Körber to roll out AMRs for leading online retailer Catch.com.au

Hamburg, Germany - 23 September 2020. Catch Group, part of the Wesfarmers Group and one of Australia’s largest online retailers, has partnered with Körber to deploy Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) at its distribution center in Truganina, Victoria, Australia.

The project will see the leading online retailer roll out more than 100 Autonomous Mobile Robots and is the largest AMR deployment of its kind for an eCommerce marketplace in Australia and New Zealand.

Acquired by Wesfarmers last year, Catch Group has recently added thousands of additional stock keeping units (SKUs) to its already extensive range of brands and products.

“Catch has experienced phenomenal success since its inception as an early innovator in the eCommerce market in Australia. With COVID-19 driving more consumers online, Catch is very well placed to meet this rise in demand and this investment ensures that we continue to increase and improve our product and service offering for our rapidly growing consumer base,” Richard Whetton, Head of Fulfillment at Catch Group said.

To meet the increase in Catch’s product range, the online retailer has invested in the deployment of Körber’s AMR solution, powered by global technology provider Geek+. The implementation consists of over 100 AMRs operating across 3785 sqm of allocated space within the 30,000 sqm facility. The robots will give Catch the capability to manage an additional 80,000 SKUs over and above its existing range.

“The AMRs will provide Catch with the abilityto pick an additional 2,000 orders an hour. With its growing consumer base and the increased demand for timely and efficient delivery across Australia, this solution will play a crucial role in Catch being able to deliver the excellent customer experience the retailer is known for,” Rizan Mawzoon, Head of Transformation at Körber Supply Chain Software said.

Set to go-live in November, the deployment of the AMR solution will take approximately three months and will help Catch Group accelerate its online fulfillment capabilities, moving a step closer to its overall aim of offering same-day delivery.

“We are always looking at ways we can get the order faster to the customer, this investment will allow us to hold more products ready for immediate picking, meaning we can ship most orders out the same day the order comes in,” Saar Davidi, Fulfillment Center and Project Manager at Catch Group said. “We went through a rigorous process to find a solutions provider that could help us continue to deliver our fast fulfillment rates with this significant increase in SKUs. Körber has a wealth of experience in delivering this kind of automation, and we really loved their honest and practical approach,” David Matheson, General Manager –Fulfillment Operations at Catch Group and former Chief Operations Officer at Kmart, said.

With COVID-19 driving eCommerce numbers to an all-time high in Australia, Catch Group reported a 68.7 percent increase in total sales for the second half of FY20. Even before COVID-19 supercharged online retail, Catch was heading on a steep growth trajectory and reported a 21.4 percent increase in sales growth in the first half of FY20.

“This investment is a significant step for Catch Group in its move to offer faster and more convenient fulfillment options for its increasing customer base. By adding thousands of SKUs to Catch’s already extensive online store, we are providing Australian’s with easy and convenient access to their much-loved high street brands. We are excited to see where this technology deployment takes us and to seek out further opportunities where we can utilise this kind of agile and flexible technology,” Richard Whetton, Head of Fulfillment at Catch Group.

Körber Supply Chain has previously partnered with iconic Aussie-retailer Kmart, also part of the Wesfarmers Group, in the deployment of its Android Voice picking solutions.

“Kmart was one of our very first customers and we are thrilled to be working with another retailer in the Wesfarmers Group. Catch Group is an absolute pioneer in the eCommerce landscape in Australia and I’m excited to work with them to improve fulfillment rates and help them deliver in this competitive marketplace,” Nishan Wijemanne, Managing Director of Körber Supply Chain Asia Pacific and global leader for AMR Solutions at Körber, said