Hai Robotics and Ferag Solutions are expanding their warehouse automation partnership across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, building on five years of cooperation and several projects completed in the UK.
The expanded relationship combines Hai Robotics’ warehouse automation technology with Ferag Solutions’ systems integration capabilities, complementary technologies and regional expertise. The companies said the move comes as warehouse operators increasingly look for integrated automation systems that can deliver near-term productivity improvements while retaining flexibility as volumes and operating requirements change.
The relationship began when Nicholas Hughes, managing director of Ferag Solutions, encountered Hai Robotics during one of the company’s earliest UK installations. That system remains in operation, according to the companies, and the two organizations have subsequently collaborated on several projects.
“From the first time we saw Hai Robotics in operation, it was clear that the company was bringing something different to the market,” Hughes said. “Alongside its innovative technology, Hai has consistently demonstrated the expertise, commitment and customer focus we look for in a long-term partner.”
The expanded partnership is particularly interesting in the context of a broader shift in warehouse automation. Rather than treating storage, picking, conveying, buffering and sorting as separate automation projects, operators are increasingly looking at how those technologies work together as part of the complete material flow.
Hai Robotics and Ferag have already demonstrated that approach. In apparel fulfillment, for example, the companies have combined Hai Robotics’ high-density storage and goods-to-person picking technology with Ferag’s skyfall system for transport, buffering, sorting, sequencing and consolidation. Ferag has also served as the main contractor and systems integrator on a project for Prestige Leisure.
For forklift users and dealers, the development is another indication that the dividing line between conventional material handling and warehouse automation continues to blur. Lift trucks remain essential for receiving, pallet movement, replenishment and shipping in many facilities, while automated systems increasingly take over repetitive movement deeper inside storage and order fulfillment.
The opportunity for traditional material-handling suppliers may therefore extend beyond supplying individual pieces of equipment. Customers increasingly need partners capable of understanding the entire flow of material through a facility and determining where forklifts, automated storage, robots and conveyors fit together.
Hai Robotics and Ferag say they already have several additional projects signed as they broaden the partnership.
“The teams at Ferag Solutions and Hai Robotics have built an established working relationship, creating a strong level of trust between our organisations,” Giacomo Cincera, Channel Sales Director EMEA at Hai Robotics, said. “With several projects already signed, we have a solid base to build on.”
The companies also plan a series of regional webinars examining warehouse automation challenges and opportunities in individual markets.
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