a regional 3PL and fulfillment operator with more than 300,000 square feet of storage, packing, and assembly space serving e-commerce clients in Southern Nevada
How a Southern Nevada 3PL Cut Per-Pallet Labor Cost 64% With an Autonomous Stockchaser
A Las Vegas-area fulfillment site ran a four-week autonomous stockchaser pilot and reported 64% lower labor cost per pallet and 33% higher productivity versus pallet jacks.
- 64%
- Lower pallet labor cost
- 33%
- Productivity lift
- 4 wk
- Pilot length
- 300k+ sq ft
- Fulfillment footprint
Based on a documented real-world deployment. Figures are from public reporting; the organization is not named.
E-commerce volume outran pallet moves to outbound
A regional 3PL and fulfillment operator with more than 300,000 square feet of storage, packing, and assembly space serving e-commerce clients in Southern Nevada was absorbing steady growth in client warehouse footprints. Pack stations stayed busy, yet finished pallets still had to reach outbound shipping without stealing hours from order fulfillment and customer support.
Labor for horizontal transport was scarce and expensive, and electric pallet jacks plus forklifts tied skilled associates to repetitive runs. Leadership wanted a safer way to move pallets from fulfillment to shipping while keeping people on value work.
- Rising e-commerce demand on Las Vegas-area fulfillment lanes
- Repetitive pallet transport between pack and outbound docks
- Forklift and pallet jack labor competing with picking and packing
- Need for safer workflows and clearer operational data
Mapped lanes, then phased in an autonomous stockchaser
An integration partner interviewed operations managers to map process flows, then surveyed lighting, lane widths, and obstacles across the operating area. The team selected pallet moves from order fulfillment stations to outbound shipping as the first mission set.
Engineers scanned the building to build a virtual map, defined routes and load stops, and trained floor staff on safe interaction before the vehicle joined daily work. Usage and labor productivity were tracked through the four-week pilot to compare against pallet jack and forklift baselines.
- Site assessment of pack-to-ship pallet flows
- Facility scan and virtual map for navigation
- Mission design for routes, stops, and load handoff
- Operator training before full autonomous operation
Measured gains on labor cost and productivity
During the four-week pilot, the autonomous stockchaser reported a 33% increase in labor productivity compared with electric pallet jack usage. Associates could stay on pallet creation, order fulfillment, and customer support instead of walking every load to shipping.
Versus forklift usage, human labor cost per pallet created fell 64%. Management also cited real-time operational analytics, a safer floor for associates, and a visible signal to clients that the site invests in modern material handling.
What 3PL operators can expect from a pallet transport pilot
When outbound volume climbs faster than headcount, an autonomous stockchaser or tug robot rental can absorb repetitive pallet miles without adding another forklift shift. Service Robot Co. is vendor neutral: we match the right AMR or stockchaser to your lanes, then finance, deploy, integrate, train, and service through regional engineers in all fifty states.
A month to month robot lease or pilot program lets you prove productivity and per-pallet economics on one lane before you scale a fleet. One partner and one number covers site mapping, go-live support, maintenance plans, and emergency dispatch when a backup unit matters.