NP Fulfilment improves efficiency with MiR autonomous robots

Konica Minolta Australia has announced it is working with NP Fulfilment to achieve operational efficiencies and improved safety in its smart warehouse in Sydney with the implementation of MiR autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

NP Fulfilment is a a provider of order fulfilment for businesses nationally and internationally, with hundreds of online retailers, direct sellers and e-commerce organisations using it to pick, pack and ship their orders. NP Fulfilment guarantees that orders are picked, packed and ready to ship within two hours of receipt.

“To achieve this, NP Fulfilment has transformed warehousing by accelerating and using the most advanced technology in the logistics industry, including our propriety 3PL warehouse management system that we have built from the ground up,” said Jey Kanagaratnam, CIO, NP Fulfilment. “With a rapid increase in online shopping, NP Fulfilment needed to look at ways to further speed up picking at the Sydney warehouse while giving our employees peace of mind that they are safe and can focus on the task at hand. Turning to technology was a no-brainer. It was also important for NP Fulfilment to work with organisations that have an innovation mindset.”

NP Fulfilment purchased two MiR200 AMRs through Konica Minolta. As an existing Konica Minolta customer, there was already a trusted partnership between the two organisations. According to Konica Minolta, the MiR200 is a safe, cost-effective mobile robot that quickly automates internal transportation and logistics. The robots optimise workflows to free up staff, increasing productivity and reducing operational costs. Konica Minolta also developed a latching module for the MiR200, giving it the capability to latch onto NP Fulfilment’s shelving systems with wheels. Once full, the MiR200 takes the shelving system to where it needs to go, picks up an empty one while it is there, and then parks the empty trolley in an available spot on the way back to pick up the next full trolley.

“Konica Minolta is seeing rapid growth in robotics, particularly in the warehouse and logistics sector as the industry moves to smart warehousing,” said Matthew Hunter, Innovation Product Marketing Manager at Konica Minolta. “The MiR200s minimise unnecessary movement around NP Fulfilment’s warehouse, saving time and reducing workers’ step count. With the MiR200s handling the movement of trolleys, workers are kept in a focused area of the warehouse where they can add the most value rather than travelling back and forth to move trolleys. Less movement also means lower risk of accidents, which is critical for NP Fulfilment in meeting its safety requirements.”

“In addition to speeding up the process, the MiR200s enhance NP Fulfilment’s ability to capture the movement of the product at each stage in the logistics life cycle, including how long it’s at each stage and how long it takes to get from one stage to another,” added Kanagaratnam. “This means key performance indicators can be monitored at each and every level, providing insight to make improvements that can be passed on to NP Fulfilment’s customers.”