Robotic System at Crocs

Home Robotic System at Crocs

Autonomous Mobile Robots at Crocs, Inc.

A world leader in innovative, casual footwear, Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX), is dedicated to the future of comfort. The original and most famous style, the Classic Clog, is instantly recognized around the world, and for good reason: since 2002, Crocs has sold more than 300 million pairs in over 90 countries.

Project Objectives/Challenges

In order to process the required forecast peak volumes at its Dayton, OH location, Crocs was looking at hiring a prohibitively large number of pickers for a relatively short period of time. Neither the available labor in the area nor the planned picking space within the facility could support the required number of pickers.

What Sedlak Did

Partnered with 6 River Systems to design physical systems and procedural controls that assured efficient handling of materials and inventory accuracy throughout their new DTC facility in Dayton, OH while maximizing overall productivity and minimizing costs.

Implemented a brief proof-of-concept trial within Crocs’ existing facility and a business case demonstrating a 5-month payback for a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) rental option.

Developed a system that would provide the greatest degree of operational flexibility to handle overall growth, business fluctuations and changing customer service requirements.

Designed what was to be a temporary facility within an existing lease space to accommodate Crocs’ anticipated growth over a two-year horizon until a permanent, fully automated building could be designed and constructed by Crocs.

Results

Crocs implemented Six River Systems’ autonomous mobile robot system.

Because of the swift implementation timeline and planned short lifespan of the facility, all fulfillment processes were designed to be “manual” using fixtures and equipment that could be transferred to the future new facility if desired.

Prior to implementing the 6RS system, Crocs’ manual pick rate was 44 uph in the aisle. Following implementation, Crocs achieved the 6RS targeted rate of 89 uph in the aisle.

The 6 River Systems’ AMRS for order fulfillment accomplished the following:

Eliminates long walks by bringing work to the associate so they remain utilized picking
Reduces in aisle walking by optimizing order allocation and car assembly to minimize pick path distance and associated travel
Speeds up the actual picking task execution
Allows for 15-minute user training
Was implemented in only sixteen weeks

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