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• United States
• Retail

Superior Communications uses robotic workforce to hit 3,500 picks per hour with just two pickers

Superior Communications, a top North American distributor of mobile accessories, deploys 50 Brightpick Autopicker robots to consolidate operations in its Tennessee distribution center, achieving 3500 picks per hour with just two pickers per shift.

Challenges

Superior Communications is a leading North American distributor of mobile accessories, serving major wireless carriers, OEMs, and big-box retailers. With end-to-end services from product design and manufacturing to logistics and retail support, the company has a long track record of adapting to market needs.

Superior has historically operated out of two distribution centers in Tennessee. To improve operational control, simplify workflows, and reduce operating costs, the company set out to consolidate both facilities into a single warehouse.

To achieve this, Superior needed to free up significant floor space while maintaining high throughput and service levels. Its existing conveyor-based system occupied too much space and limited the flexibility required for a consolidated operation.

As a result, the company was looking for a dense, scalable fulfillment solution that could replace the legacy conveyor infrastructure, increase storage density, and support continued growth from one centralized facility.

Solution

Superior deployed 50 Brightpick Autopicker robots in a phased rollout designed to minimize operational disruption and scale capacity over time. The first phase went live in July 2025 with 25 robots, followed by an expansion to 50 robots in early 2026.

The solution uses a fleet of Brightpick Autopicker robots to automate order picking, buffering, and dispatch. Most of Superior’s order volume is picked fully autonomously, directly in the aisles, with robots handling 73% of picks without human intervention.

To maximize efficiency across different SKU profiles, the system also combines two assisted picking workflows. Around 10% of picks are completed at a goods-to-person picking station, while the remaining 17% are processed through a Fast Lane station, where an operator picks fast-moving SKUs from pallets and places them directly onto the robots.

This hybrid automation model enabled Superior to balance full autonomy with targeted human support where it adds the most value. As a result, Superior can now achieve up to 3,500 picks and 1,000 order lines per hour with 2-3 pickers per shift (in addition to 3-4 people for decanting and 4-5 for packout).

“The installation went very smoothly. We kept the conveyor system in place as a backup, but the Brightpick system performed so well that we never had to use it. The phased rollout also gave us the confidence to consolidate operations gradually, without adding unnecessary risk.”

Chad Sheppard, VP of Operations at Superior

By replacing the legacy conveyor infrastructure with Brightpick’s dense robotic fulfillment system, Superior reduced the operational footprint required for fulfillment. The entire solution now fits within just 25,000 square feet, helping create the space needed to consolidate operations into one facility.

Superior purchased the system through Brightpick’s robots-as-a-service model, allowing the company to scale automation flexibly while minimizing upfront capital investment. This approach helped reduce deployment risk, preserve capital, and accelerate time to ROI.

Another key advantage for Superior was the flexibility of the Brightpick solution, which can easily be reconfigured, expanded, or moved as business needs change.

“The flexibility to expand, reconfigure, and move the system was a major selling point for us. If we relocate in the future, we know we can easily move the system to a new warehouse. That gives us a clear path to long-term scalability without being locked into expensive fixed infrastructure.”

Chad Sheppard, VP of Operations at Superior

Results

After implementing Brightpick, Superior is in the process of consolidating two distribution centers into one automated facility to achieve significant cost savings while creating a more efficient, scalable fulfillment operation.

The Brightpick system also improved picking accuracy, helping Superior reduce errors and streamline quality control before dispatch. With fewer manual touches and more reliable robotic picking, orders can now be processed faster and with greater consistency.

“Our main goal is always to improve the customer experience, and Brightpick has helped us do that. We can now pick faster, flex up more easily during demand peaks, improve order accuracy, and reduce our cost to serve. It gives us the scalability and efficiency we need to keep delivering for our customers.”

Chad Sheppard, VP of Operations at Superior

After installing the Brightpick system, Superior was able to:

• Achieve up to 3,500 picks per hour and 1,000 order lines per hour with 2-3 pickers per shift
• Reduce picking errors and shorten quality control before dispatch
• Reduce the operational footprint and consolidate two facilities into one
• Scale capacity on demand by easily adding more robots and shelving
• Preserve long-term flexibility with a system that can be reconfigured, expanded, or moved as business needs change

About Brightpick

Brightpick is a leader in AI-powered robotic solutions for warehouses. The company’s multi-purpose AI robots enable warehouses of any size to fully automate order picking, buffering, consolidation, dispatch, and stock replenishment. The award-winning Brightpick solution takes just weeks to deploy and allows companies to keep their warehouse labor to a minimum. With offices in the US and Europe, Brightpick has more than 250 employees and hundreds of AI robots deployed with customers.