30 to 14, and the total labor per unit dropped 35% from 53 to 35 in one year. AutoStore’s capabilities enabled 50% growth in the direct-to-consumer channel, according to Hayes. The solution also reduced the turn time of direct-to-consumer orders by two days. The lead time for embroidery orders is now 29 hours, and undecorated orders ship the same day up to 2 p.m.—a metric that remained in place during the most recent peak season. Overall, Cutter & Buck’s most recent turnaround time is 25 hours—a striking improvement from the previous turnaround time of three to ve days. Sumpter says he sees a promising future for Cutter & Buck’s continued use of AutoStore. “We are testing the latest update that will allow us to change the language on individual ports,” Sumpter says. “We have a signi cant Vietnamese population on our team and this will allow easier and quicker training for non-English- speaking employees, but honestly, it isn’t that hard now. “AutoStore also plans to introduce LiDAR sensors around the port that will eliminate touching the monitor,” he adds. [LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, emits rapid light pulses at an object or the surrounding environment, and the amount of time it takes for the light to return is then measured.] “That will improve ergonomics and speed for our team.” MADISON REED: Enhancing Fulfillment to Meet Demand Goals Madison Reed is a San Francisco-based beauty brand that offers more than 55 shades of hair color through a variety of channels, including direct-to-consumer sales and more than 90 Hair Color Bars around the country. The Hair Color Bar concept has experienced rapid growth, and the brand also is expanding its wholesale business through retail partnerships at Ulta, Ulta at Target, Target, and Walmart. On top of all that, Madison Reed launched on Amazon and is expanding quickly there.
It’s not only shippers who turn to providers to strengthen their fulfillment operations—providers themselves also work with fellow providers to improve how they serve their shipper clients. In one such collaboration, DHL Supply Chain has begun to deploy Boston Dynamics’ Stretch Robot to unload cartons from trucks at its fulfillment facilities. The robots remove packages from the back of trailers and place them on a flexible conveyor. Automating the process with robots not only addresses safety concerns but also helps tackle the ongoing labor supply challenge by redirecting skilled labor to focus on value-add, strategic tasks in other areas of the warehouse. Stretch’s case upload speed is faster than a manual approach, creating eciency and productivity improvements. DHL and Boston Dynamics started collaborating on the project in 2019, and DHL first deployed Stretch in January 2023. Trailer unloading was an apt place to focus the work from a robotics standpoint. “There are enough constraints with the safety requirements that allowed us to zero in on what a potential solution could be,” says Andre Brueckner, Stretch product manager at Boston Dynamics. “The process of iterating through getting a prototype working, then working through testing, and ultimately launching allowed us to get Stretch to a point today where it is productive and valuable at the warehouse for DHL.” A key innovation that makes the Stretch Robot so eective is its ability to pick multiple boxes at the same time, Brueckner says. Also important is an intuitive, streamlined interface that allows workers to pick up the operation of the Stretch rapidly, ensuring it is an “uninterrupted” member of the team when turnover occurs. DHL and Boston Dynamics currently are working together to not only refine and improve on the early success that it has seen with trailer unloading, but also to explore the value of adapting Stretch for future applications within DHL’s warehouses and to ask questions such as: “How small can the cases get? How large? How awkward?” “We’ve continued to roll out the robot and expand its presence in our facilities,” says Matthew Dippold, director of accelerated digitalization at DHL. “We have been able to reduce injury rates, reduce turnover, and improve predictable flow into the building with the robot. So we continue to push it out into our facilities, and we continue to learn from it.” A FULFILLING PARTNERSHIP
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