XPO Logistics, the largest outsourced e-commerce fulfillment provider in Europe, has increased its use of intelligent robotics in the UK in anticipation of holiday retail volumes. The robots work alongside XPO’s employees to help manage inventory for distribution during the seasonal peak. The automation is manufactured by 6 River Systems, Inc., part of leading global commerce company Shopify and one of XPO’s key robotics partners in the US.

The autonomous, mobile robots collaborate with employees and adapt quickly to changes in fulfillment. The robots guide employees to the correct inventory area, validate the items picked and transport them to designated packing stations. The technology uses machine learning to double productivity rates on average and improve accuracy by as much as 40%. Safety is enhanced by reducing repetitive employee movements and time spent walking. 

Mario Harik, chief information officer of XPO Logistics, said, “Our successful collaboration with 6 River Systems in the US has led to a seamless roll-out of the robots at our UK sites. Based on our pilots with retail apparel, the system handles peaks in consumer demand with near-perfect accuracy by complementing the work performed by our employees. The synergies are ideal for retail and e-commerce fulfillment this holiday season.” 

“Our collaborative fulfillment robots are a strong fit with XPO’s high-volume warehouse environments,” said Jerome Dubois, co-founder and co-CEO of 6 River Systems. “This partnership has already delivered significant benefits for XPO customers.”

XPO invests approximately $550 million annually in innovation, with a global technology organization of 1,800 professionals focused on applying cutting-edge thinking to commercial practices.