WesTrac AI-powered warehousing system goes live

In leading Caterpillar dealer WesTrac’s parts distribution warehouse in Tomago in the Hunter region, New South Wales, robots dart around a network of steel beams that resemble a giant Rubik’s cube.

Each robot has a colour and name assigned to it, such as Pickerella, Wall-E and even Pickachu.

The clever parts picking system, named AutoStore, officially went live in June 2023 and WesTrac is already reaping the rewards.

AutoStore uses unique robots with memory technology powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand where specific parts are stored in the warehouse, before they go and retrieve the orders within five to 10 minutes.

WesTrac Warehouse Operations Manager, Natalia Trewin, said the AutoStore system has allowed the distribution centre to operate in a safe and efficient manner by using robots to pick up orders, keeping people out of harm’s way.

“WesTrac’s warehouse operates 24/7 to provide our customers with efficient service, and with the tight labour market, we needed a practical solution to fulfill our customers’ orders as quickly as possible,” she said.

“We decided to implement the AutoStore system, which is set up similar to a Rubik’s cube, with very densely packed plastic tubs sitting on top of each other in a large cube that robots dip down into to pull out needed parts.

“The system uses 24 robots, which are all uniquely identified with colours and names that are capable of picking 500 product lines per hour.

“Not only does our warehouse operate more efficiently, but the design of AutoStore enabled WesTrac to gain an additional 1000 square metres of space.”

Trewin said over time, the AI-powered system will adjust locations of the parts in the warehouse based on live usage data, so the most required parts are at optimal positions.

“Since these robots joined the WesTrac team, we have started looking at potential future growth thanks to their quick turnaround time, which includes increasing customer orders and boosting the scale of our operations.

“We are entering a new and exciting era as AI becomes more advanced, and for WesTrac, using AI to provide better support for our customers was a no-brainer.”