Problem
Lambert Vet Supply (LVS) is a distributor of veterinary supplies. Established in 1994, LVS aims to provide pet owners with quality pet supplies, pet medications and veterinary supplies. The company is headquartered in Fairbury, Nebraska, and has grown over the years to include locations. in Belleville, Kansas and Neosho, Missouri. Most recently, it’s partnered with a warehouse network in Dothan, Alabama.
LVS had an existing partnership with Körber, an international technology group, and it was looking for a robotic product that not only could make its new warehouses more efficient but could also easily integrate into its existing K.Motion Warehouse Management System.
Solution
LVS decided to expand its relationship with Körber by deploying 24 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) created by Locus Robotics.
Locus’ range of AMRs is made up of the Origin, the company’s flagship AMR that can operate for 14 hours on a single charge and has a payload capacity of 80 lbs, Vector, an AMR with a 600 lb payload capacity, and Max, the company’s heaviest capacity AMR with a 3,000 lb payload limit.
The company offers its LocusBots through a Robotics as a Service (RaaS) model. This model not only allows the company to deploy more quickly, but it also gives the company the ability to step in if a robot isn’t operating properly.
“Being a long-standing Körber partner and understanding our capability in delivering complete end-to-end software, robotics, and operational solutions, Lambert looked to us when it was time to take the next step in their warehouse digitization journey,” said John Santagate, Vice President of Robotics Software, Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “The subscription-based model is ideal for Lambert as it provides a fast, cost-effective, flexible, and scalable robotic solution that will drive operational efficiency – next to making great strides to take account of their associates’ health, safety and wellbeing.”
Results
Since implementing the AMRs, LVS has seen improvements in efficiency and productivity, and improvements in the health and safety of its employees.
With the new system, training needed for warehouse associates has been greatly reduced, as has the amount of walking distance those employees have to cover. According to LVS, it’s seen an up to 50% decrease in walking distance for its employees.
“We are experiencing record growth in both our consumer and professional pet-care e-commerce segments while navigating unprecedented and unpredictable labor challenges,” said Tammy Schmidt, VP/COO, Lambert Veterinary Supply. “Being able to seamlessly integrate and ramp up and down, the Robots as a Service provides us with the needed flexibility and scalability to meet our growing e-commerce customer demand while maintaining a smaller dependable team of warehouse associates and reducing onboarding of new warehouse associates to minutes from weeks.”
Altogether, implementing Locus’ AMRs from Körber resulted in minimized exhaustion, stress and risk of injury from activities like loading and pushing carts for warehouse associates, and an increase in productivity.