Badger Launches Robot Pilot Program With Busy Beaver Building Centers
October 26, 2021
Badger Technologies, a division of Jabil focusing on retail automation, has launched a pilot program with Busy Beaver Building Centers, which operates 24 full-line home improvement centers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. As part of the pilot in Irwin, Penn., Badger’s multipurpose autonomous robots will monitor on-shelf product availability and verify prices for more than 30,000 SKUs while freeing highly knowledgeable sales associates to spend more time with customers.
“Technology is a key imperative in our mission to be the favorite neighborhood home improvement center in the communities we serve,” said Adam Gunnett, director of IT for Busy Beaver Building Centers. “We relentlessly look for innovative ways to increase efficiencies and empower our associates to provide legendary customer service, which is why the pilot with Badger Technologies is so exciting. We expect to demonstrate how Busy Beaver can keep our shelves fully stocked with the right mix of products – at the right prices – without overburdening our dedicated team members.”
Founded in 1962, Pittsburgh-based Busy Beaver Building Centers carry extensive inventories across a multitude of departments. Traditional manual inventory shelf scans were time consuming, requiring up to 80 hours weekly for staff to finish one complete scan of an entire store. In contrast, a Badger autonomous robot equipped with its Retail InForm software can complete daily storewide scans for out-of-stock and price-integrity issues within two hours, Badger said. In addition, Busy Beaver can benefit from useful trending data to improve its forecasting and prioritize replenishment.
“Badger Technologies’ retail automation solutions close important data gaps that prevent retailers from getting an accurate picture of shelf conditions, buying trends and customer preferences,” said William Santiago, CEO of Badger Technologies. “We complete storewide scans in hours, not days, and offer instant access to intelligent data to elevate shopping experiences and store profitability. We’re confident the pilot with Busy Beaver will prove our value proposition while demonstrating how innovative retail automation can complement their legendary customer service.”
Busy Beaver said it has also been deploying other technologies, such as expanded e-commerce capabilities, electronic shelf labels and curbside pickup as part of its multifaceted, customer-centric initiatives.
For more details on Badger Technologies, visit its website here.
