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Apparel company Cutter & Buck opened an automated distribution center in Grand Prairie, Texas, last week as the brand looks to expand its North American fulfillment network, according to a press release.
The site is Cutter & Buck’s second warehouse using a goods-to-person system from technology vendor AutoStore, per the press release. The Grand Prairie facility aims to process 1,256 bins per hour, with an AutoStore simulation exceeding that goal by averaging 1,284 bins per hour.
The system includes 50,502 storage bins and 32 AutoStore R5 Pro robots, alongside 13 ports, per the release. Cutter & Buck can also expand its roster of robots and ports as demand trends shift.
Automation and material handling system company Kardex integrated the system into the Cutter & Buck facility using its warehouse software to coordinate the AutoStore operations.
Beyond the AutoStore grid — an aluminum structure that stores bins vertically — Kardex also developed a conveyor system that connects AutoStore output with downstream fulfillment processes, per the release. This includes embroidery, routing, print and apply, and shipping. The goal is to streamline Cutter & Buck’s mix of blank and decorated apparel orders, as well as overall distribution operation requirements.
The site, which was designed to have the capacity for up to 10 million units of apparel, footwear and accessories, as well as rapid embroidery services, according to a press release published by the City of Grand Prairie in April. Per the release, Texas is currently Cutter & Buck’s top sales market.
This is not Cutter & Buck’s first deployment of an AutoStore system. However, instead of replicating the AutoStore system from its Renton, Washington, site, the apparel company used operational findings to shape the new Texas facility.
“Our experience in Renton gave us a clear understanding of what automation can make possible for our operation and our customers,” Cutter & Buck CEO Joel Freet said. “With Kardex, we’ve been able to take what we’ve learned and apply it to a new facility designed around where our business is going next.”
Cutter & Buck’s first AutoStore system initially went live in Renton in 2023, featuring more than 34,000 storage bins and 54 robots. The system was intended to maximize available storage capacity within Cutter & Buck’s existing distribution center, as well as boost efficiency, accuracy and order throughput. The system also aimed to reduce the need for seasonal labor.
Cutter & Buck eventually scaled the system to meet demand growth and accommodate additional SKUs, per the October release. The Renton AutoStore system also was expanded to include 9,962 additional storage bins, alongside more ports and infrastructure.
“We had years of experience operating AutoStore in Renton, WA, and a much better understanding of how the system supports our people, our processes, and our customers,” Scott Sumpter, executive director of distribution, enhancement and logistics at Cutter & Buck, said in a statement. “That experience allowed us to work with Kardex to take what we had learned, build on what worked, and design the Texas facility around what we’ll need as the business continues to grow.”