolio of retail tech innovations is designed to streamline and automate critical store operations.

Tim Rowland, CEO of Badger Technologies, says: “There’s been a major groundswell of demand for in-store robots to help grocery staff keep stores safe and shelves fully stocked, especially during Covid-19.

“Working with STCR enables us to accelerate deployments while ensuring independent and regional grocers can provide their local communities with highly personalized customer service.”

STCR is working with Badger Technologies to expand implementations of its multipurpose robotic lineup, which includes:

Badger Retail InSight – this autonomous robot identifies missing, mispriced and misplaced products. In addition to performing shelf scans in hours instead of days, this robot provides precise product location data within a four-foot section of store aisles.

Badger Retail InSpect –This hazard-detection robot traverses store aisles looking for liquid, powder and bulk-food spills and debris. Real-time hazard alerts mitigate risks while keeping stores cleaner and safer for shoppers.

Badger Retail InForm – This combination robot integrates hazard-detection and shelf-scanning capabilities to provide grocers with elevated inventory management and store safety capabilities.

Robots bolster grocers’ Covid-19 response

STCR and Badger Technologies also are focused on helping grocers respond to continuing pressures placed on the retail industry during Covid-19.

The ability to integrate robot-collected data with mobile shopping applications ensures shoppers, store associates and online order pickers can find what they’re looking for quickly.

Additionally, the ability to generate real-time stocking reports on the most popular items ensures shelves are stocked more frequently throughout the day.

Woodman’s Markets, an independent, employee-owned grocer with 18 stores throughout Wisconsin and Illinois, is relying on Badger Technologies autonomous robots to better support its customers, especially during the pandemic.

Tyler Davis, IT project co-ordinator for Woodman’s Markets, says: “We’re using real-time trending data gathered by our robots to better forecast and manage commodities and vendors with frequent stock issues, which escalated during Covid-19.

“We’re also using highly accurate pricing data produced by the robots to prioritize replenishment on behalf of our customers.”

To date, more than 500 Badger Technologies autonomous robots have been deployed throughout the United States, Australia and New Zealand while 15 pilot deployments are currently under way.