CSA EXCLUSIVE: Modern Beauty automates picking with robots
A Canadian beauty supply retailer is cutting fulfillment time and improving accuracy with a robotic picking solution.
Chain Store Age recently spoke with Amer Jomaa, CEO of Modern Beauty, which operates 65 stores across Canada as well as an e-commerce site and specializes in selling spa & salon supplies, equipment and furniture to licensed beauty industry professionals.
Jomaa discussed how and why Calgary, Alberta-based Modern Beauty has been automating picking with the Attabotics FulfillAI solution at its two warehouses in Calgary and in Mississauga, Ontario.
"What impressed us most about Attabotics was their 3D robotic system," said Jomaa. "Unlike traditional fulfillment solutions that operate in a 2D plane, Attabotics enables movement in all directions. This dynamic flexibility was unmatched."
FulfillAI uses a many-to-many picking model, which allows warehouse workers to move beyond picking one SKU for one order at a time to filling multiple lines for multiple orders with multiple units of multiple SKUs in a single machine presentation.
"With Attabotics’ put-to-light solution, we can now batch pick multiple store transfers simultaneously with 100% accuracy," said Jomaa. "Attabotics has transformed our fulfillment operations."
Previously, Jomaa said that orders sent to Modern Beauty’s stores required manual checks by retail staff upon arrival. But leveraging the Attabotics put-to-light solution, the company can now batch pick multiple store transfers simultaneously with 100% accuracy, which according to Jomaa eliminates the need for secondary checks and significantly reduces labor costs and errors.
"Redundancy was also a critical factor," stated Jomaa. "We needed a system that could keep running even when an issue arose. Attabotics offered that reliability. Even in rare cases of disruption, the system continues operating while the problem is isolated, minimizing downtime, which is essential in ensuring that our customers receive their orders on time."
Jomaa said that standard fulfillment time for Modern Beauty online orders has improved from two-day to next-day delivery. However, the most notable improvement he has observed from the automated system has been in store order efficiency.
"What once took two to three days to complete can now be picked and processed within the same day, dramatically increasing speed and reliability," said Jomaa.
According to Jomaa, the Attabotics system has scaled with Modern Beauty as the company has expanded following several acquisitions and the addition of new brands to its assortment.
"We've doubled our inventory volume while maintaining the same headcount and warehouse footprint," said Jomaa. "Looking ahead, we’re focused on leveraging this system to support continued growth and enhanced service levels, ensuring we stay agile and efficient as our business evolves."
Luxury retailer Nordstrom has also utilized Attabotics technology as part of a solution to turn its Nordstrom Rack off-price stores into one-stop online order pickup locations for all of its banners.
[READ MORE: Nordstrom removes BOPIS silos between banners]
