The Logistics of Logistics Rethinking Fulfillment with Guy Courtin
Guy Courtin and Joe Lynch discuss rethinking fulfillment in an era of explosive growth in ecommerce and fulfillment services. Guy and the team at 6 River Systems are making fulfillment faster and easier with a combination of collaborative robots, artificial intelligence, and operational expertise.
About Guy CourtinGuy Courtin is the Head of 6 River Global Alliance and Partnership program. He brings over 20 years of experience in the supply chain industry. He has held senior leadership roles at Infor, Progress Software, and i2 Technologies. In addition, he has been an industry analyst covering the supply chain and retail spaces for SCM World and Constellation Research. Guy holds an MBA from the Olin School at Babson College, a Master's degree from Loyola University in Chicago, and a Bachelor's degree from The College of the Holy Cross.
About 6 River Systems, a Shopify CompanyFounded in Waltham, Mass. in 2015, 6 River Systems is a leading collaborative mobile robotics fulfillment solution provider and part of global commerce company Shopify Inc. Founders Jerome Dubois and Rylan Hamilton were previously executives at Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics). The 6 River Systems solution is operating in more than 20 facilities in the U.S., Canada and Europe, fulfilling millions of units each week for companies including Lockheed Martin, CSAT Solutions, ACT Fulfillment, DHL, XPO Logistics, and Office Depot. To learn about 6 River Systems and its wall-to-wall fulfillment solution, please visit www.6river.com.
Key Takeaways: Rethinking Fulfillment- The ecommerce and fulfillment industries have experienced rapid growth during the pandemic. With all the recent changes, many people, including Guy are taking a closer look at some aspects of the industry. In the podcast, Guy and Joe discussed the five following topics:
- Customer expectations. People expect more from retailers and ecommerce sellers than ever before. Some expectations can be maintained by the industry while others are untenable because of the cost. In the cases, the high cost of fast, free delivery is absorbed by the seller, but that will not be the case in the long term.
- Fulfillment flexibility. Consumers want lots of options when they buy including but not limited to buy online, pickup at curb (BOPAC), buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS), home delivery, and traditional retail.
- Fulfillment as a differentiator. Consumers make buying decisions based on fulfillment. Traditionally consumers bought products based on brand, price, availability, quality, reputation, etc., and now some people are buying based on the convenience of the fulfillment (example: same-day delivery).
- Sustainability. Consumers are increasingly interested in sustainability and they want to buy from companies that share their values. Ecommerce and fulfillment companies need to examine their supply chains from beginning to end and find ways to lessen their environmental impact.
- Labor. Working at a fulfillment company is strenuous and sometimes dangerous work. Leadership within fulfillment companies will need to find ways to make fulfillment work less physically taxing on employees. Fulfillment companies must compete for employees with gig economy jobs that are often easier and very flexible. Companies like 6 River Systems provide automation and technology solutions that can make fulfillment jobs easier and more attractive - while increasing throughput and efficiency.
Sustainable Frozen Ecommerce Fulfillment
Twitter: @6riversystems
The Logistics of Logistics Podcast