Latest news with #S&SActivewear
Forbes
13-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
S&S Activewear Is On The Cutting Edge Of Warehouse Automation
S&S Activewear, a leading North American distributor of imprintable apparel and accessories, implemented a solution from Geek+ called PopPick. Warehouse robotics is going through an ongoing revolution. PopPick represents a new wave of flexible warehouse automation. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, IL, S&S had revenues of $4.1 billion in 2023 following the acquisition of alphabroder, another leader in the branded merchandise industry. S&S ships more than 100 brands. Their 17 distribution centers, scattered across the US, have more than 4 million square feet of warehouse space, allowing them to offer next-day shipping to 41 states. If an order hits their warehouse by 5 pm, they will ship it out that day. The freight is free on orders over $200. The company fulfills 6 million orders annually and claims to offer the deepest inventory in its industry, combined with the lowest error rates. Their investments in automation have been key to this. A small order, for example, might consist of delivering 20 jerseys of the same color and basic design, but different sizes, that will be sent to a customer in the imprinting industry. The imprinter will print and decorate the apparel - t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, socks, etc. - and then ship to the end user. Some imprinters can have very large orders that support concerts, marathons, trade shows, and other events. So, while in some ways the S&S supply chain resembles an e-commerce supply chain in terms of speed of delivery, an e-commerce order is smaller, typically involving picking onesies and twosies. Traditional warehouse automation was bolted down. There might be miles of conveyors with sortation, A-frames, carousels, or shuttle systems. John Santagate, the senior vice president of global robotics at Infios, points out that when warehouses with this bolted-down automation were designed to support multiyear growth, initially, the automation had greater throughput than was needed. Then, there was a period, often a relatively short period, when the throughput was a good match for shipments, and then, eventually, the throughput was insufficient. Adding more throughput is unwieldy and impractical. So, for most of the asset's life, it is underutilized. Infios, where Mr. Santagate is employed, is one of the largest warehouse automation system integrators. Warehouse robotics was revolutionary because it allows for greater throughput and flexible automation. Goods-to-person robots are used to move small racks containing inventory shelves to a picking station. A typical rack was small. It might be a short rack with four shelves on one side and four on the other. This is the primary type of robotics used in Amazon warehouses. For each picking, this eliminates the redundant walking of the order selection workers. Compared to manual picking, the throughput is improved by a factor of 2 to 3 times. But this form of automation is also easy to install. It is nondisruptive to existing operations to add new robots and shelving as the throughput needs increase. S&S implemented the PopPick solution from Geek+ Automation. This represents a new wave of automation. These X, Y, Z-axis robots transport much taller racks - up to 12 columns of totes - that contain full cases of a stock keeping unit. An arm with suction can grip a case or tote, pull it out, and ergonomically present it to a worker at an order selection station. Larger orders are easier to assemble, and warehouse storage density is many times larger than with the first-generation goods-to-person bots. S&S has the largest implementation of the PopPick solution in the world. 100 to 200,000 square feet of racking have been replaced at five distribution centers – Lockport, IL, Reading, PA, McDonough, GA, Reno, and Dallas – with mobile robots and racks. At the 750,000 square foot Lockport DC, for example, 200,000 square feet are now devoted to 350 PopPick mobile bots, 3000 automated racks, and 120,000 customized blue totes. The company was looking for automation. It is increasingly difficult to find workers willing to work in a warehouse. But what type of automation should they select? Brian Tanquary, the vice president of information technology at S&S, said that one of 'the key decision factors that was used in selecting an automation solution was obviously the cost to implement, but it was also about how could that system fit within our current distribution footprint, and could that solution be adapted to work with our custom ERP platform.' This solution is an excellent fit for apparel. An order to support a sports team might include two extra smalls, three smalls, 15 mediums, etc. These different SKUs are in different totes. Only a few SKUs would be brought over by a robot carrying a small rack. But PopPick allows for big racks – racks with up to 40 totes - to be brought to the picker. All the SKUs to complete the order are conveyed by one mobile robot. The racks are reslotted every night to include SKUs likely to ship together. The same style and color of goods are placed on one rack. That leads to a more efficient delivery of racks to associates the next day. Adam Kranich, an assistant operations manager at S&S, said that flexibility and productivity were both critical. One of 'the unique benefits of having PopPick is the ability to reslot and change your rack configurations on the fly, but it also offers an increased throughput that you won't get with standard goods-to-person. Our entire process has changed. Our associates went from spending 50 to 60% of their day driving around to the pick location instead of actually performing the job.' Now robots do that. The workers have the work all lined up for them. They pick orders right into outbound boxes, and thus the downstream packing process has been streamlined. Cole Lohman, the director of automation, stated that 'in the past, we would see pickers work at 40 lines per hour, and we can get triple that. Now, under good conditions, we can see pickers that pick up to 200 lines per hour.' Picking accuracy has also been improved because of the way the system was implemented. Mr. Tanquay explained that we 'weigh and measure the totes as they're being inducted into the system. This is a key checkpoint for us to ensure that we have the proper quantity and type of product in each tote. That helps us ensure that we get the correct product to the customer.' The way product is inducted into the system is unique. Induction is putting goods into empty totes that will subsequently be picked. The process has been streamlined. Empty totes are extracted from the top of the rack while full totes are fed into the lower levels of the rack almost simultaneously. A multistep process has been simplified. There have also been improvements in the speed with which new employees can be trained. Mr. Kranich said training 'went from upwards of 90 days to six months, down to about a week to two weeks.' The company believes that the simplified picking process, the fact that the workers don't have to walk as much, and improved ergonomics has also led to improved worker retention.
National Post
12-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
S&S Activewear Strengthens Canadian Presence with Deeper Product Availability, Faster Delivery of Key Styles
Article content VANCOUVER, British Columbia — S&S Activewear, a leading technology-enabled distributor of apparel and accessories in North America, today announced the expansion of its product availability across Canada, with a particular focus on strengthening inventory depth at its Vancouver distribution center. The initiative ensures cross-country Canadian customers maintain consistent access to their preferred styles and brands with faster delivery times and reduced freight costs. Article content 'Our customers depend on us for consistent product availability and this enhanced inventory strategy in Vancouver demonstrates our commitment to meeting that expectation,' said Craig Ryan, VP of commercial Canada at S&S Activewear. 'We're providing the reliability and faster shipping that decorators and promotional product distributors need to serve their own customers effectively.' Article content S&S Activewear's Vancouver facility serves as a critical distribution hub for western Canada, complementing the company's Toronto operations to provide comprehensive coverage across the Canadian market. The facility will now stock popular owned brands and various private label collections favored by promotional product decorators and screen printers—including Team 365, CORE365, Harriton, Devon & Jones and North End—with delivery times dropping dramatically to western Canadian customers. Article content The announcement comes as part of S&S Activewear's broader commitment to adding more brands and inventory to its western distribution centers in 2025. The company's proactive inventory management approach includes strategic transfers between distribution centers and careful demand forecasting to minimize disruptions, reduce delivery times and decrease freight costs. Article content 'When our customers need it, we have it locally. That's the S&S advantage in action,' Ryan added. Article content Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, S&S Activewear is a leading technology-enabled distributor of apparel and accessories in the United States and Canada. S&S offers more than 100 brands, including basic garments to fashion-forward styles, with over 6 million square feet of warehouse space across North America. S&S services a broad range of customers through its nationwide network, including retail brands, e-commerce companies, garment decorators, promotional products distributors, entertainment merchandisers, lifestyle brands and web-based platforms for apparel customization. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact Article content Article content Hope Sander Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
S&S Activewear Strengthens Canadian Presence with Deeper Product Availability, Faster Delivery of Key Styles
VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- S&S Activewear, a leading technology-enabled distributor of apparel and accessories in North America, today announced the expansion of its product availability across Canada, with a particular focus on strengthening inventory depth at its Vancouver distribution center. The initiative ensures cross-country Canadian customers maintain consistent access to their preferred styles and brands with faster delivery times and reduced freight costs. "Our customers depend on us for consistent product availability and this enhanced inventory strategy in Vancouver demonstrates our commitment to meeting that expectation," said Craig Ryan, VP of commercial Canada at S&S Activewear. "We're providing the reliability and faster shipping that decorators and promotional product distributors need to serve their own customers effectively." S&S Activewear's Vancouver facility serves as a critical distribution hub for western Canada, complementing the company's Toronto operations to provide comprehensive coverage across the Canadian market. The facility will now stock popular owned brands and various private label collections favored by promotional product decorators and screen printers—including Team 365, CORE365, Harriton, Devon & Jones and North End—with delivery times dropping dramatically to western Canadian customers. The announcement comes as part of S&S Activewear's broader commitment to adding more brands and inventory to its western distribution centers in 2025. The company's proactive inventory management approach includes strategic transfers between distribution centers and careful demand forecasting to minimize disruptions, reduce delivery times and decrease freight costs. "When our customers need it, we have it locally. That's the S&S advantage in action," Ryan added. For more information on S&S Activewear, visit About S&S Activewear Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, S&S Activewear is a leading technology-enabled distributor of apparel and accessories in the United States and Canada. S&S offers more than 100 brands, including basic garments to fashion-forward styles, with over 6 million square feet of warehouse space across North America. S&S services a broad range of customers through its nationwide network, including retail brands, e-commerce companies, garment decorators, promotional products distributors, entertainment merchandisers, lifestyle brands and web-based platforms for apparel customization.
Fibre2Fashion
11-06-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
US brand Hanes partners with S&S activewear for printwear channel
S&S Activewear and HanesBrands Inc. are proud to announce a landmark agreement that makes S&S the exclusive distributor of the Hanes brand in the North American printwear channel. This milestone builds on a decades-long partnership and sets the stage for a bold new era of growth, innovation and customer focus. At the heart of the Hanes legacy is the iconic Beefy-T, a style that helped define the printwear category and continues to be a customer favorite for its comfort, durability and printability. Hanes is the top-selling apparel brand in the U.S. and brings over 110 years of heritage in quality and innovation to the market. S&S Activewear will become the exclusive distributor of Hanes in the North American printwear channel by end-2025, marking a major expansion of their long-term partnership. The deal ensures deeper inventories, faster deliveries, and exclusive access to Hanes products through S&S. It follows S&S's integration with alphabroder, reinforcing its position as a leading distributor. With this exclusive partnership, S&S will not only carry the full range of Hanes styles but will also offer deeper inventory positions and enhanced availability across its national distribution network—ensuring decorators and promotional partners get what they need, when they need it. 'This is more than an agreement—it's an evolution of one of the industry's most enduring relationships,' said Mike Faircloth, HanesBrands President Global Operations . 'Hanes has been a foundational brand in printwear for decades. With S&S as our exclusive distributor, we're doubling down on that legacy while positioning ourselves to lead in the next chapter of the market.' The partnership comes on the heels of S&S's successful integration with alphabroder—creating a unified platform that offers customers expanded product access, faster delivery and unmatched service. With over 6 million square feet of warehouse space, advanced automation technologies, and a portfolio of more than 100 top industry and exclusive brands, S&S has established itself as the leading technology-enabled, customer-focused distributor in the channel. 'We're incredibly proud to deepen our relationship with Hanes, a brand that represents both heritage and reliability,' said Frank Myers, CEO of S&S Activewear . 'As a unified company, we're in a better position than ever to bring more of Hanes's trusted styles to more customers, more efficiently while continuing to raise the bar on service.' Through this strategic alignment, customers can expect: A focused and expanded Hanes assortment, available exclusively from S&S Deeper inventories across S&S's nationwide network of distribution centers Faster shipping and delivery windows for Hanes styles Seamless ordering through the unified S&S website and service model Customers may continue to purchase Hanes products from other distributors through the transition period. This partnership will be fully operational by December 31, 2025. This agreement reflects a shared belief that the future of the printwear industry will be shaped by deeper, more strategic partnerships between manufacturers and distributors—focused on long-term brand building, supply chain alignment and delivering unmatched value to customers. 'As we continue to grow, our focus remains on supporting the industry's most trusted brands,' added Myers . 'We believe strong partnerships with manufacturers like Hanes are what drive value and progress for the industry and our customers.' Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Fashion Network
10-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Hanes names S&S Activewear exclusive distributor for printwear channel
HanesBrands Inc. has named S&S Activewear as the exclusive distributor of the Hanes brand in the North American printwear channel. As part of the agreement, S&S will carry the full line of Hanes products. S&S will also offer deeper inventory positions and enhanced availability across its national distribution network. Customers will continue to be able to purchase Hanes products from other distributors during the transition, with the exclusive partnership fully in effect by December 31. 'This is more than an agreement—it's an evolution of one of the industry's most enduring relationships,' said Mike Faircloth, HanesBrands president global operations. 'Hanes has been a foundational brand in printwear for decades. With S&S as our exclusive distributor, we're doubling down on that legacy while positioning ourselves to lead in the next chapter of the market.' The announcement follows S&S's recent integration with Alphabroder, creating a unified platform with over 6 million-square-feet of warehouse space, advanced automation technologies, and a portfolio of more than 100 leading and exclusive brands. 'We're incredibly proud to deepen our relationship with Hanes, a brand that represents both heritage and reliability,' said Frank Myers, CEO of S&S Activewear. 'As a unified company, we're in a better position than ever to bring more of Hanes's trusted styles to more customers, more efficiently while continuing to raise the bar on service.'
