Fragrance Company Optimizes Space and Picking Speed by 50%

Scentsy is a family-owned, award-winning international fragrance company that faced operational constraints in their 14,864 m² (160,000 ft²) facility in Meridian, Idaho. The company is growing, but this success began to put strain on their manual warehouse operations. The existing system limited productivity to 300 units per hour, a problem for seasonal demand spikes, and it was running out of space. Scentsy couldn’t keep enough stock in the available storage to make sure it kept up with customer demands. Scentsy implemented an AutoStore robotic storage and retrieval system, empowered by Dematic, which solved their space constraints and led to an immediate productivity spike.

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The Challenge: More Space and Storage Needed for Growing Inventory

Scentsy continuously adds new Stock Keeping Units and also keeps discontinued items. This delights customers but expands inventory and squeezes storage space. This meant the company needed to make better use of the wide aisles that accommodated manual pick lines. Scaling labor during high-volume periods was a challenge too, as was maintaining consistent accuracy and throughput during these times. Scentsy’s needs were clear: A system that uses the existing warehouse footprint, adapts to demand-level changes, guarantees high levels of accuracy, and scales as the business grows. AutoStore was the answer.

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The Solution: High-Density Robotic Storage System

Scentsy’s solution centered on a custom AutoStore system. An aluminum storage Grid was installed, which used the vertical warehouse space far more efficiently. Within this Grid, there are 20,800 tightly-stacked Bin (totes) that hold Scentsy’s entire inventory, removing the need for walking aisles and recovering around 50% of the floor space. A fleet of 100 R5 Robots glide across the Grid, directed by intelligent fulfillment software to retrieve and transport specific Bins. The Robots deliver Bins directly to employees at 16 ergonomic CarouselPorts in a precise “goods-to-person” process. Two ConveyorPorts handle bulk transfers. It’s an easy-to-use system that requires very little training: At each Port, a digital screen (WES) guides the pick for better accuracy. After completion, the Robot returns the Bin, and the CarouselPort presents the next task, creating a continuous, batched workflow. As Shipping Manager, Kaya Refaey explains: “The system itself is very easy to pick up …The software itself is calculating, I say doing its magic, by putting those item orders together.”

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Key Benefits: Faster Operations and More Available Space

Higher productivity: With the integration of the AutoSore system, picking productivity increased by nearly 50%, reaching 450 units per hour, versus 300 for the manual system. Order cycle times are faster and daily capacity greater.

Optimized space: The space-saving advantage is considerable, with the company recouping nearly half of their square footage by consolidating inventory and freeing up room for other operations.

Increased accuracy: Order accuracy is dramatically improved, and the goods-to-person process reduces travel and search errors. The system’s consistency protects service levels during peak seasons and new product launches.

More sustainable: The solution also advanced Scentsy’s sustainability goals by getting rid of all paper pick tickets and, due to its efficient design, reducing overall energy consumption compared to manual operations.

Scentsy is Ready to Scale

With its modular, scalable design, AutoStore gives Scentsy the flexibility to grow alongside demand, adding capacity exactly when needed, while maintaining service levels during peak seasons. The result is a future-ready operation that supports Scentsy’s continued growth without increasing risk or complexity.

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Project Specifications

• Implementation type: Brownfield
• Robots: 100 R5 Robots
• Workstations (Ports): 16 CarouselPorts, 2 ConveyorPorts
• Bins: 20,800 Bins
• Integrated technology: Dematic Warehouse Execution System (WES); Pick-to-Cart System
• Integration partner: Dematic