IN Brief:
- Geek+ and OMLOG have deployed AMRs at a 70,000 sq ft Hong Kong facility.
- The customised Shelf-to-Person system manages more than 1,000 shelves across a multi-floor site.
- Productivity has more than doubled, with further automation planned for inbound and storage operations.
Geek+ and OMLOG have deployed a customised autonomous mobile robot system at OMLOG’s Hong Kong facility, more than doubling productivity in a dense urban warehouse serving the luxury fashion sector.
The project uses Geek+ Shelf-to-Person technology, adapted for a 70,000 sq ft multi-floor warehouse with ceiling heights of only three metres and an irregular layout. The system manages more than 1,000 shelves and integrates OMLOG’s warehouse management system with the Geek+ robot management system to coordinate task allocation, picking activity, and real-time performance data.
Hong Kong logistics often has to work within older or tightly constrained buildings rather than purpose-built high-bay distribution centres. High property costs, fragmented layouts, and limited vertical clearance can make conventional fixed automation difficult to justify. The OMLOG deployment shows how robotic systems are being shaped around the buildings operators already have, not only the facilities they might build in an ideal network.
Luxury fashion logistics brings its own operational pressures. High SKU counts, seasonal product flows, returns, product value, presentation requirements, and personalisation all add complexity inside the warehouse. OMLOG has used the automation to reduce long walking routes and repetitive manual movement while supporting services such as custom garment printing, personalised packaging, and precision e-commerce fulfilment.
The system includes projector-guided workstations and verification processes designed to reduce errors during picking and packing. In premium retail, accuracy failures can affect brand presentation, delivery reliability, return rates, and customer service workload. Warehouse execution becomes part of the customer experience, even when it remains invisible to the end buyer.
The deployment fits a wider shift in warehouse automation toward flexible robotic systems that can be retrofitted into imperfect real estate. IN Supply recently covered how KION invested in ZIKOO Robotics for AI warehouse automation, another example of the sector moving toward software-led orchestration, high-density storage, and mobile automation rather than relying only on large fixed systems.
Retail and 3PL operations are increasingly being shaped by fragmented order profiles, tighter service windows, and uneven labour availability. AMR systems allow automation to be staged rather than delivered as one major fixed installation. Robots can be added, workflows reconfigured, and storage profiles changed without rebuilding the entire site.
In urban warehouses, that flexibility can be more valuable than maximum theoretical throughput. Operators working close to city centres or regional gateways often need to increase productivity without moving site, increasing headcount, or taking on larger real estate. Robotic systems that can adapt to low ceilings, awkward columns, and multi-floor layouts are therefore gaining relevance beyond standard e-commerce fulfilment.
OMLOG and Geek+ are already planning a second phase, including a storage-level function to increase vertical capacity and extend automation further into inbound processes. Many robotics projects begin with picking before moving upstream once the data layer, workstation discipline, and operational confidence are established.
The project also reflects the changing geography of fulfilment. Dense urban markets cannot always rely on remote mega-warehouses to support premium retail requirements. Shorter delivery windows, cross-border e-commerce, bonded logistics, and high-value inventory all increase demand for automated operations inside or near major city regions.
Warehouse automation is becoming an architectural response to space scarcity as much as a labour-saving tool. Sites once considered too awkward for advanced automation are becoming viable targets for tailored robotic systems, provided the software integration is strong enough and the process design is disciplined.