Butler robot contract awarded for large home furnishing chain in Japan

Technology company GreyOrange and logistics technology provider GROUND Inc have been awarded the contract to supply robotics solutions to the Nitori Holdings Group, Japan’s largest furniture and home furnishing chain with over 400 stores. The robotics system will be deployed at Home Logistics which is a logistics subsidiary of Nitori Holdings, operating 34 distribution bases and an efficient logistics network for product delivery to stores and e-commerce customers across the country.
Manabu Matsuura, Corporate Officer of Nitori Holdings and CEO of Home Logistics said, “We were impressed to find that the GreyOrange Butler is an entirely new robotics concept for warehouse automation unlike automated storage and retrieval systems. Also, Butler satisfies our corporate philosophy that we always pursue ideal workplaces for everyone. For example, we have been an early adopter of technology solutions and were the first user in Japan to leverage robotic storage systems in our warehouses last year.”

Hiratomo Miyata, CEO of GROUND Inc., exclusive provider of GreyOrange Butler in Japan, said: “We are really happy to announce that Home Logistics has become the first user of the Butler in Japan. They have evaluated several options and are glad to use the Butler as they believe the Butler goods-to-person technology will be a driving force in their strategy to increase productivity in their warehouse operations through robotics.”
The GreyOrange Butler system will be installed at the Home Logistics Osaka distribution centre, to handle automated inventory storage and picking. The software adapts in real-time to changing inventory profiles and order fulfilment patterns, for high productivity and accuracy.
Nalin Advani, CEO – APAC, GreyOrange said, “Japan has one of the world’s most mature distribution infrastructure and it is the fourth largest e-commerce market. Over 75 per cent of consumers regularly shop online and e-commerce is forecasted to grow to US$200 billion ($260 billion) by 2020. We are honoured to work with Nitori Group, including Home Logistics, to deploy our Butlers. The Nitori Group is far-sighted in anticipating the challenges of warehouse operations and addressing it with robotics. We are also excited to be selected for the Japan market where specifications for technology are among the most demanding in the world.”