Oxford Industries turns to robotics

Fashion brand owner Oxford Industries – which owns Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer and Johnny Was – has announced a new partnership to automate its new distribution centre

The new 560,000+-square-foot facility is designed to process more than 20 million units a year, and will see partner Exotec undergo its largest and most intricate robotic deployment to date.

The Next Generation Skypod system, which will serve as the picking engine for the whole warehouse, will consist of over 450,000 storage locations and more than 450 robots. Exotec will integrate its hardware and software with third-party machinery to offer end-to-end warehouse automation and support receiving, decanting, sorting, and packing, as well as outbound shipment.

It will also enable the company to effectively handle returns, significantly cutting the amount of time and labor needed to inspect, sort, and store returned items, streamlining the process of making it available for resale.

Mark Kirby, Oxford’s SVP of operations, said: “This new facility, with convenient access to Southeastern US ports, will be supported by Exotec’s next generation Skypod system and ensure best-in-class direct to consumer throughput capabilities for our brands.”