Catch Group is launching over 100 autonomous robots in its Victorian distribution centre, which will allow the business to pack an additional 2000 orders an hour.

The project is the largest rollout of autonomous robots in Australia and New Zealand, and will enable Catch to manage an additional 80000 product lines.

“This investment is a significant step for Catch Group in its move to offer faster and more convenient fulfilment options for its increasing customer base,” Catch’s head of fulfilment Richard Whetton said.

“By adding thousands of SKUs to Catch’s already extensive online store, we are providing Australians with easy and convenient access to their much loved high street brands. We are excited to see where this technology deployment takes us and to seek out further opportunities where we can utilize this kind of agile and flexible technology.”

The picking robots will go live in November, and will allow the business to ship items out the same day they are picked and moves Catch closer to being able to offer same-day delivery.

Catch Group reported a 68.7 per cent increase in total sales during the second half of FY20, as online orders across the retail industry skyrocketed due to the closure of many bricks-and-mortar stores.

The project has been facilitated by technology firm Körber, which previously worked with Wesfarmers Group in implementing Kmart’s Android Voice picking solutions.

“Kmart was one of our very first customers and we are thrilled to be working with another retailer in the Wesfarmers Group,” said Körber managing director of supply chain and AMR solutions Nishan Wijemanne.

“Catch Group is an absolute pioneer in the e-commerce landscape in Australia and [we’re] excited to work with them.”