• Decathlon, a pioneer in applying RFID technology, has taken an early lead among global retailers in adopting intelligent automation solutions
• Geek+ systems have been deployed in seven phases on Decathlon sites, with two new sites set up remotely at the height of the Covid19 pandemic
• A new whitepaper developed with leading market research firm Interact Analysis looks at the impact Geek+ solutions are having on Decathlon's operations in China, giving strong insights into the future of logistics automation

PARIS, July 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Geek+, a global AMR leader is pleased to announce it has extended its cooperation with Decathlon, one of the world's largest retailers of sporting goods, present in over 50 countries with more than 1,600 stores globally. Following the success of a two-year collaboration in its e-commerce and retail fulfillment centers in Shanghai, Decathlon accelerated its automation program, with AMR deployments at two new sites in China. The installations were successfully deployed remotely in under 3 months, following strict pandemic restrictions.

After its first deployment of Geek+ goods-to-person AMRs to its warehouses in 2018, Decathlon was able to triple the average productivity of labor, increase inventory capacity by 40%, secure RoI in under 3 years and rapidly scale up its automation at short notice without having to make any large investments. With a proven track record, coupled with the capability of Geek+ systems to integrate RFID technology, Decathlon then decided to increase deployments.

Technology from Geek+ gave Decathlon the flexibility to quickly scale up operations and the ability to manage a fast pace of change, which proved particularly important earlier this year when the onset of the coronavirus in China led to the closing down of all physical stores, a dramatic escalation in online demand, and extensive labor shortages:

• With the support of the Geek+ system, Decathlon was able to achieve full 24/7 automated operations in one of its warehouses in Shanghai.
• Similarly, in Beijing, the company managed to deploy 72 new AMRs in one of its warehouses, using collaborative digital tools like Zoom and WeChat for online training.
• Lastly, in order to deal with the high demand in e-commerce, Decathlon was able to flexibly relocate robots from its retail warehouse to its e-commerce warehouse, demonstrating the effectiveness and ability of Geek+ solutions to ensure business continuity in today's volatile business environment.

The successful implementation of Geek+ systems in Decathlon's warehouses has been studied by independent research firm, Interact Analysis - a global market intelligence company specializing in supply chain automation. In a new joint whitepaper, Interact Analysis closely analyzed the Decathlon/ Geek+ partnership to obtain valuable insight into the future of logistics automation.

Ash Sharma, Senior Research Director at Interact Analysis, says: "To write this whitepaper, we worked closely with both Decathlon and Geek+; and were also given privileged access to company information. This enabled us to fully understand the rollout of the solution, and its long-term implications for the e-commerce industry. Interact Analysis' warehouse automation research shows that, today, there are close to 100,000 distribution and fulfilment centers around the world – with less than 5% of them fully automated. Geek+ style goods-to-person robotics are seeking to change this. Some of the efficiency improvements seen at Decathlon as a result of the Geek+ solution are highly impressive – in particular a tripling of labor productivity. As this technology matures and goes mainstream, we are convinced there will be massive growth in goods-to-person robotics in the next five years. Please do click the link below and download our whitepaper to learn more."

Click HERE to download the whitepaper.

About Geek+

Geek+ is a global technology company leading the intelligent logistics revolution. We apply advanced robotics and AI technologies to realize flexible, reliable and highly-efficient solutions for warehouses and supply chain management. Geek+ counts 300 global customers and has deployed more than 10,000 robots worldwide. Founded in 2015, Geek+ has over 800 employees and is headquartered in Beijing, with offices in Germany, the UK, the US, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

For more information, please visit: https://www.geekplus.com/

About Interact Analysis

Interact Analysis is a leading provider of market research and consultancy for the warehouse automation, industrial automation, robotics and commercial vehicles sectors. Our research is based on primary analysis including in-depth interviews and extensive data gathering. We have a team of 20 experienced analysts, spread across offices in the UK, the US and China; and our clients include leading global manufacturers and integrators, retailers and the financial community. To learn more, visit www.InteractAnalysis.com