Badger Pilot to Improve Inventory Management

  • November 11, 2021
  • William Payne

Retail automation firm Badger Technologies has launched a pilot programme with Busy Beaver Building Centres, Inc., operator of 24 full-line home improvement centres in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. As part of the pilot, which is taking place at Busy Beaver’s store in Irwin, Penn., Badger Technologies multi-purpose autonomous robots will monitor on-shelf product availability and verify prices for more than 30,000 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) while freeing sales associates to spend more time with customers.

Pittsburgh-based Busy Beaver Building Centres carry extensive inventories across a multitude of departments. Traditionally, 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 Technologies autonomous robot equipped with Badger Retail InForm software can complete daily store-wide scans for out-of-stock and price-integrity issues within two hours. Moreover, Busy Beaver will be able to benefit from useful trending data to improve forecasting and prioritise replenishment.

“Technology is a key imperative in our mission to be the favourite neighbourhood home improvement centre in the communities we serve,” said Adam Gunnett, director of IT for Busy Beaver Building Centres. “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.”

“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 (BJ) Santiago, CEO of Badger Technologies. “We complete store-wide 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.”

In addition to the pilot with Badger Technologies, Busy Beaver has been deploying other technologies, including expanded e-commerce capabilities, Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) and curbside pick-up, as part of its multi-faceted customer-centric initiatives.