Nike Teams With Geek+ For Robotic Same-Day Delivery In Japan

Smart logistics provider Geek+ announced a same-day delivery partnership with Nike, which will provide advanced robotics solutions for the athletics company’s new distribution center in Japan, according to reports on Wednesday (Feb. 5).

The partnership will allow more than 200 robots to deploy from the Geek+ “goods-to-person P series line,” which will carry Nike’s products directly to warehouse workers. As a result, costs will be cut and picking efficiency will be increased, making day-to-day tasks easier for workers.

Labor shortages in the logistics industry have become a problem with the rapid growth of eCommerce. Warehouses, though still manually operated, are in need of more automation and robotics technology to accommodate the massive challenges and demands created by the prevalence of online platforms.

Nike, through the new partnership, aims to introduce more robots to help speed up their operations. Smart robots have been shown to increase flexibility, efficiency and safety, while saving on labor costs.

Founded in 2015, Geek+ is a global logistics company that provides artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to help warehouses and factories improve their operations. The firm has completed over 200 projects on four continents and has deployed more than 10,000 robots.

Among Nike’s other innovations was last year’s foray into blockchain-compatible sneakers. Called CryptoKicks, the sneakers are embedded with a blockchain chip that will allow digital assets to be attached to the shoes to enable tracking of their legitimacy and ownership.

Nike also recently announced a partnership that will gift users with 3 percent cash back whenever they purchase the company’s products using Apple Pay, which is available through a variety of stores, including Nike’s own retailers as well as online.

And in its recently introduced line of shoes, Nike committed to using only sustainable materials. That will carry over into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics taking place later this year, where they have committed to using ground-up shoe parts and recycled polyester to craft new gear for athletes.