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As it works to improve efficiencies throughout its operation, Stine Lumber LLC has rolled out autonomous robots from Badger Technologies. Currently, Badger Technologies multipurpose autonomous robots are in four of the 12 Stine locations in Louisiana, with plans to roll out more robots to additional locations in 2024.
Stine Lumber CIO Robert Spears says the decision to introduce autonomous robots was driven by the company’s overarching commitment to its hard-working associates and loyal customers.
“We always look for innovative ways to increase productivity by removing operational obstacles,” Spears says. “Badger Technologies’ robots free our associates from time-consuming inventory checks, enabling them to help customers while ensuring our products are placed and priced correctly.”
The company will be able to improve price tag accuracy by more than 97% with the multipurpose autonomous robots. The robots will also detect out-of-stock (OOS) products with more than 95% accuracy while helping to decrease OOS products by up to 50%.
Spears says they are also measuring the impact of the in-store robotics deployment in terms of gains in operational efficiencies and productivity through automating previously tedious tasks, such as manual shelf scans to ensure they are stocked with an optimal mix of products at the right prices.
“Because store associates are responsible for managing many different SKUs, the ability to automate these daily product inventory checks is empowering Stine employees to spend more time interacting directly with customers,” Spears says. “In terms of time savings, the robots are saving between 70-80 hours a week of time it would normally take store associates to complete shelf scans manually.”
Stine Lumber is always looking for ways to improve operational efficiencies, and the adoption of autonomous robots represents a major step forward for the organization, Spears says. The ability to have a “shelf-eye” view of the entire store offers a real-time snapshot of product inventory, enabling the company to prioritize product replenishment, as well as gather more timely insights into local buying patterns, customer preferences and relevant seasonal trends.
“Armed with up-to-the-minute shelf details, Stine can ensure ample supplies of the most popular products, even during peak shopping times,” Spears says. “Stine is taking full advantage of the data gathered daily by the robots to improve store operations, while enabling their associates to spend as much time as possible improving customer shopping experiences, which has long been the hallmark of the company’s success.”
The multipurpose robots also support store safety and cleanliness by identifying hazards, such as spills of liquids, powders or bulk-item foods, to further mitigate risk.
“Our multipurpose autonomous robots offer much-needed relief by extending staff operations and producing critical data to increase efficiencies and improve shopping experiences,” says William (BJ) Santiago, CEO of Badger Technologies. “The robots deployed by Stine are helping improve customer satisfaction, storewide operations and retail revenues.”
See how Badger Technologies autonomous robots are making a difference in other operations here and here.
