THG Fulfil, the fulfilment operating system from THG Ingenuity, has expanded of its distribution partnership with AutoStore. The agreement enables THG Fulfil to offer AutoStore systems through both traditional CapEx ownership and its existing Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model.
The expanded agreement extends THG Fulfil’s distribution authorisation beyond the Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model to include traditional CapEx ownership, giving brands and retailers greater commercial flexibility when investing in warehouse automation.
For brands and retailers, choosing how to automate is as important as choosing what to automate. Some want to protect cash flow and scale capacity in line with demand; others want to own the asset outright and capitalise the investment on their balance sheet. The expanded agreement gives brands and retailers greater choice. They can select CapEx, RaaS or a hybrid of the two to match their investment strategy, without changing their distribution and integration partner.
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THG Fulfil operates 796 AutoStore robots across its own fulfilment network and has integrated the AutoStore system with its own proprietary WCS, to deliver over 11,000 bins to picking stations per hour and cut average pick wait times by 78%. That experience underpinned THG Fulfil’s recent AutoStore build for Footasylum, comprising 85 AutoStore R5 robots across more than 96,000 bin locations, storing the retailer’s entire live SKU range.
The expanded agreement gives THG Fulfil global distribution rights for the entire AutoStore product range under the CapEx model, while its RaaS offering covers a selected range of AutoStore products, including R5 Pro and R5 Pro+ robots, CarouselPort, ConveyorPort and VersaPort. This gives a broader range of businesses a route into automation with the commercial model to match.
Tom Killeen, COO, THG Ingenuity, said: “Automation should never force brands to choose between control and cash flow. Our AutoStore distribution offering was originally built around a RaaS model because, for many of our clients, protecting capital while scaling automation was the right call. But as more ambitious brands are ready to own their automation outright, we wanted to give them that option too, without losing any of the design, integration, software and operational expertise that comes with working with THG Fulfil. It provides CFOs with the ability to assess the merits of both a RaaS and CapEx route, so we can meet brands and retailers wherever they are in their automation journey.”
Russell Holmes, Sales Director UK & I, AutoStore, said: “Giving customers greater flexibility in how they invest in automation helps them scale in a way that fits their business. By expanding our partnership with THG Fulfil to include both CapEx and RaaS models, we can support more businesses in choosing the commercial approach that best fits their operational and financial priorities.”
