ASICS expands its Vanderlande partnership, unveiling advanced automation to enhance throughput, flexibility, and warehouse efficiency.
ASICS Oceania has completed the second phase of automation at its distribution centre, strengthening a partnership with Vanderlande that has evolved over nearly a decade.
The project marks a milestone for the sportswear company’s regional logistics operations, introducing advanced goods-to-person and carton buffering systems designed to boost efficiency and throughput.
Michael Masulans, General Manager at ASICS Oceania, says the collaboration with Vanderlande began eight years ago when the company moved into its current site.
“We knew we were going to put some form of automation in,” he explains. “We started just business as usual, and then we engaged Vanderlande to put in a POSISORTER. That project started in late 2019, with installation beginning in 2020.”
The rollout was briefly delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Consequently, ASICS had to stop installations for two months because workers couldn’t fly interstate.
“We delayed the go-live while we worked through that and then went live with the sorter shortly after,” says Michael. “We learned a lot of early-day lessons on what to do and what not to do.”
Those lessons informed the design of the latest project – an ambitious second-phase automation upgrade that followed the success of the original POSISORTER system. Michael explains that the team intentionally kept the initial solution straightforward to maintain flexibility for future development. This approach ensured it wouldn’t be tied to a single warehouse control system dominating its warehouse management system in subsequent phases. ASICS paid back the initial investment within two years, providing confidence to pursue a larger automation rollout.
“The plan was to pay it back in four years, so once we did it in two, we knew we could go further,” Michael says. “We went out to a number of vendors, and Vanderlande were the only ones who could solve a couple of tricky points within the project.”
Listening first
According to Michael, Vanderlande’s willingness to listen to ASICS’s operational needs was a deciding factor. He notes that some vendors proposed generic, one-size-fits-all solutions.
“Vanderlande were the only ones who really listened to what we needed,” Michael explains.
Roald de Groot, Director of Sales at Vanderlande Australia, says that approach reflects the company’s values. He emphasises the importance of understanding and listening to the customer.
“Sometimes we might think we have a better solution, but we always remind ourselves the customer knows their operations best,” Roald says. “When both sides collaborate, you arrive at the right solution.”
Michael adds that ASICS had done extensive research ahead of the second-phase project.
“We had a fair understanding of what we were looking for – it was just about how to make it work,” he says. “Vanderlande came back with the best solution.”
Overcoming design challenges
The new system integrates Vanderlande’s High Dynamic Storage (HDS) carton buffer and ADAPTO goods-to-person technology, both controlled by a warehouse control system that runs all automation on site. Michael explains that the design process revolved around two technical hurdles. One of the key objectives was to achieve a high rate of carton movements each hour – both inbound and outbound, which proved challenging with a conventional mini-load crane setup.
“Nobody could reach that throughput. The second issue was the warehouse flooring. It wasn’t custom-built for automation – it’s an extension of the manual warehouse floor – so dispersing the weight of a mini-load system across that concrete was a challenge.”
Vanderlande addressed both issues with a system not previously deployed in Australia.
“During a walk-around, the Vanderlande team mentioned a European solution that used smaller, lighter mini-cranes,” Michael recalls. “This was the first of its kind in Australia, and it could achieve the required throughput. Because it was lighter, it also solved the weight problem. That combination clinched it for us.”
Roald adds that the technology delivers the performance ASICS needed while remaining structurally feasible for the brownfield environment.
“The HDS approach distributes
loads more evenly and provides the required speed,” he explains.
“It’s one of the first times we’ve implemented this configuration in combination with ADAPTO.”
Building in a live warehouse
Executing the upgrade in an operational warehouse was another challenge, as brownfield builds can be difficult compared to greenfield sites.
“It’s very different from a greenfield project,” Michael says. “We were operating a warehouse, delivering to customers, while Vanderlande were inside building automation. I don’t think any other partner could do it as well as they did.”
For Vanderlande, brownfield integration is a core strength rather than an exception. With decades of experience delivering complex automation upgrades across live, operational sites – from retail and parcel networks to airports – the company applies a structured approach designed to minimise disruption and protect daily throughput. Michael credits Vanderlande’s on-site leadership for the project’s success.
“Mark O’Grady was our site project manager on the first build, and we got him back for the second,” Michael says. “There’s always a bit of give-and-take along the way, but we didn’t miss a beat with our customers. They had no idea we were building automation.”
The teams managed the construction in staged sections and worked closely to plan each week. Vanderlande would take a small part of the warehouse first, then expand their area as it progressed. ASICS then arranged to inbound off-site temporarily and used 3PL staging so it could keep operating. For ASICS, maintaining service levels during construction was non-negotiable. Behind the scenes, Vanderlande’s project governance framework ensured the transition was seamless.
This included phase-based implementation with detailed cutover planning, risk assessments tailored to live operations, and the use of simulation and digital twin tools to validate each stage before installation. Local service teams provided round-the-clock commissioning support, enabling ASICS to continue operations uninterrupted.
“If we weren’t working the way we did together, there’s no way we could have delivered what we did without disruption,” Michael says.
The new system went live in May and has now been running for several months.
“We’re really happy where we’re at now,” Michael says. “We’ve bedded everything down and got it working as expected.”
He emphasises that success depends on how the technology is used day-to-day. Michael says that once the systems go live, there is a process of fine-tuning operations. POSISORTER took roughly a year before it was at maximum capacity. The new system is larger, so, as Michael explains, it may take another year to reach full potential. During this process, Vanderlande continues to support ASICS on-site through dedicated service personnel.
“Even during construction, they were working alongside us,” says Michael. “That partnership doesn’t stop at handover.”
Evolving inbound and outbound operations
Reflecting on earlier challenges, Michael says the first POSISORTER setup provided important lessons about inbound and outbound handling.
“We initially created the sorter to handle both inbound and outbound, but it could only operate in one mode at a time,” he explains. “That meant I had to choose between running inbound or outbound at any given time.”
To address this, ASICS re-engineered it’s inbound process in collaboration with Vanderlande. Michael explains that the team initially separated certain mechanical components to operate the sorter solely for outbound processes. As the business expanded, they recognised that relying on inbound operations alone wouldn’t be sustainable, prompting them to consider relocating the docks to the rear of the warehouse.
“That would have cost a lot, but with the new system, Vanderlande showed us how to use the sorter for inbound at the back instead,” he says.
This design has eliminated congestion.
“Now the sorter can handle both inbound and outbound simultaneously, using spare capacity in the system.”
The automation setup integrates Vanderlande’s HDS system and ADAPTO shuttle systems. The HDS functions as a multi-level carton buffer that uses mini-cranes to manage storage and retrieval across several aisles and tiers, providing efficient buffering capacity within the warehouse. Adjacent to it is the ADAPTO system, providing high-speed goods-to-person order fulfilment.
“ADAPTO is designed for speed, this configuration has 32 shuttles and three picking stations,” Roald says. “Its adaptive and scalable configuration makes it possible to expand on a ‘step-by-step’ basis. The multidirectional shuttles deliver built-in sorting and sequencing – with no need for extra equipment to ensure redundancy.”
The two systems are integrated under Vanderlande’s WCS, which now coordinates all automation within the DC. Michael explains that control was shifted from the warehouse management system to the warehouse control system to simplify operations and minimise touchpoints and provides unified point of control.
“It gives us a single point of control for everything,” he says.
A long-term partnership
For both companies, the ASICS project underscores the value of collaboration over prescription.
“Every operation is unique, and when you combine the customer’s process knowledge with our automation expertise, you can achieve outstanding results,” Roald says.
Michael agrees.
“This is the second major automation project we’ve delivered together, and it’s been seamless,” he says. “We trusted Vanderlande to deliver in a live warehouse, and they did.”
Michael acknowledges the dedication of the both teams.
“Amit Arora, Andrew Carruthers, Brandon Camilleri, Grant Frame, Tapan Oza, Kandarp Patel, Stan Waciega and Tom Cupitt played a key role in the project,” he says. “I’d also like to thank Vanderlande’s Jordan Thrupp, Ronald van Opstal and Rick’t Hart for their expertise, and Derek Tan and Adrian Grunbach of ThreeSixtySCG for their strategic support.”
