Redefining Goods to Person: What HaiPick has Changed Since 2015?

Kiva was first invented and launched by the Kiva system. It was never an overnight sensation in the warehouse automation market until Amazon acquired the company with its shrewd insight into warehouse automation and used the kiva system all across its DCs in 2012. By then, the companies which were hesitating about the new technology started realizing what they have missed. The demand for faster delivery (caused by the growing e-commerce sector) and the increasingly higher labor cost drew attention back to G2P robotics. People reassessed the value of G2P robotics and found it could be one solution to warehouse automation.

The changes in the warehouse are significant: from a manual warehouse, conveyor system warehouse, and high-bay AS-RS warehouse to a smart warehouse powered with robotics , which revealed some features of Industry 4.0. At the very first beginning, the speed of logistics was all dependent on human labor. The use of conveyor belts, transport vehicles, and the AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) gradually replaced human labor in the warehouse. Now, the application of robotics becomes the new trend in warehouse automation. 

HaiPick 1.0-2.0: Autonomous Case-Handling System HaiPick was Invented

Starting in 2014, the Hai Robotics team was deeply involved in the control module of the communication field. Our products were leading in the market and served the top research institutions, including NASA and Huawei. The Hai Robotics team found the huge potential of warehouse automation and started researching and developing warehouse robotics by establishing Hai Robotics in 2015. The Kiva robots inspired many innovations in the G2P system, including Hai Robotics’ HaiPick system. Different from the Kiva-type system and follow-person AGV system, HaiPick 1.0, the Autonomous Case-Handling System (ACR system) was born, redefining G2P robotics. Compared to the “shelves-to-person” of Kiva, HaiPick "case-to-person" robots could provide the exact goods demanded by orders in a more precise way, while saving the footprint occupied by the operating station.

In order to improve the stability and efficiency of robots, Hai Robotics improved the goods storage/retrieval method from lifting to clamping by the telescopic robotic arms and allowed 8 robots to work together in one warehouse. At this point, the HaiPick 2.0 was upgraded in August 2017.

HaiPick 3.0: HaiPick A41 was Put into Commercial Application

Early in HaiPick 2.0, Hai Robotics already had the idea of using multi-tote to pick and carry goods. Based on this idea, the HaiPick A41, a combination of HaiPick robots, an intelligent charging station, and a multi-function workstation, was officially launched in 2018. One 12ft-tall (3.7m) HaiPick robot could carry 5 totes (up to 66 lbs./30kg each tote) at one time, which highly improved the working efficiency and storage density in the warehouse.

The superiority of the HaiPick system opened the market for Hai Robotics. In August 2018, BEST Supply Chain partnered with Hai Robotics, which was the first ACR system that was put into commercial use. To overcome the lack of efficiency and information management in the Best Supply Chain warehouse located in Foshan, Hai Robotics provided an integrated automation solution and deployed a HaiPick system (with 18 HaiPick robots) within one month. As a result, the Foshan warehouse increased the storage density by 80% and working efficiency by 4 times. The outstanding performance of HaiPick gained great recognition from the BEST Supply Chain and draw huge attention from the market.

HaiPick 4.0: Customizable HaiPick A42 was launched

Hai Robotics has been never satisfied with its achievement. After continuous research and development, HaiPick A42 was launched in 2019. The new HaiPick robots have an increased height of 13.7 ft (4.2m) and support cases of various sizes and materials. The higher shelving supported by higher robots further increased the storage density of the warehouse. Also, the battery has been upgraded which made “charge for half an hour, use for 3.4 hours” happened. Meanwhile, Hai Robotics has equipped a smart brain, called HaiQ, for HaiPick. It connects with clients' business management systems and supports daily operations and data analytics, providing visualization management. 

At this point, Hai Robotics officially proposed the design concept of HaiPic: “Scalable” and “affordable”. On one hand, the HaiPick can go live in one month (with a one-week deployment time). The “easy to use” feature provides high flexibility for warehouse location, in terms of location selection and further construction. On the other hand, compared to conventional AS/RS, the cost of the HaiPick system is 1/3 of that, which shrinks the ROI to 2-3 years.

This year, Hai Robotics and SF DHL Supply Chain China achieved a strategic partnership. In April 2019, the HaiPick system provided an integrated solution for the SF DHL HK warehouse which operates with heavy goods and a tremendous number of SKUs, enabling digital management and improving working efficiency for the SF DHL Supply Chain. In May, SF DHL Shanghai Automated Warehouse was launched. With the approaching 618 shopping festivals, the low storage density and low labor efficiency became increasingly problematic to warehouse management. A tight schedule required a fast response from Hai Robotics. Hai Robotics deployed the hardware system within one week and completed the software system test and automated the warehouse in one month. By contrast, the changes in Shanghai Automation Warehouse were significant: the inbound efficiency increased by 20 times, the outbound efficiency increased by 3.5 times, and the storage density increased by 60%. Empowered by the HaiPick system, the warehouse team made it through the 618 shopping festival. Hai Robotics once again delivered perfect work to its client and the market.

Hai Robotics is well aware that the logistics automation market demands are never static. Given various warehouse facilities and application scenarios, Hai Robotics provides customized warehouse solutions for clients.