A high-growth 3PL ecommerce fulfilment operation needed to fundamentally change how it handled storage, picking, and replenishment. Manual processes were labour-intensive, difficult to scale, and increasingly unable to support rising order volumes and service level expectations.
To address these challenges, the business implemented a Brightpick robotic solution to automate storage, retrieval, putaway, and order picking within its ecommerce fulfilment operation.
The Brightpick system uses autonomous mobile robots that operate directly within the storage area, handling tote movement and inventory presentation while working collaboratively with warehouse staff. This enabled a true goods-to-person picking model and removed the need for manual walking and forklift movements within the picking zone.
The results were immediate and significant:
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Labour for picking and replenishment reduced by 75%, cutting the operation from four people to just one
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Picking performance increased to 200 picks per hour, with the system designed to scale up to 500 picks per hour in the future without adding labour
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Storage density doubled, allowing significantly more inventory to be stored within the same warehouse footprint
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Automated storage, retrieval, and putaway streamlined inbound and outbound flows while improving inventory control
By combining high-density storage with intelligent robotic order picking, the operation achieved higher throughput, lower labour dependency, and a far more resilient fulfilment model. The ability to scale volumes simply by adding robots, rather than people or fixed infrastructure, provides a critical advantage in a 3PL and ecommerce environment where demand fluctuates and customer expectations continue to rise.
This project demonstrates how Brightpick robots can deliver measurable, business-critical improvements across productivity, space utilisation, and labour efficiency, without the complexity or inflexibility of traditional fixed automation.
Thistle Systems is the UK partner for Brightpick, delivering intelligent robotic picking solutions for 3PL and ecommerce warehouses. To find out how Brightpick robots could transform your operation, get in touch with the Thistle Systems team today.
