In early 2025, Douglas became the first company in New Zealand to implement an AutoStore system, delivering what the company describes as measurable gains in throughput, storage density and fulfilment performance.
Since the system went live, operational throughput has increased by 68%, with AutoStore now handling 200 orders per hour, up from 50 under the previous manual setup. The system occupies around 10% of the footprint required by traditional storage methods while increasing total storage capacity by 30%, allowing the business to meet forecast demand over the next five years without further infrastructure investment.
Ryan Gibbs, warehouse operations manager, Douglas, says scalability was a key factor.
“One of the greatest things about automation is the scalability that it provides,” Gibbs says.
Automation has also strengthened traceability and batch-level control, supporting the handling of products with strict expiry and quality requirements. Repetitive manual tasks have been reduced, contributing to a safer work environment, while the existing workforce has been retained and redeployed into less physically demanding roles.
The system was implemented in partnership with Kardex, which supported planning, modelling and change management through installation.
Grant Smith, director of business development AutoStore ANZ at Kardex, says the system’s compact design and low energy use were suited to the site.
“AutoStore is a cube-based, goods-to-person system that uses robots to retrieve items from a dense grid of bins and deliver them to workstations. It is recognised as one of the most space-efficient warehouse automation technologies currently available,” Smith says.
At the Douglas site, the system was installed alongside existing fulfilment operations without requiring upgrades to power infrastructure. The only modification was to the warehouse floor, with surface testing and grinding works completed ahead of installation.
The combination of increased storage density, improved picking accuracy and reduced handling has shifted the operation from a space-driven constraint to a more controlled, scalable fulfilment environment.
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