Automated storage and retrieval systems, or ASRS, will be more available in Canada, thanks to an expansion in service from Kardex. The company has already deployed dozens of AutoStore systems involving thousands of robots and millions of bins in the five years since it began service in the country.
“The right automation partner isn’t the one who wins the deal,” Fred Fox Jr., president of Kardex Solutions Americas, told Automated Warehouse. “It’s the one who keeps serving the customer long after the contract is signed.”
“Canadian companies are automating for real reasons: labor that’s hard to secure, space that’s expensive to add, and supply chains that can shift within a quarter,” he added. “Those pressures don’t stop at go-live, and a partner shouldn’t either. When order profiles change and volumes grow, the measure of a partner is whether they show up.”
“Our approach is simple. We put the customer’s operation first and build everything else around it: our own software, a steady pipeline of AutoStore innovations, and teams whose purpose is the life of the system, not just the install,” asserted Fox. “Leadership in this industry is a responsibility, not a reward. Canadian companies should hold us to that standard and expect it of every partner they consider.”
Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 1989, Kardex Holding AG’s roots go back to the Rand Ledger Corp. in 1898. The Zurich-based company provides intralogistics automation, standardized systems, and lifecycle services to guarantee high availability and a low total cost of ownership.
Kardex said it provides an intelligent entry into automation with ASRS, integrated material handling systems, small-parts storage systems including multi-shuttle technology, and automated high-bay warehouses. AutoStore employs about 2,900 people in more than 30 countries, with Kardex Remstar headquarters in Westbrook, Maine.
Kardex offers expertise, resources, and local partners in Canada
Kardex claimed that it is the fastest-growing global AutoStore partner, offering flexible and modular storage and order-fulfillment solutions. The company cited experience from more than 150 AutoStore deployments, including customers in the retail, manufacturing, healthcare, e-commerce, third-party logistics (3PL), and automotive industries.
In addition, Kardex has developed a strong resource and partner network to support customers across Canada. Customers across North America have been discovering the benefits of AutoStore systems, it said. Recent deployments include automaker Ford, electrical expert Sonepar, sportswear and apparel business Cutter & Buck, Caterpillar distributor Warren CAT, and global motion control specialist WEG.
Kardex AS Solutions said it works closely with customers at all stages of their AutoStore journey, guiding them from their initial inquiry to deployment, throughout the whole lifecycle of the AutoStore system. Kardex UK this month opened an Experience Centre in Hertford.
To support its French-speaking customers in Canada, Kardex added that it draws on the expertise of its French teams specializing in AutoStore integration. With numerous projects successfully delivered across France, these teams have experience in designing, tailoring, commissioning, and supporting systems for a wide range of demanding logistics environments.
Innovations promise greater AutoStore benefits
Kardex noted that it has released more than one purpose-built solution a year to enhance performance, increase system uptime, and simplify operations since entering the AutoStore ecosystem. These include proprietary warehouse execution system (WES) FulfillX, automated grid cleaner SnapVac, and AI-powered bin induction with BinInductAI,
The company also said its Intuitive Picking Assistant (IPA) projects picking information directly onto the AutoStore port. In May, it added PortScale, which measures weight changes during picking and putaway.
A global AutoStore partner since 2021, Kardex said that customer ASRS deployments have boosted picking throughput by as much as 300%, reduced floor-space requirements by up to 80%, taken projects from contract signing to go-live in as little as six months, and improved picking accuracy to 99.9%.
“Canada represents an important growth opportunity for Kardex AS Solutions as we continue to expand our AutoStore business globally,” stated Daniel Hauser, head of Kardex AS Solutions, last month. “We have built significant AutoStore experience across markets and industries, and our focus is on bringing that expertise closer to Canadian customers. By combining our global capabilities with strong local market knowledge and support, we see an opportunity to build a meaningful, long-term AutoStore business in Canada.”
