GreyOrange deploys Smart Zone Transfer capabilities within e-fulfillment warehouse

GreyOrange Ranger MoveSmart Robots

ATLANTA — GreyOrange, a global software provider that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize fulfillment operations, announced on Dec. 7 that its GreyMatter operating system and Ranger MoveSmart robots have been implemented in Active Ants’ new e-fulfillment center in Roosendaal, The Netherlands. The 20,000 square meter warehouse features the GreyMatter Smart Zone Transfer application, utilizing Ranger MoveSmart robots to autonomously move and sort inventory in flexible process flows not possible with fixed conveyors or sorters.

“The GreyOrange robots team with our employees to fulfill customer orders with greater efficiency while also creating a high quality, pleasant work environment. The setup is unique in the world,” said Jeroen Dekker, managing partner at Active Ants.

Active Ants provides warehousing services to various e-commerce companies in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany with the goal of raising the efficiency and accuracy of e-fulfillment through innovation, automation and the deployment of robots. The Dutch e-fulfillment company stores, packs and distributes goods for more than 250 customers and more than 3 million orders annually.

At the Roosendaal e-fulfillment center, Smart Zone Transfer happens autonomously as GreyMatter software orchestrates the complete process flow as Ranger MoveSmart robots convey inventory to various workstations. The process begins as Ranger robots take empty boxes to employees who fill them with goods brought by other robots. Next, Ranger robots transport the filled boxes to packaging machines where they are sealed and weighed. Then, Ranger robots collect the packages and sort them to the correct zones for shipping directly to customers.

With traditional conveyor systems and most existing software platforms, this type of change would typically take months of customized solutioning and implementation.