Locus Robotics and customer Kimball Midwest have won the Best Use of Robotics category at the 2026 Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA. The award was presented at Union Station in Dallas, recognising the companies’ warehouse automation programme and its measurable impact on productivity, capacity and operational flexibility.
Kimball Midwest implemented Locus Robotics autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to expand warehouse capacity while maintaining its commitment to shipping 99.9% of orders received by 4 p.m. on the same day. Following the initial deployment at its Columbus facility in January 2024, Kimball Midwest expanded the programme from one site to three facilities within 14 months without major changes to its existing shelving or pallet-rack infrastructure.
The automation programme now supports distribution operations across Kimball Midwest facilities in Ohio, Texas and Nevada. A fleet of more than 100 Locus AMRs supports picking and putaway activities across the three sites. Collectively, the facilities have completed more than 13.2 million robotic-assisted lines picked and approximately one million lines put away.
Picking productivity increased by approximately 45%, rising from around 110 lines per hour to more than 160 lines per hour. Putaway productivity more than doubled, increasing from approximately 30 lines per hour to between 91 and 96 lines per hour. Kimball Midwest achieved return on investment in less than one year, while onboarding time was reduced from approximately two weeks to minutes or hours. The programme also reduced reliance on temporary labour and effectively eliminated overtime, helping the company support sustained double-digit growth and its path towards $1 billion in annual revenue.
“Kimball Midwest had a clear objective: increase capacity without compromising the service its customers depend on,” said Rick Faulk, CEO, Locus Robotics. “The results show what warehouse automation can deliver when technology, operations, and business strategy work together.”
Steve Good, Director of Operations at Kimball Midwest, said the use of one robotics platform for both picking and putaway enabled managers to adjust labour allocation according to changing priorities throughout the day. Associates can move between picking, putaway and replenishment based on demand, allowing capacity to shift from replenishment during the morning to order fulfilment as shipping cutoffs approach.
The 2026 recognition marks Locus Robotics’ second consecutive win in the Best Use of Robotics category. The company received the 2025 award alongside customer Dental City, whose warehouse automation programme increased picking productivity by 300%.
The Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA recognise achievements in logistics, warehousing, technology and supply chain management. Entries are evaluated by an independent panel of industry leaders based on business benefits, competitive advantage, application depth, collaboration and measurable results.
Kimball Midwest is a family-owned national distributor of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and has served customers with products and services since 1923. Locus Robotics provides warehouse automation through its LocusONE platform, combining real-time orchestration, robotics and AI-driven execution. The company serves more than 150 customers and over 1,000 brands across more than 360 sites worldwide through its Robots-as-a-Service model.
