GXO, a world leader in providing cuttingedge warehouse solutions for global blue-chip market leaders, has teamed up with BD Rowa™ to provide value-added services, including developing state-of-the-art automation for a major telecommunications provider’s reverse logistics, also known as returns operations.
Leveraging the power of the BD Rowa™ Vmax dispensing robot, GXO, partnering with BD Rowa™, has created a first-of-its-kind, fully automated and highly unique logistics loop for its customer. The Rowa™ Vmax enables the storage and retrieval of mobile phones after they are returned. Phones are scanned and tracked by electronic serial numbers as they move throughout the warehouse. Rowa™ Vmax loading and unloading is fully automated thanks to a robotic arm, and integration of the Vmax into GXO’s software management system is achieved through a simple interface.
Three BD Rowa™ Vmax machines are currently in operation following a successful pilot in early 2022. The full installation will feature a total of 39 BD Rowa™ Vmax machines.
“We’re excited to partner with BD Rowa™ to bring its state-of-the-art automation and material-handling capabilities to our customer. With help from innovative partners like BD Rowa, we’ll continue to offer exceptional service for our customers around the globe, reducing costs, improving accuracy and shortening cycle times.”
Marv Cunningham, Chief Operations Officer and Chief Information Officer, GXO Americas and Asia Pacific
GXO has been providing reverse logistics services for this leading global telecommunications provider, among others, for almost two decades. In reverse logistics, serialized tracking of high-value products throughout the reverse supply chain maximizes their resale value by getting them back out to consumers quickly. In this case, reverse logistics is the return process of mobile phones, including receipt, inspection, cleaning, testing and redistribution. GXO was recently tasked with the centralization of these processes at a new warehouse installation for an existing GXO customer, and the storage and retrieval power of BD Rowa’s Vmax dispensing robot was critical to the project’s success.
Once mobile phones enter the reverse supply chain, they are assigned an electronic serial number (ESN) with which they can be tracked throughout the warehouse. BD Rowa™ Vmax robots enable storage and retrieval of these mobile phones while integrating them into GXO’s warehouse management system. Using ESNs for tracking instead of stock-keeping units (SKU), BD Rowa™ Vmax automation enables GXO to locate and pick individual mobile phones from their entire supply of stored devices.
This customer testimonial is based upon data which were reported by GXO, Two American Lane, Greenwich, CT 06831, USA, and which have not been validated by BD.