How Geek+ and UPS Supply

Chain Solutions® Helped

Allbirds Reduce Costs While
Increasing Throughput

Custom content for Geek+ by studioID

Finding Their Footing
Record employment levels, increased
competition for warehouse workers and an
increase in labor costs instigated in part
by the global pandemic continue to plague
the logistics industry. In fact, a recent report
notes that supply chain leaders believe both
the talent shortage and hiring and retaining
qualified workers are their top supply
chain challenges.
UPS Supply Chain Solutions, a global
third-party logistics provider (3PL), wasn’t
immune to the widespread staffing shortage
in 2021. At the time, the entire logistics
sector struggled with challenges such as
supply chain disruptions and new warehouse
processes that incorporated social
distancing. These and other factors made
it difficult to achieve maximum throughput
during that year’s peak holiday season.
Facing warehouse staffing shortages
and concerned about the impact of long
hours on employee safety and morale, the
Atlanta-based 3PL made finding a solution
a top priority. In line with the UPS brand’s
reputation as an innovator, UPS Supply
Chain Solutions began exploring cutting-
edge robotics for its distribution centers.
With 100,000 units shipped that year,
autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and
automated guided vehicles (AGVs) were
just starting to gain ground as a solution
to the warehouse worker shortage
because they could be deployed quickly
and affordably.
Supply chain leaders
believe both the
talent shortage and
hiring and retaining
qualified workers are
their top supply
chain challenges.
2
“Our operations have always been very
labor-dependent, with people picking,
packing and driving forklift equipment
throughout our warehouses. We saw an
opportunity in robotics to expand upon
our existing automation capabilities and
drive better productivity, safety and worker
satisfaction,” said David Steffey, director of
IE for NA logistics and distribution at UPS
Supply Chain Solutions. As he and his team
began researching robotics providers and
their capabilities, one organization stood
out: Geek+.

“While many vendors specialize in a

particular type of robotic application, Geek+
has a suite of robotics serving different
purposes. It’s a more holistic solution that
was very attractive to us,” Steffey added.

Data security was a key concern, regardless

of the supplier, because the entire UPS
organization places a high priority on IT
security. So, when integrating new systems,
ensuring that data from the 3PL and its
customers remains protected can prove
time-consuming. Being able to do that once
with Geek+ for multiple bot applications
was preferable to repeating the process
several times with multiple vendors.
Val Cosic, UPS Supply Chain Solutions’
division operations manager, appreciated
the Geek+ solution’s ability to easily scale
up or down, too. “It’s the simplicity and
flexibility. We can quickly add more volume
without bringing in more people, so from
an operations standpoint, that’s critical,”
she said.
“While many vendors
specialize in a particular
type of robotic application,
Geek+ has a suite of
robotics serving different
purposes. It’s a more
holistic solution that was
very attractive to us.”
David Steffey
Director of IE for NA Logistics
and Distribution at UPS Supply
Chain Solutions

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“Allbirds was created with
a desire to do business
differently. Our mantra to
make better things in a
better way applies to all
aspects of our business,
so we are always looking
to improve processes,
Allbirds Representative
VIEW THE CASE STUDY VIDEO
4 4
Trying It on for Size
The two organizations agreed to test the
potential with a proof of concept. Allbirds, a
UPS Supply Chain Solutions client for almost
two years, seemed like the perfect fit.
Steffey and Cosic knew that innovation in all
aspects of business was on-brand for Allbirds,
a rapidly growing, groundbreaking, direct-
to-consumer footwear brand. In addition,
executing the proof of concept with footwear
specifically would allow the team to discover
how Geek+ robots would perform within a
product category that’s historically more
challenging than other consumer apparel and
accessories. Shoeboxes are harder to handle
than garments and require more storage
space, a situation often exacerbated by a high
number of SKUs as brands add styles to meet
consumer demands.
Allbirds was all in.
“Allbirds was created with a desire to do
business differently. Our mantra to make
better things in a better way applies to all
aspects of our business, so we are always
looking to improve processes,” said a
representative from the San
Francisco-based company.
In March 2022, the logistics partners set up
a proof of concept in the 3PL’s Bloomington,
California warehouse in a space adjacent
to Allbirds’ existing West Coast fulfillment
operation, which continued without disruption
throughout the 90-day pilot project.
 70
The initial Allbirds
implementation was
more robots so successful that the
teams soon expanded the
footprint, adding 70 more
200
more racks
robots and 200 racks —
again without disrupting
the legacy operation.
Their teams deployed 27 Geek+ shelf-to-
person autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
that moved inventory racks to picking
stations, eliminating the need for pickers
to walk through the warehouse. In addition
to improving worker safety, reducing labor
intensity and improving picking accuracy,
automated picking typically improves
efficiency by two to three times.
UPS Supply Chain Solutions set up the
pilot program with a bigger goal in mind,
too. As the two logistics organizations
worked through the initial onboarding —
determining the data integration, security,
networking, system communication and
other details for the first installation — they
also focused on developing a protocol that
could be implemented throughout the 3PL’s
facility network with other clients.
“It was important to us to be able to
standardize how we use Geek+ and how we
could partner with them moving forward.
When setting up a location, we wanted to be
able to essentially copy and paste from one
deployment to the next. That would allow us
to be more accurate, successful and efficient
with our deployments,” said Steffey.
Geek+ and UPS team members pose for a
photo at the deployment site for Allbirds east.
Customizing a process unique to UPS Supply
Chain Solutions’ operations, technology and
equipment involved more than integrating new
technology for both organizations. The teams
also had to address how to handle a rack size
that wasn’t standard for the Geek+ system.
“Understanding how to set it up, how many
pairs of shoes we can fit on it and how we
transport it without them falling off was a big
learning curve for all of us,” said Kyle Curry,
sales and solutions engineer at Geek+.
Training employees on the new system — a
system that made it possible for them to remain
stationary while the product came to them on
robots — was relatively easy, though. “It’s much
easier than training a new driver on equipment
that pulls and delivers the product,” said Cosic.
“Although there was a learning curve associated
with adopting the technology and setting up
the systems, there was little to no learning curve
associated with our warehouse staff to execute,”
added the Allbirds representative.
The initial Allbirds implementation was so
successful that the teams soon expanded the
footprint, adding 70 more robots and 200 racks
— again without disrupting the legacy operation.
5
Tackling Peak Season
With the proof of concept yielding benefits
that included increased efficiency and
improved worker safety and satisfaction,
the Geek+, UPS Supply Chain Solutions and
Allbirds teams were ready to fully convert
legacy operations in California and Kentucky
to Geek+ operations. Thanks to the proof-
of-concept head start in the West Coast
warehouse in the spring, they completed
that conversion by September 2022.

To secure full East Coast distribution center

integration in time for the crucial winter
holiday peak season, the teams established
an aggressive timeline, starting in October
— just six weeks before peak volume would
hit. Full deployment in time for peak period
volume was non-negotiable.

With a total of 184 robots deployed in both

locations, the focus shifted to training full-
time employees and incoming temporary
peak season staff. With the new Geek+
system in place, warehouse associate
training was significantly easier and quicker.
What used to take a week instead required
only two hours. The system’s multilingual
interface also allowed for greater employee
diversity and inclusion. What’s more,
employee excitement about the benefits
of working with automation helped attract
seasonal workers who might not have this With the new Geek+
opportunity at nearby fulfillment centers. system in place, warehouse
associate training was
The partners were soon ready for significantly easier and
record order volume for the eco-conscious quicker. What used to take
brand’s popular Black Friday and Cyber a week instead required
Monday promotions. only two hours.

6
It arrived.
And UPS Supply Chain Solutions ran with it.
Thanks to its collaboration with Geek+,
the forward-looking 3PL processed an
order volume increase of 160% over the
previous year, moving onto Cyber Monday
from Black Friday with no measurable
order backlog.
“For employees, this was huge. They
had more job satisfaction, got peak-holiday
pay and were able to leave on time to be
with their families. They were very happy,”
said Steffey.
Allbirds’ Results
184
robots
Increased capability and Handled 160% increase in
capacity with 184 robots in peak unit throughput vs.
two warehouses
18%decrease
Decreased labor hours
18% vs. previous year
Allbirds appreciated being able to meet
customer expectations by delivering orders
quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.
“As a direct-to-consumer retailer, we see
large variations in volume during peak
season, especially when we run targeted
promotions over specific time periods.
Geek+ allowed UPS Supply Chain Solutions
to handle variations in order volume in a
much more labor-efficient manner. Order
volume that used to potentially require
overtime costs can now be handled
within normal business hours and without
the need for excess staff,” Allbirds’
representative told us.
160%
increase
400% increase
Executed 400% increase
in picked units per hour vs.
previous year previous year
Record days
Experienced back-to-back
record days during peak
7
Sizing Up:
Geek+ System
Expands to Multiple
UPS Supply Chain
Installations Solutions Results

The Allbirds proof of concept allowed UPS Reduced labor costs

Supply Chain Solutions to visualize how Geek+ while lessening impact
systems would help address labor shortages of labor shortage
and improve efficiency for other clients in its
portfolio as well. More than 1,000 Geek+ robots Proprietary data
are now operational in three more UPS Supply remained protected
Chain Solutions locations. In addition, the 3PL and secure
has expanded use beyond order picking to
receiving inventory. Improved employee
safety and satisfaction
The logistics provider also recently started
using the new Geek+ PopPick solution. Mobile Flexible and
robots carry shelves of totes that are filled with adaptable system
inventory from storage to workstations, where
robotic arms retrieve the totes and present them Easily
to the operator for order picking. PopPick’s replicated
mechanical picking efficiency of up to 650
totes per hour can double throughput capacity,
and it’s mobile shelves can improve warehouse
storage density by 50%.

650
totes per hour
PopPick’s mechanical picking
efficiency of up to 650 totes per hour
can double throughput capacity.

UPS’s new PopPick solution.

Both organizations continue to benefit from
what they describe as an innovation partnership.
“UPS Supply Chain Solutions is willing to work
with us as we manage any speed bumps that
are inevitable when integrating cutting-edge
technology. They have a ton of experience, a
great deal of bandwidth and excellent ideas. The
fact that we work so collaboratively helps take all
of us to the next level,” said Curry.

“With Allbirds, we went from a tough operational

situation to working with a team that’s excited
and takes pride in what they do on a system that
makes it fun and enjoyable. Working with Geek+,
we’ve changed the whole dynamic — and all by
reducing operational costs in an industry where
we’re seeing increasing prices, not decreases.
We can replicate this throughout our network,”
added Steffey.

The footwear brand also appreciates how

taking a chance with innovation has improved
its operations. “We were pleased with the way
the implementation came together and how
the rise in throughput was achieved quickly.
The daily capacity outpaced the prior manual
process within the first week and met its post-
implementation target goals in the first month
as planned. By the next peak season, the
system was in full swing, and we had no
problem shipping our daily volume,” the
Allbirds representative said.

UPS Supply Chain Solutions’ warehouse For more information about

employees applauded the new approach, how Geek+ can transform
too. “After we went through that first peak your operations, visit
season, people realized what a difference https://www.geekplus.com.
it made for them, telling us it was
absolutely worth it,” added Cosic.

9
UPS Supply Chain Solutions ®
UPS Supply Chain
Solutions offers a
comprehensive portfolio
of services to enhance
customers’ business
performance, including
logistics, distribution and
transportation. It’s one
of the world’s largest
providers of transportation
and logistics services
for customers ranging
from small and midsize
companies to
global enterprises.
LEARN MORE
Dreamed up in New Zealand,
Allbirds launched in San
Francisco in 2016 with
the ethos of using natural
materials to create the
world’s most comfortable
shoes. With carbon
reduction as its North Star,
Allbirds is paving the way
for a more sustainable
approach to business
through product innovation,
industry collaboration and
being the first footwear
brand to carbon label all
of its products.
LEARN MORE
Geek+ is a global leader
in robotic solutions for
logistics. It develops
autonomous mobile
robot (AMR) solutions for
flexible, reliable and highly
efficient automation for
warehouses and supply
chain management.
Founded in 2015, the
company employs more
than 1,500 employees in
several countries around
the world.
LEARN MORE
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