MR D.I.Y. drives growth with its robotic e-Commerce warehouse

• Invests US$1.22 mil to design and build e-commerce system
• Process online orders at triple previous rate, customers benefit

Home improvement retailer MR D.I.Y. Group (M) Bhd yesterday launched a robotic e-commerce warehouse in Seri Kembangan, Selangor. The 65,000 sq ft warehouse is equipped with programmable robots that are able to fulfil online purchases faster compared to a manual system, resulting in a 200% increase in operational efficiency. MR D.I.Y. which has 690 stores across the country, has invested up to US$1.22 million (RM5 million) to design and build the robotic ecommerce warehouse system.

Speaking to members of the media who visited the warehouse yesterday, MR D.I.Y.’s group vice president of marketing, Andy Chin noted, “Online shopping has been gaining traction in recent years. In anticipation of this trend and the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) technologies, MR D.I.Y. had already started the design and build of this warehouse in 2019. With the advent of the pandemic and the resulting Movement Control Orders, online shopping grew in quantum leaps and has become a behaviour that is here to stay.”

He added that while the building of the warehouse was operational in nature, it was customers who would enjoy the ultimate benefit. “This warehouse enables us to process online orders at triple the previous rate, meaning customers can look forward to receiving their orders faster.”

Its automated selection functions reduce the possibility of human error, and its innovative design enables the warehouse to stock a wider variety of products, giving customers a choice of more than 20,000 products online, across 5 major categories, namely hardware; household and furnishing; electrical; stationery and sports equipment products; and others (comprising amongst others toys, car accessories, jewellery, cosmetics, and food, and beverage items).

“The higher level of automated tasks has also reduced the need for physical labour for repetitive processes and given us the opportunity to upskill our warehouse employees in robotics and automation, leading to opportunities in supervisory and management roles. All in, it is about driving growth, delivering value and growing talent,” Chin concluded.

Its e-commerce platform is at www.mrdiy.com.my