A RAPID DEPLOYMENT
Boulanger installed Locus Robotics’ collaborative autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for picking at its Hénin-Beaumont warehouse, located in northern France. The facility manages a broad range of consumer electronics and home appliances, distributing stock to more than 200 stores across the country. Managers say the deployment has enhanced workforce efficiency, as warehouse associates work alongside the AMRs—the robots do the heavy lifting and traveling through the aisles, reducing the amount of time associates spend on those tasks and, thus, speeding fulfillment.
The AMRs, which run on the AI-driven LocusOne software platform, were installed in less than four months and seamlessly integrate with Boulanger’s warehouse management system (WMS) and its existing material handling equipment—ensuring smooth operations without disrupting established workflows, according to both companies.
The quick installation was followed by fast results: Within six weeks of going live with the system, Boulanger had doubled its picking productivity.
SOLID RESULTS
The scalability of the solution has been a boon to Boulanger’s business as well: Locus was able to respond to the recent 30% surge in business by quickly adding AMRs to the fleet. Locus Robotics’ robots-as-a-service (RaaS) model makes that possible, allowing companies to scale up without the burden of large capital investments.
The results speak for themselves: Within six weeks, productivity at the Hénin-Beaumont facility soared from 120 units processed per hour to more than 250. In addition, the facility has processed nearly 9 million units in less than a year, “demonstrating exceptional efficiency,” according to both companies.
“Boulanger’s rapid transformation showcases how flexible automation can revolutionize fulfillment operations,” Denis Niezgoda, chief commercial officer, international at Locus Robotics, said in the release. “By integrating LocusOne, Boulanger has gained the scalability, efficiency, and agility required to meet growing customer expectations. This deployment reinforces our commitment to supporting France’s evolving logistics landscape with intelligent, scalable automation solutions.”
And now the partners are turning their attention to new applications.
“We’re exploring additional workflows we can automate under LocusOne,” Henin said in the statement. “This agility allows us to dynamically adjust capacity, eliminating the need to invest in rigid, underutilized automation—critical as we celebrate our 70th anniversary with a major sales campaign ahead.”
