THG Fulfil, the fulfilment operating system from Manchester-headquartered THG Ingenuity, has expanded its distribution partnership with AutoStore.
The agreement will enable THG Fulfil to offer AutoStore systems through both traditional CapEx ownership and its existing Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model.
The expanded partnership gives brands and retailers greater commercial flexibility when investing in warehouse automation.
Businesses will be able to select CapEx, RaaS or a hybrid of the two to match their investment strategy without changing their distribution and integration partner.
THG Fulfil currently operates 796 AutoStore robots across its own fulfilment network and has integrated the AutoStore system with its proprietary warehouse control system (WCS).
The technology delivers more than 11,000 bins to picking stations per hour and has cut average pick wait times by 78 per cent.
That experience underpinned THG Fulfil’s recent AutoStore build for footwear retailer Footasylum, comprising 85 AutoStore R5 robots across more than 96,000 bin locations and storing its entire live SKU range.
Tom Killeen, COO, THG Ingenuity, said: “Automation should never force brands to choose between control and cash flow.
“Our AutoStore distribution offering was originally built around a RaaS model because, for many of our clients, protecting capital while scaling automation was the right call.
“But as more ambitious brands are ready to own their automation outright, we wanted to give them that option too, without losing any of the design, integration, software and operational expertise that comes with working with THG Fulfil.
“It provides CFOs with the ability to assess the merits of both a RaaS and CapEx route, so we can meet brands and retailers wherever they are in their automation journey.”
Russell Holmes, sales director UK & I, AutoStore, said: “Giving customers greater flexibility in how they invest in automation helps them scale in a way that fits their business.
“By expanding our partnership with THG Fulfil to include both CapEx and RaaS models, we can support more businesses in choosing the commercial approach that best fits their operational and financial priorities.”