a Canadian office-supply distribution center
Picking AMRs Cut Training 70% and Double Productivity
See how a Canadian office-supply distribution center used collaborative picking AMRs to cut training 70%, double productivity and improve accuracy 73%.
- 70%
- shorter training time
- 2x
- picking productivity
- 73%
- better order accuracy
Based on a documented real-world deployment. Figures are from public reporting; the organization is not named.
A Fulfillment Model Under Strain
A Canadian office-supply distribution center was contending with aging conveyor infrastructure, rising maintenance demands and a picking process that could no longer deliver the desired throughput. Modernization had to occur without compromising existing customer commitments.
The workforce challenge was just as pressing. New associates needed a quicker path to productive work, while experienced pickers needed a process that improved pace without sacrificing order quality.
- Increase picking output within the existing operation
- Reduce the time required to prepare new associates
- Improve order accuracy at the point of pick
- Modernize fulfillment without operational downtime
Collaborative Picking Built Around the Associate
The operation selected collaborative picking AMRs as a flexible alternative to its legacy material flow. Associates remained responsible for picking, while mobile robots supported the movement and sequencing of work across the active fulfillment environment.
The rollout treated adoption as an operating change, not merely an equipment installation. The documented deployment preserved continuity, emphasized an associate-friendly workflow and paired the new picking method with focused training.
- Assess the existing pick path and identify avoidable travel
- Select AMRs around workflow fit, usability and seasonal flexibility
- Sequence deployment around live fulfillment commitments
- Train associates on guided picking at the point of use
- Measure productivity, training time and order quality after go-live
Three Gains From One Picking Redesign
The measured results formed a particularly strong workforce case. Training time fell 70%, allowing new associates to become useful on the floor much sooner. Picking productivity doubled, giving the operation substantially more output from the redesigned process.
Quality advanced alongside speed. Order accuracy improved 73%, showing that faster work did not require a looser standard. Together, the three measures indicate that collaborative AMRs changed how quickly people learned, how much they picked and how reliably orders left the building.
What This Means for US Distribution Operations
This documented example is not a Service Robot Co. customer deployment. It demonstrates why AMR selection should be considered alongside workflow design, associate training and lifecycle service. The robot that fits your floor is the one that performs inside the real pick path, labor model and fulfillment promise.
Service Robot Co. is a full-service, OEM-neutral commercial robot integrator for US businesses. We select equipment across manufacturers, then finance, deploy, integrate, train and service every unit through a nationwide US engineer network. Financing can be structured as commercial robot rental, AMR rental, lease rental or sale, with monthly payment programs available for suitable projects.
For a distribution center robot rental or broader AMR fleet deployment, that means one partner and one number across site assessment mapping, robot deployment and integration, go-live support and ongoing robot maintenance service. One vendor owns the whole lifecycle, even when the fleet includes equipment from different manufacturers.