Record Expansion of Robotic Warehouse Automation Solutions Bucks Material Handling Industry Trend

Monday, January 25, 2010

Woburn, Mass. - Kiva Systems, a developer of game-changing mobile-robotic solutions that automate order fulfillment and warehouse operations, announced 2009 was a record year for the company. Kiva Systems grew business organically, significantly outperforming industry expectations in the face of a challenging economy by closing 2009 with increases in both revenue and bookings for new orders compared to 2008.

“In a year when the Material Handling Industry of America projected a 35 to 38 percent industry contraction, Kiva experienced increased demand for its fulfillment solutions and expanded,” said Mick Mountz, founder and CEO of Kiva Systems. “Kiva provides an unmatched warehouse automation system and our results speak for themselves. Companies are no longer looking to integrate disparate technologies then hope for a successful solution. In today’s environment, our customers require a complete and flexible system that reduces costs, simplifies and accelerates operational processes, and defers capital.”

Highlights of Kiva’s 2009 growth include:

The number of Kiva customers nearly doubled.

More than 60 percent of existing customers expanded their Kiva solutions adding just-in-time capacity during the year.

The number of active Kiva-powered distribution centers more than doubled in the USA.

Kiva extended its reach into three new countries including Canada, the UK and the Netherlands.

More than 7.5 million orders comprised of more than 50 million lines of product were processed by Kiva’s mobile fulfillment systems.

Kiva robots traveled more than 3 million miles so that warehouse workers could work, not walk in 2009.

Kiva’s innovative approach to order fulfillment uses hundreds of mobile robotic drive units that bring inventory directly to workers, allowing easy and efficient access to all inventory items at all times.

Elimination of operator walking and waiting enables worker productivity that is two to four times higher than with other automated systems.

What’s more, because all the system components are mobile and modular, a Kiva-equipped distribution center has unprecedented flexibility when adding new products or expanding throughput-without disrupting ongoing operations.

About Kiva Systems

Kiva Systems, Inc. offers game-changing automation solutions for distribution centers that help companies simplify operations and reduce costs while increasing strategic flexibility. Using hundreds of autonomous mobile robots and sophisticated control software, the Kiva Mobile Fulfillment System enables extremely fast cycle times with reduced labor requirements, from receiving to picking to shipping-all without conveyor. The result is a building that is quick and low-cost to set up, inexpensive to operate and easy to change. For more information on Kiva Systems and its solutions, please visit www.kivasystems.com.