Global Equipment Manufacturer Increases Speed, Throughput, and Accuracy

CNH Industrial is a global manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, operating a parts distribution hub in Indianapolis, Indiana, serving dealers and customers worldwide. When demand increased, the company looked for a solution to consolidate inventory, deliver scalable capacity, and create a safer, more ergonomic work environment.

CNH Industrial chose AutoStore, empowered by Bastian Solutions, to accommodate its approximately 120,000 Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) range. The system strengthened dealer support and customer satisfaction by ensuring parts are delivered quickly and reliably.

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The Challenge: Increasing Throughput, Safety, and Accuracy

CNH's Indianapolis distribution center was running out of space when demand accelerated. Operations depended on manual processes that stretched across walking mezzanines, and included cart pushing and constant forklift travel. These methods limited throughput while introducing accuracy challenges and safety risks for employees. The facility needed a solution that would:

• Increase speed
• Improve reliability
• Increase throughput
• Improve order accuracy
• Create a safer, more ergonomic work environment
• Optimize space

Matt Bennett, CNH’s Indianapolis facilities manager, explains: “We wanted to achieve faster results, higher capacity in our building. We had space constraints within this facility. So, AutoStore allowed us to condense our product into one area.”

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The Solution: Streamlined Automation

The AutoStore system uses Robots to retrieve Bins (totes) from the aluminum Grid and deliver them to operators at workstations (CarouselPorts and ConveyorPorts) for fast, ergonomic goods-to-person picking. Integration with Pick-to-Light and Illumipick technology helps operators maintain a consistent and high-speed flow of items at the workstations.

Integrating the AutoStore system with CNH’s Sort Cell system allows picked items to move into downstream processing via a conveyor network. The Exacta™ Warehouse Control System (WCS) orchestrates handoffs between AutoStore, the conveyor network, and supporting technologies, delivering throughput levels of up to 35 cartons per minute.

This streamlined operation supports CNH’s wide assortment of SKUs and significantly improves speed, consistency, and overall efficiency. Bennett describes how AutoStore has allowed CNH to overhaul their operations: “We average anywhere from 14,000 to 15,000 lines in and out of this building a day. And with 65% of that going through our 50,000 square foot (4,645 m²) AutoStore, it allowed us to change how we have viewed our warehouse strategy and how we operate day to day.”

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Key Benefits: High-Performance Efficiency

The Indianapolis facility now operates as a high-performance hub, with automation driving significant gains in productivity, accuracy, and flexibility: 

• Handles 14,000–15,000 order lines daily, with AutoStore managing 65% of the volume
• Increases productivity and flexibility by streamlining order completion into a unified processing hub
• Eliminates manual processes like walking, cart pushing, and forklift travel through goods-to-person automation
• Enhances operator safety and ergonomics through improved system design and workflows
• Delivers seamless collaboration with ongoing support and tailored solutions from Bastian Solutions
• Builds a future-ready foundation with scalable automation to support growing dealer and customer demand

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From Challenge to Permanent Advantage

What began as a necessary response to space constraints and strained manual workflows has become a permanent operational and competitive advantage at CNH's Indianapolis facility. The AutoStore system replaced manual burdens with a fast process that now handles most of the facility's orders. Facilities manager Matt Bennett confirms the day-to-day impact: “It has been a great experience. We've seen really good results out of the system.”

The transformation addresses throughput, accuracy, and operator safety, establishing a flexible foundation ready for expansion as needed.

 Specifications

• Implementation type: Brownfield
• Robots: 54 R5 Robots
• Bins (Totes): 128,000 Bins
• Workstations (Ports): 2 ConveyorPorts, 7 CarouselPorts
• Integrated technology: Pick‑to‑light and Illumipick; Sort Cell System; Hytrol Conveyor System
• Warehouse Management System (WMS): Exacta™ WMS‍
• Integration partner: Bastian Solutions