Retail News CRM

Tag: warehouse automation

  • Geekplus Deploys over 1,600 Robots for LPP Logistics in Poland

    Geekplus Deploys over 1,600 Robots for LPP Logistics in Poland

    Geekplus expanded its partnership with LPP Logistics in September 2026, deploying more than 1,600 autonomous robots across two fulfilment centres in Poland. The setup scales automated storage to 1.4 million locations. Vertical racking reaches heights of 12 metres, delivering measured operational efficiency gains of 99 per cent.

    RoboShuttle systems and P-series picking robots handle apparel inventory and tote-based flows. Software orchestration runs through the vendor’s proprietary Robot Management System. That platform directs fleets exceeding 1,000 autonomous units within a single warehouse footprint.

    High-density vertical storage

    The Polish deployment uses vertical density to expand throughput without buying extra real estate. Storage racks extend 12 metres high. This design lets the fashion logistics operator house hundreds of thousands of individual totes across high-bay aisles.

    Warehouse workers staff workstations while autonomous units retrieve inventory from upper racking tiers. This eliminates manual floor transport. Across both facilities, the operating system tracks real-time inventory movements and adjusts picking paths to maintain throughput during volume shifts.

    Scaling warehouse robotics across borders

    Chinese mobile robotics suppliers are taking market share from legacy European conveyor and automated crane builders. Their modular hardware deploys without structural facility overhauls. For apparel operators managing thousands of rapid-turnover stock keeping units, mobile units offer shorter implementation timelines and lower civil engineering costs than fixed automated storage and retrieval grids.

    Central European distribution hubs face persistent labour crunches alongside volatile e-commerce return rates. Automated tote-to-person workflows cut walking distances inside large hubs. However, they leave supply chains dependent on software integration across proprietary enterprise resource planning and warehouse management systems.

    Building on the Polish rollout

    LPP Logistics manages distribution for Gdansk-based fashion group LPP, operating more than 700,000 square metres of space across three continents. Its network includes dedicated distribution and fulfilment centres supporting global ocean, rail, and road freight routes.

    “Geekplus is proud to scale with LPP Logistics and extend our warehouse automation strategy across two fulfilment centres in Poland. For retailers, one of the biggest challenges is keeping high-volume fashion fulfilment fast and reliable, while staying flexible enough to handle seasonal demand and changing assortments. Geekplus is here to help close that gap by enabling high-density, fashion-focused fulfilment today, while giving LPP Logistics the flexibility to add capacity over time.”

    Capacity targets for peak retail seasons

    Sebastian Sołtys, chief executive of LPP Logistics, cited fleet flexibility as the key driver for expanding the Geekplus footprint across multiple sites. The modular setup lets the operator add robot units and picking stations ahead of fourth-quarter peak shipping windows. Existing sorting lines stay online during upgrades.

    Teams are now calibrating order routing rules across both Polish facilities to balance stock allocations as winter fashion assortments enter the network.

  • CEVA Logistics Pilots 2 Autonomous Vehicles in Singapore

    CEVA Logistics Pilots 2 Autonomous Vehicles in Singapore

    CEVA Logistics launched a pilot program in September 2026 deploying two Zelostech Z10 autonomous electric vehicles at its Blue Hub facility in Singapore. The trial is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 4,600 kilograms annually.

    Conducted at the 50,000-square-meter Blue Hub facility, the test replaces diesel truck trips between floors with automated transport for pallets and totes.

    Ramp Operations Go Driverless

    Two Zelostech Z10 autonomous electric vans now run directly on the building’s internal roadways. They navigate ramps across the eight-story complex independently without human drivers. That setup allows staff to schedule inventory transfers based on floor demand rather than driver availability.

    Operations at Blue Hub cover contract logistics for luxury brands, cosmetics lines, healthcare distributors and general retail accounts. The LEED Gold facility already runs goods-to-person picking systems, automated guided vehicles and robotic sorters.

    Contract Logistics and Autonomous Fleet Integration

    Vertical multi-tier warehouses present constant bottlenecks for third-party logistics operators in land-constrained Asian hubs. Diesel trucks burn fuel inside enclosed spaces. They also tie up labor on repetitive shuttle routes between storage bays and dispatch decks.

    Switching internal truck runs to level-four autonomous vans shifts operating costs from variable driver hours to fixed equipment maintenance. Fleet routing remains the primary operational risk. Map-free navigation software must handle dense traffic mixing with human-operated forklifts and dock workers without stalling warehouse flow.

    From Incubator Funding to Site Deployment

    ZEBOX, the venture accelerator run by CEVA parent firm CMA CGM, provided the springboard for the trial during its 2025 startup awards. Zelostech secured development funding through that competition to build a proof-of-concept logistics system for the French shipping group.

    Globally, Zelostech operates more than 25,000 autonomous delivery vehicles. Marseille-based CEVA recorded 18.3 billion dollars in 2025 revenue across 1,700 sites. The company will review data from the Singapore deployment to evaluate rolling out the Z10 autonomous fleet across its contract logistics facilities worldwide.