The first AirRob automated warehouse storage system in Europe has become operational at CTPark Ostrava-Poruba in Czechia. The system, designed and manufactured by Libiao Robotics, was implemented by its local partner Sluno at the premises of logistics services provider Geis Group.
Award-winning AirRob is a high-density, high-efficiency warehouse automation system that uses coordinated vertical-climbing pick robots and floorbots to deliver goods rapidly to workstations, without requiring major infrastructure changes.
Designed for intensive logistics operations, AirRob significantly increases storage capacity and throughput while reducing labour and energy costs, setting a high benchmark for scalable goods-to-person automation.
Founded in Germany in 1945 and active in Czechia since 1991, Bad Neustadt-headquartered Geis Group offers a wide range of standard and customer-specific transport and logistics solutions. With a network of 182 depots in 14 countries, it manages over 1.8 million square metres of warehouse space.
Family-owned Geis has experienced strong growth through its philosophy of continuous development, combining its experience and knowledge with current logistics trends, while retaining a sharp focus on consistent quality of service and adherence to environmental management.
Successful pilot project
Initially installed by Libiao partner Sluno as a POC (Proof of Concept) project, the pilot proved so successful that it was soon commissioned into real customer operations. Situated in eastern Czechia on the D1 motorway, a major north/south European road corridor, CTPark Ostrava-Poruba is in an area where availability of labour is not so much of an issue as elsewhere in Europe and beyond.
However, despite this, the POC demonstrated that in certain cases speed and accuracy of fulfilment and dense storage are just as important as labour challenges to justify investment in automated warehouse systems.
Sluno has been developing cutting-edge IT for logistics and retail for 33 years and is considered to be a leading Central European player in the field of robotic solutions.
Through AirRob, Sluno provides Geis with automated tote storage, vertical movement on standard racking, and fast, precise handling in narrow (850mm) aisles. Libiao’s technology saves warehouse space and accelerates fulfilment speed, which is proving to be especially attractive to e-commerce customers shipping to demanding end consumers.
With the ability to pick hundreds of items per hour, AirRob has already impressed Pavel Křížek, director of logistics at Geis, during an initial trial at a nearby facility in Skladon.
Křížek says: “We realise that the capacity of logistics spaces is not inflatable, so we asked for a solution that can work independently even in extremely narrow aisles and at the same time can service racks up to eight meters high.
“Thanks to this, we can free up part of the capacity of our warehouses and we are not forced to immediately build additional buildings. AirRob has already helped us with this. The first days indicate that the robot is doing very well. It is accurate and fast.”
Petra Tylová, director of the distribution and logistics division at Sluno, says: “Since we demonstrated the benefits of AirRob in Skladon at the end of last year, we have had a lot of demand.
“Bringing it to life is where the experience of Geis, which is synonymous with innovation, came into play. They are used to changing and reshaping things quickly when they see the potential for greater efficiency and gaining an edge over the competition.
“We see every day that as companies grow, they will eventually struggle with the limited capacity of their warehouses. And not everyone has additional land or millions to build new halls. Thanks to AirRob, we are able to optimise logistics in existing spaces by increasing capacity both in width and height, using the entire warehouse space up to the ceiling and at the same time narrowing the aisles to the necessary minimum.”
Tried and tested solution
As the first and original system that uses rack-climbing robots paired with a fleet of its tried-and-tested “mini-yellow” floorbots, AirRob is a flagship robotic solution.
Easily installed between existing racks with minimal infrastructural modifications, AirRob places no increased demands on load capacity or floor surface, so is therefore ideal for retrofitting in warehouses where capacity and dimensions are becoming restricted. Installation causes minimal interruption to ongoing operations, and deployment is rapid.
Commenting on the Ostrava installation, Libiao’s global head of sales Ronan Shen says: “Many customers around the world are already benefiting from the performance gains AirRob can bring them, so for us this first project in Europe is a significant milestone.
“We are already well-known here for our range of automated systems, and there are thousands of our mini-yellow floorbots operating night and day in warehouses and parcel hubs across all of Europe.
“But this project in Czechia demonstrates that at a time of labour shortages and rising per-square-metre warehouse costs, customers are looking for ways to optimise their existing space at a competitive investment level within their existing storage footprint.”
Established in 2016, Libiao Robotics has grown to become a leading player in the global warehouse robotics sector, boasting household name customers across Asia, Europe, Australia and South America, and familiar US brands such as Skechers, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and K-mart.
