Automation and Robotics Instead of Relocation

As a growing company, New Wave Textiles turned to automation. Deputy Director Pieter van Barneveld: “The focus was on what we wanted to achieve: greater scalability, flexibility, speed, and reliability. The process wasn’t easy, but with Hai Robotics, we had a partner who stood by our side.”

New Wave Textiles is a supplier of workwear and promotional textiles. Based in the Netherlands, the company serves customers in various sectors. New Wave Textiles is part of the Swedish publicly traded New Wave Group. The company’s growth presented management with important decisions. This led to the rollout of a new ERP and WMS system, supplemented by automation within the 6,000-square-meter high-bay warehouse in Utrecht. Van Barneveld: “We considered relocating, but our employees are too valuable to us. That is one of the reasons we opted to further automate our existing location.”

‘It’s about people, not technology’

Van Barneveld is a man with a clear vision who likes to get things done. “We’ve just gone through an intense period. Ultimately, though, it’s not about technology—it’s about people. As a company, you can evaluate and purchase all kinds of things, but it’s the people behind the scenes—the IT team and the partner you choose—who make it work. Building a successful project is a team effort.”

Doubling capacity

For its warehouse operations, New Wave Textiles chose Hai Robotics. The automation was rolled out in two phases. In the first phase, a HaiPick System 3 was implemented with over 80,000 storage locations, supported by 16 autonomous case handling robots (ACRs) and 30 AMRs. The recently completed second phase further expanded capacity to 125,000. Van Barneveld: “Automation isn’t about robots, but about people working together to solve complex challenges with the help of technology.” According to the deputy director, this requires a good partner. “So you need to understand a partner’s capabilities and determine whether they’re willing to take responsibility when necessary. Customers should never bear the brunt of decisions made by us or our partner. That’s why we sat down together to discuss every challenge.”

Next to each other or across from each other

Van Barneveld says he has no trouble dealing with problems that arise during implementations. “For me, success isn’t about the fact that there haven’t been any problems, but about how we, as partners, deal with those problems. When things get tough, you see whether the parties stand side by side or end up facing off against each other. As New Wave, we haven’t always made it easy for Hai. Discussions are sometimes necessary, but always with the goal in mind.”

After the Netherlands, on to France

As a result of the second phase of the automation initiative, New Wave Textiles saw its storage capacity grow from 65,000 to 125,000 boxes. “That’s a huge step forward. Are we where we want to be yet? No, the goal is to optimize our processes so that we can process the agreed-upon daily volume on the production lines while further increasing efficiency. Effective communication is key to achieving those goals.” The Dutch branch of the Swedish company was the first to choose the Hai Robotics solution. The French branch of New Wave has since made the same choice. “I think that speaks volumes about how we’ve made this project a success.”