About the CarryPick
CarryPick from Swisslog, part of the KUKA Group, is a goods-to-person order fulfilment system built around fleets of mobile robots that transport entire mobile racks to picking and packing workstations. The robots navigate beneath the racks, lift them and carry them to stations where operators pick or replenish with guided workflows, eliminating the walking that dominates manual fulfilment. What distinguishes CarryPick is its flexibility: the racks are standard mobile units, so the system deploys into existing buildings without fixed infrastructure, expands by adding racks and robots, and can even be relocated if the operation moves. Swisslog’s SynQ software orchestrates the fleet alongside order management, optimising which rack travels to which station and when, and integrating with the warehouse management systems operations already run. The system suits e-commerce, fashion, spare parts and multi-channel distribution where SKU counts grow and order profiles shift seasonally. Swisslog brings the backing of a global intralogistics group with decades of automation experience, supporting CarryPick within complete solutions that can include conveyors, AutoStore and other technologies from its portfolio. For operations wanting goods-to-person automation that stays flexible as the business evolves, CarryPick offers proven robotic fulfilment with enterprise-grade support.
Key Specifications
- Mobile robots fetch racks to workstations
- Standard mobile racks, no fixed infrastructure
- Deploys into existing buildings, relocatable
- SynQ software orchestrates fleet and orders
- Scales by adding racks and robots
- Suits e-commerce, fashion, spare parts
- Part of Swisslog intralogistics portfolio
- KUKA Group backing with global support
Flexible Fulfilment Without Fixed Automation
Operations trapped in leased buildings or uncertain growth paths cannot justify automation bolted permanently to a specific facility. CarryPick answers with a system whose physical assets are mobile racks and free-moving robots: nothing is fixed to the building, deployment requires no construction, and the entire system can relocate when the lease ends or the business outgrows the site. This mobility transforms the automation business case for third-party logistics providers whose contract lengths never match automation payback periods, and for growing e-commerce brands whose next building is always on the horizon. The system expands incrementally as volumes grow, adding racks for storage and robots for throughput in small, affordable steps. Flexibility stops being a compromise and becomes the core design principle.
Seasonal Fashion And Apparel Fulfilment
Fashion logistics faces extreme seasonality: collections change, promotional peaks spike, and return flows flood back, demanding a system that flexes rather than fractures. CarryPick handles the rhythm well, scaling robot capacity for peaks and adapting rack configurations as assortments rotate between seasons. The goods-to-person workflow keeps pick accuracy high across the enormous SKU variety and high single-piece order counts typical of apparel e-commerce. Returns, the sector’s defining challenge, process efficiently through the same stations, with returned items re-stowed into mobile racks that the system already manages. For fashion retailers whose order profiles swing violently between quiet periods and campaign launches, robotic flexibility absorbs volatility that would break rigidly engineered fixed systems.
Spare Parts Distribution Efficiency
Parts distribution combines enormous SKU counts, unpredictable demand and strict service-level commitments, a profile that punishes manual picking inefficiency. CarryPick brings the right rack to the operator for each order batch, cutting travel to nearly zero and keeping pick rates consistent across the sprawling variety of slow and fast movers. The system’s software optimises rack placement over time, positioning frequently ordered items to minimise robot travel as demand patterns emerge. Accuracy improves through guided, verified picking, critical when a wrong part idles a customer’s machine or vehicle. The flexible storage accommodates the odd dimensions and steady SKU growth that parts operations live with. For distributors competing on availability and ship speed, robotic goods-to-person provides the throughput and accuracy that service promises require.
Integrated Swisslog Solutions
Few operations need one technology in isolation; real facilities combine storage, transport, picking and sortation into coherent systems, and integration quality determines whether the whole performs. CarryPick benefits from Swisslog’s position as a full-line intralogistics integrator: the system combines with conveyors, pallet automation, AutoStore and sortation under the same SynQ software umbrella, engineered as one solution by one accountable partner. Operations avoid the finger-pointing that multi-vendor projects breed, with a single group responsible for overall performance. Swisslog’s decades of automation delivery and the KUKA Group’s robotics depth behind it provide assurance for board-level investment decisions. For enterprises planning phased automation roadmaps, starting with CarryPick inside a partner’s broader portfolio keeps future expansion paths open.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does CarryPick work?
Mobile robots navigate beneath mobile storage racks, lift them and transport them to workstations where operators pick or replenish with guided workflows. Completed racks return to storage while the next arrives.
What infrastructure does it need?
Very little. The racks are mobile units and the robots navigate freely, so the system deploys into existing buildings without fixed construction, can expand incrementally and can relocate if the operation moves.
What software runs the system?
Swisslog’s SynQ software orchestrates the robot fleet, order flow and workstation activity, integrating with warehouse management systems and learning demand patterns to position inventory efficiently.
Which operations suit CarryPick best?
E-commerce, fashion and apparel, spare parts distribution and multi-channel fulfilment are typical fits, particularly where SKU counts grow and order profiles vary seasonally or future footprint is uncertain.
How does it scale for peak season?
Throughput scales by adding robots to the fleet for peak periods and storage scales by adding racks, matching capacity to demand without over-building for peaks that occur only weeks per year.
Can it handle returns processing?
Yes, the same workstations and robots process returns efficiently, re-stowing items into the mobile rack system, suiting apparel and e-commerce operations with substantial return flows.
Who is behind CarryPick?
Swisslog, a global intralogistics company within the KUKA Group, develops and supports CarryPick as part of its automation portfolio, with integration expertise and group robotics heritage.
Can it combine with other automation?
Yes, CarryPick integrates within complete Swisslog solutions including conveyors, sortation, pallet handling and AutoStore systems, all coordinated under SynQ software for phased automation strategies.
