Kenco adopts AI warehouse orchestration with GreyOrange deal
Kenco and GreyOrange have established a five-year partnership to deploy a new AI-powered warehouse orchestration platform across Kenco's fulfilment centre network.
The partnership will see Kenco use GreyOrange's GreyMatter Multi-Process Orchestration Platform (MPOP), along with robotic solutions from the GreyOrange Certified Ranger Network, at multiple sites over the next five years. According to both organisations, the arrangement is designed to synchronise human employees, robots, and warehouse processes within increasingly complex distribution environments.
AI orchestration platform
GreyMatter, the AI-driven software at the heart of the partnership, is described as a platform that optimises end-to-end work flow throughout the warehouse. It covers operations from receiving and putaway, with strategies for optimal stock slotting, to real-time and proactive replenishment, dynamic case picking, pick-and-pass order fulfilment, and dock requirements.
The platform aims to enable waveless fulfilment by releasing and prioritising work continuously in real time, rather than relying on traditional static systems such as those found in standard Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).
According to a statement from the companies, by orchestrating processes in real time, GreyMatter removes the need for static shipping and receiving offices that trigger tasks in the traditional WMS. The statement noted the objective is a "true waveless environment where activity is orchestrated seamlessly from inbound to outbound."
Kenco's focus and strategy
Kenco is positioning this partnership as part of its move towards more advanced, technology-driven third-party logistics (3PL) services. With GreyMatter's implementation, Kenco plans to optimise all fulfilment processes while maintaining operational flexibility.
"This partnership accelerates our ability to deliver the most advanced, efficient, and scalable solutions to our customers," said Kristi Montgomery, VP of Innovation, Research & Development at Kenco. "With GreyOrange's GreyMatter orchestration platform, we can optimize every fulfillment process while maintaining the flexibility our customers expect from a 3PL partner."
One of the initial focus areas will be dynamic case picking. The platform is designed to allocate pick zones in real time, improving productivity and balancing workloads among warehouse staff. This approach is intended to allow employees to shift focus toward more complex tasks within the warehouse environment.
Robotic solutions and P2P movement
Another aspect of the collaboration is the deployment of robotic pallet movement for point-to-point (P2P) transport within warehouses. By automating horizontal movement of pallets with robots, lift truck operators can concentrate on vertical storage and retrieval, reducing the non-value-added travel such as empty trips, staging, or idle time by forklifts.
According to both companies, this method aims to replicate the flexibility of an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) but without the requirement for fixed infrastructure, thereby providing a scalable solution that can adapt to clients' evolving needs.
The orchestration platform will also ensure that Kenco's sites are "automation-ready", allowing the business to introduce new processes, technologies, or bots as customer requirements change. Each deployment is expected to improve Kenco's capability in supporting clients, with a focus on readiness for future fulfilment challenges.
Industry perspective
Kenco is among the first 3PL providers to roll out this type of orchestration technology across multiple sites. The company believes this will allow it to provide cost-optimised, automation-ready fulfilment solutions for its customers.
"We built GreyMatter to empower forward-thinking 3PLs like Kenco," said Akash Gupta, co-founder & CEO of GreyOrange. "Together, we're setting a new standard for how 3PLs deliver value - combining Kenco's deep operational expertise with the intelligence and flexibility of GreyMatter."
GreyOrange's solutions are designed to integrate with a variety of hardware through its Certified Ranger Network and can be adapted to different client needs. The company has a presence through partners and offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and provides AI-powered management for inventory and workforce alongside warehouse automation.
The collaboration marks a sustained initiative between Kenco and GreyOrange to implement warehouse technologies that address evolving supply chain demands, focusing on automation, real-time orchestration, and scalable logistics solutions.
