Changing from order pick carts to AutoStore

During the innovation update & networking session on 15 November 2016, Jean Lahaye, Managing Partner at Active Ants, gave a presentation about changing from order pick carts to AutoStore.

Active Ants is a well-known name in e-commerce, not only within the logistics world but also – thanks to featuring in a Rabobank advertisement – in the whole of the Netherlands. Jean Lahaye, Managing Partner, took the audience on a journey into the Active Ants story and the decision for an AutoStore system, which is a route he mapped out together with his business partner, Jeroen Dekker.

Jean explained why the company ultimately decided to implement an AutoStore system. During the presentation it became clear that Active Ants has been a pioneer in logistics for many years, as illustrated by Jean’s example that Active Ants was the first to implement the renowned Google Glass in a business environment.

Active Ants was well aware that choosing a mechanized solution would result in an operation that would not be suitable for all types of clients. After all, by focusing on a single order profile and type of product, you exclude a number of customers. However, narrowing its focus gave Active Ants the opportunity to not only build specialized expertise but also to improve its efficiency. In addition, Jean explained that a mechanized solution causes a shift from a labor-intensive to a capital-intensive operation, meaning that the business case can vary widely from customer to customer. He concluded by introducing the CMC Cartonwrap, Active Ants’ next innovative step which forms the basis for the go-live of an automated packing line this December.