Typically, to increase order-fulfillment throughput, a warehouse operator must add more people or robots. Zebra Technologies Corp. today said its Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment system to reduce the number of robots needed while increasing productivity and cutting costs. It includes robotics, wearable technologies, advanced software, and analytics.
Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment uses autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) with standard carts to increase robot utilization. Frontline workers can load and unload orders to the carts while the AMRs drop off the carts and go elsewhere rather than wait in a packout queue.
The new system also uses artificial intelligence to combine the functions of a warehouse execution system (WES) with robot fleet management and analytics tools. Zebra said its Team Intelligence product, announced last year, coordinates workflows and AMRs so that human pickers can increase throughput.
“The Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment solution is designed to help warehouse operations maximize the benefits of AMR-assisted picking to reduce costs and boost productivity,” stated Matthew Wicks, vice president and general manager of robotics automation at the Lincolnshire, Ill.-based company.
“We are excited to bring intelligent automation to our warehouse customers to help ensure every movement is purposeful, every task is completed with precision, and throughput reaches its peak as this solution helps them optimize their labor and robotics resources,” he said.
Team Intelligence uses AI to direct workflows
Almost 70% of warehouse decision-makers are planning to automate their workflows with collaborative AMRs, and over 88% agree that implementing robotics will help attract and retain skilled workers, found Zebra’s Warehouse Vision Study.
Team Intelligence uses AI to sequence and allocate work. This eliminates the time pickers waste trying to find the right robots and minimizes the time robots spend waiting for pickers to find them, said Zebra.
“This expansion of our fulfillment offering can increase productivity with 30% fewer robots,” Wicks told Automated Warehouse.
“The updated Fetch100 Connect AMRs includes more battery capacity for longer runtimes and better utilization,” he explained. “Previously, Zebra’s wearable devices and scanners drove picking, but now, instead of picking to a fixed robot, the pickers can fulfill more orders on a cart, and Team Intelligence optimizes their paths.”
Team Intelligence can improve throughput by routing robots ahead of pickers, so the right AMR is always where it needs to be when a picker arrives. Using detachable carts with increased cubic capacity allows pickers to handle a wider range of product sizes and up to 300% more volume. This combination of carts with robots can also boost pick density and eliminate AMR wait times, according to Zebra.
In addition, the ability to decouple AMRs from carts at key points in the operation such as induction and packout allows AMRs to immediately return to supporting the picking operation without waiting for orders to be unloaded or inducted.
“Before, when AMRs were done with their orders, they would go to a ‘conga line’ in the packout area, where you’d have thousands of dollars of hardware waiting,” Wicks noted. “We took a hard look at zone-based picking and asked, ‘How can we make this better?’ Our mature approach of coupling wearables, scanners, robots, and detachable carts, plus Team Intelligence planning tours for pickers, offers a much more valuable solution to the customer.”
Early customers praise Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment
Customers using Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment to increase picking efficiency within their warehouse operations include CTL Global Solutions and Encore Fulfillment. These third-party logistics providers (3PLs) said they chose it over other companies’ pick-assist fulfillment technologies and are deploying it in early 2025.
“Having an efficient, cost-effective robotics solution is crucial for our operations,” said Alex O’Dell, senior vice president for integrated operations at CTL. “We believe the Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment solution will transform our workflows with its innovative AMR technology, which will allow us to achieve optimal efficiency with fewer robots. It will also free up resources and reduce costs, enhancing productivity and increasing profitability.”
“Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment with Team Intelligence removes the guesswork by integrating Zebra AMRs with robust, lightweight mobile computers and data-capture devices, enabling a fully directed workflow,” added Kyle Thompson, co-founder of Encore. “We are eager to fully implement this innovative approach, combining frontline workers and robots in a streamlined partnership to significantly reduce our costs while enhancing throughput, accuracy, and performance.”
Zebra expects Symmetry Fulfillment to meet the needs of both new and existing customers, said Wicks.
“More overall volume per cart opens it up for larger items like shoes, and better optimization of routes means customers can aggregate more orders,” he said. “Zebra’s team includes technologists and business leaders with great industry experience in retail, warehousing, and distribution. We’re looking at adjacent opportunities to fulfillment.”