“At the same time, we wanted to reduce the workload on employees during order picking.” With the AirRob, they found what they were looking for – and demonstrated a pioneering spirit: Geis Czech Republic is one of the first companies in Central Europe to use this system.

It met all of Geis’s requirements: “We were able to get started right away after installation, during normal operations and without any major renovations,” says Křížek. The AirRob is installed directly between shelves and moves horizontally and vertically on rails. With a width of 85 centimeters, the shelves can be placed very close together to leave room for aisles. This allows the warehouse space to be easily optimized; there is no immediate need for new facilities. The system automatically retrieves the containers from the rack and then makes its way down. Near the floor, wheeled robots wait to take over the containers and transport them to the workstation using laser guidance. There, Geis employees retrieve the desired goods and send the containers back to the rack – also automatically.

The AirRob handles dozens of containers per hour, and the solution is scalable. “We can very easily equip additional aisles with the AirRob as needed,” says Křížek. Even before Roby arrived, modern shelving and roller conveyors were already in use in Ostrava Poruba, along with a pick-by-voice system and a warehouse management system that intelligently controls the flow of goods. “So we’re providing the AirRob with perfect conditions; it can fully demonstrate its capabilities,” says Křížek.

What this means in concrete terms and what added value AirRob actually offers customers and employees is currently still being evaluated. Křížek: “Only then will we decide whether and how we will deploy this technology on a larger scale at our facility.”