Panasonic Logistics, Hai Robotics Upgrade Smart Warehousing

Panasonic Logistics and Hai Robotics have deployed an intelligent warehousing system at Panasonic’s kitchen appliance manufacturing facility in Jiaxing, China. The project introduces automated storage, robotic retrieval and digital inventory management to support high-volume appliance and component production.

The Jiaxing facility manufactures approximately three million smart kitchen appliances and four million component sets annually. The large number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) and varying component dimensions created operational limitations under conventional warehouse processes, including slower inbound handling, manual inventory searches and reduced inventory accuracy.

Dual-Warehouse Smart Storage Architecture
The project involved the deployment of Hai Robotics’ automated warehouse system across raw material warehouses located on the second and third floors of the facility. Panasonic Logistics led warehouse planning and system integration, while Hai Robotics supplied the automation platform and robotic handling technology.

The upgraded system converts the warehouse from a static storage environment into an integrated logistics hub linked directly with manufacturing operations. The design supports industrial automation and flexible manufacturing requirements by synchronizing inventory movement with production demand.




Automated Inbound and High-Density Storage
Following material arrival, the system automatically performs information capture, container binding, storage allocation and rack placement without manual intervention. According to the companies, inbound processing efficiency doubled compared with conventional manual operations, while storage accuracy exceeded 99.99%.

The warehouse uses high-density vertical storage racks designed to accommodate a large variety of kitchen appliance components with different sizes and packaging formats. The installation includes 10,654 storage locations and increases vertical space utilization by 40%.

Under the same building footprint, warehouse capacity doubled compared with traditional flat storage layouts. The system supports material storage requirements associated with annual production output valued at more than RMB 1.5 billion while reducing land utilization and facility expansion requirements.




Production Integration and JIT Material Supply
The warehouse system is integrated with the factory’s intelligent manufacturing platform to support dynamic production scheduling and inventory optimization. Real-time data on inventory status, equipment conditions and material movement is synchronized with manufacturing operations.

When production lines generate replenishment requests, autonomous robots retrieve material containers using optimized routing paths and deliver them to collaborative picking stations. Operators complete picking operations using digital workstation instructions.

The system achieves picking accuracy above 99% and supports centralized replenishment capacity of up to 382 containers per hour across both warehouse areas. The configuration is designed to support just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing by reducing production interruptions caused by material shortages.

Workforce and Operational Changes
The automation project also changed warehouse labor requirements. Staff previously assigned to manual transport and physical inventory tasks transitioned toward system monitoring, exception management and equipment maintenance functions supported by digital management tools.

The cooperation demonstrates how smart warehousing systems can function as integrated digital infrastructure connecting supply chain management, manufacturing operations and inventory control within high-volume industrial production environments.

Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.

www.hairobotics.com