At a time when consumer expectations have never been higher and a positive workplace culture is more crucial than ever, e-commerce growth expert Netrush is investing in a solution that the company says is “sure to help the company further improve customer and employee satisfaction while also enabling it to significantly reduce costs”.
The initiative is part of an agreement between Netrush and its newest partner Brightpick, whose warehouse automation solutions “have helped e-commerce retailers cut order fulfillment costs by as much as 50 percent”, according to the companies.
Netrush CEO Shane Atchison says: “With this partnership, we’re innovating to deliver a logistics operation that is four times more efficient and a corporate culture that is second to none.
“From an industry leadership perspective, it’s exciting too, as Netrush is the first company in the US to install Brightpick’s Goods-to-Person solution.”
Within the next month, Brightpick’s autonomous mobile robots will be working the floor of Netrush’s Hebron, Kentucky-based warehouse, retrieving storage bins from shelves and bringing them to centralized human picking stations.
Brightpick’s Goods-to-Person solution works with standard shelving that is assembled in days and can be easily reconfigured as needed.
The Brightpick robots automatically raise the bins to waist height to enable warehouse workers to pick items with minimal effort.
In addition, each robot carries a mounted tablet that is within easy reach of the worker and tells them how many items to pick from the bin.
Such features not only cut fulfillment errors by more than 90 percent, they reduce the physical strain on warehouse workers drastically.
Atchison says: “This investment reinforces our commitment to the people who make our 3PL, transportation, and logistics offerings some of the best in the industry.
“We’ve always treated our warehouse employees with unrivaled respect and empowered them to communicate what would make for a more comfortable and productive work environment. That’s why they all have stools, and that’s why listening to music or podcasts is encouraged, to name just a couple initiatives we’ve implemented.
“We take pride in those measures. When people don’t have to be on their feet all day and can focus on output instead, they can make an even bigger difference to our company. That benefits the individual as well as the entire organization.”
What’s more, by automating order picking, Netrush – which for 17 years has been leveraging online marketplace expertise to help mission-driven brands achieve their retail goals – will be able to increase warehouse storage density by up to 250 percent and take on more partners without significantly growing headcount.
Jan Zizka, Brightpick CEO and co-founder, says: “Netrush is a leader in recognizing the immense efficiencies and ROI that our Brightpick solution brings to order fulfillment.
“We have done multiple installations in Europe, and this Netrush implementation is the first of what we expect to be many installations in the US market.”
Netrush, which also has supply chain capabilities in Canada and Europe and is headquartered in Vancouver, Wash., has made a name for itself by possessing the teams, technology, and infrastructure to connect consumers with the right products to solve their problems.
The company offers everything brands need to excel on Amazon and win the modern commerce game, including brand protection, performance marketing, and, of course, supply chain services.
Brightpick, headquartered near Cincinnati, is part of Photoneo Brightpick Group, which has more than 300 employees and 5,000 technology installations around the world.
