We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Gap orders 73 piece-picking robots to meet coronavirus e-commerce surge

Gap orders 73 piece-picking robots to meet coronavirus e-commerce surge

Kindred's “Sort” system uses robotic arm to place items into an automated putwall.

kindred piece picking robots
June 8, 2020
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

Robotic fulfillment vendor Kindred Inc. says the clothing retailer Gap Inc. has purchased 73 of its automated piece-picking robots in an effort to meet increasing demand for online orders and employee safety due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The deal boosts Gap’s fleet of Kindred bots to 106, following a pilot program launched in 2017 where Gap used Kindred’s “Sort” robotic piece-picking systems for secondary sortation points at its distribution centers in Tennessee, California, and New York.

Kindred’s piece-picking robots use the company’s “AutoGrasp” robotics intelligence platform that identifies and singulates items to pick and place into an automated putwall. According to the company, AutoGrasp combines vision, grasping, and manipulation algorithms to move clothing, poly bags, and other small items. By using artificial intelligence (AI) and human-in-the-loop data methodology, the system continuously improves robot capabilities so that picking becomes smarter, faster, and more accurate over time.

Statistics from the pilot show that Gap used the units to sort more than 13 million units of merchandise in the first quarter of 2020, running at an average sorting speed of 335 units per hour. Once the additional systems are deployed, Gap will have paired Sort robots with all the automated primary sortation systems in its distribution network, the company said.

“We’re pleased that our partnership with Kindred has grown from a test pilot to a full deployment of their Sort robots across our U.S. network – especially at a time when we’re trying to keep our employees safe,” Kevin Kuntz, senior vice president of Global Logistics Fulfillment at Gap, said in a release. “We look forward to working together with Kindred on cutting-edge automation.”

San Francisco-based Kindred has already deployed 20 of the new systems to Gap’s largest-volume distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, and 10 more to a DC near Nashville, Tennessee.

“Applying automation and artificial intelligence-based solutions to e-commerce logistics and fulfillment allows retailers to scale their operations predictability and efficiently,” said Pierre Lamond, Kindred’s chairman of the board and partner at Eclipse Ventures. “Furthermore, as we see in the current crisis, retailers with resilient operations outperform the competition in areas such as customer satisfaction, sales, and margins. We have digitized the commerce side of the retail equation, now we must modernize the rest of the value chain to meet increasing demand.”

Material Handling Robotics
KEYWORDS Kindred
  • Related Articles

    American Eagle Outfitters Purchases Kindred SORT Robots to Meet Surge of Online Orders and Increase Worker Distancing During COVID-19

    IAM Robotics unveils piece picking robot for e-commerce warehouses

    The Logistics Matters podcast: National Truck Driver Appreciation Week; e-commerce shopping continues to surge; the nation's ocean ports see a solid rebound | Season 1 Episode 24

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

U.S. Xpress makes “significant investment” in self-driving tech vendor

Truckload carrier predicts challenging year ahead for industry

Train kept a rollin’

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2mw 01 18 21 thumb

LTL Carriers Using Yield Management Techniques to Identify New Accessorial Charges

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
As we head into 2021, shippers are not too optimistic about negotiating rates with their carriers. The reason for this, as highlighted in the three CODE RED Webcasts we've hosted with our friends from CSCMP and NASSTRAC, is that in today's transportation marketplace, shippers are operating in uncharted waters. With...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing