How Goods-to-Person and Case Handling Systems Are Revolutionizing DIY and Home Improvement Logistics

The DIY and home improvement industries continue to enjoy the boom that began during the pandemic. Sheltering in place with plenty of time, many consumers used that time to embark on long-ignored projects to beautify their spaces, make them more comfortable, or turn them into home offices. And the growth continues. In 2025, Americans are expected to keep pursuing this hobby, spending $537.2 billion in this sector. Keeping up with this demand will be challenging, which is where material handling solutions come in.

With this increased spending and consumers eager to get their items quickly, there’s increasing pressure on logistics networks to deliver products faster, more accurately, and at higher volumes. A top-of-the-line goods-to-person system is a vital solution for the smart storage of goods and maximizing efficiency in picking and fulfillment.

Upgrading your warehouse technology can help you meet your customers' needs faster and more accurately, decreasing costs and making room for even more business.

The Rise of Automation in Consumer Goods Logistics

Nowadays, shoppers are accustomed to little-to-no processing periods, speedy shipping times, and short delivery windows. And if they don’t find them at one retailer, they’ll go elsewhere. Meeting these expectations in the home improvement and DIY space can be incredibly challenging, which has driven increased investment in warehouse automation. Like the home improvement industry, the global warehouse automation market is growing exponentially. Experts predict a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of nearly 16 percent between 2024 and 2033.

TGW Logistics is at the forefront of warehouse upgrades that will completely change the way you do business and get items to your buyers. Our scalable and smart automation solutions are customized for home improvement and DIY retailers, targeting the unique consumer goods logistics issues your business faces daily.

[Translate to North America:] Shuttle systems are a key component used in goods-to-person systems.

The Role of Goods-to-Person in Optimizing Warehouse Automation

Goods-to-person systems are warehouse automation solutions that expedite order-picking and maximize storage capacity. Shuttle systems are a key technology component used within many GTP systems to facilitate the process of bringing items to the picker.

Goods are stored and retrieved by automated load carriers that can move between storage levels and re-rack when not in an optimal position. It is an integral part of a multi-faceted warehouse solution, communicating with software and other material handling equipment to fulfill orders and keep track of inventory as efficiently as possible.

The automated picking enabled by these goods-to-person systems ensures faster throughput of goods and decreases the need for human intervention, freeing up workers for higher-level tasks. Plus, their modular design means they’re easily scalable and can be modified to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

These systems have been particularly impactful in the home improvement and DIY industry. Large retailers and ecommerce brands are under pressure to get their products into the hands and homes of their consumers at competitive speeds and rely on these processing solutions to increase efficiency and, ultimately, sales. Don’t get left behind as competitors take advantage of new technologies. Your customers will know the difference.

Key Advantages for the DIY and Home Improvement Sector

Home improvement and DIY goods come in all shapes and sizes, from small screws to paint cans to pre-assembled furniture pieces. Our goods-to-person systems can be customized to easily accommodate a wider range of products and a variety of load carriers, including cartons, totes, and trays, ensuring quicker case and split case picking for ecommerce and store replenishment.

As part of GTP systems, shuttle systems are paired with other automated storage and retrieval systems technology, such as miniloads, pallet shuttles, or pallet cranes and mobile robotics. TGW Logistics can handle almost every SKU for a DIY retailer. Our team will help you find the right mix of technologies to support your range of SKUs to maximize your ROI.

In an omnichannel warehouse, smooth and speedy throughput of goods and razor-sharp inventory maintenance are essential to keeping up with demand across sales platforms. With these innovations, you can increase order fulfillment accuracy while slashing time and worker effort. Labor turnover and injuries from handling goods can lead to further turnover and time lost.

Because TGW’s goods-to-person and case handling systems are designed to be order-profile agnostic, they support seamless fulfillment across retail replenishment, wholesale, and ecommerce from a single setup.

With automation handling much of the “heavy lifting,” DIY retailers have experienced improved labor recruiting and retention. Additionally, your business can manage store replenishment and ecommerce from one facility with more flexibility to go from order to shipment in as little as 10 minutes. Automation can also help your facility to achieve same-day shipping for store replenishment to ensure your shelves remain full.

TGW Logistics’ Stingray shuttle system leads the industry in speed, handling up to 1,500 load carriers in each aisle and reducing manual intervention by 90 percent. Its redundant design and resilience to extreme temperatures ensure you stay up and running at crucial times. The performance achieved per cubic foot with our shuttle system is unmatched in the market, offering industry-leading throughput and density.

And it keeps itself in good repair for your peace of mind. Constant condition monitoring and predictive maintenance guarantee that any technical or mechanical issues are caught and addressed quickly — even before they become issues.

Another benefit of Stingray is that it can handle multiple tote or carton sizes at once. Take our “3 Deep” shuttle, which holds three totes on each side or two larger totes. This customization accommodates a wider range of SKUs to be automated while being flexible to change and maximizing storage density.

And if your operation prioritizes scalability from low to medium volumes, TGW also offers LivePick — a shuttle-free goods-to-person solution leveraging mobile robotics, designed to grow with your business needs.

[Translate to North America:] Automation can transform your business, removing all the potential obstacles to your processes and ultimately boosting your bottom line.

Real-World Results and Customer Loyalty Gains

Automation can transform your business, removing all the potential obstacles to your processes and ultimately boosting your bottom line. At TGW Logistics, we’ve seen firsthand how impactful the right warehouse automation solution can be on a business.

Clients who have invested in our services have seen a 30% overall throughput increase and 40% faster order processing. Those numbers are game changers and are possible to achieve. Here’s how:

Not only does faster order processing enable you to fulfill more orders in a day, but it also leaves a stellar impression on your customers. Shorter waits for their items increase brand loyalty, and with such a crowded market, peerless customer service and lightning-fast delivery times are ways to stand out.

The next time your consumer needs to purchase something for their next DIY or home improvement project, they’re more likely to remember the positive experience and return to you. And, being that this is a lifelong hobby or even career for many of your shoppers, you could be shoring up a lifetime of business.

A combination of receiving and picking technology, plus automated palletizing, can help DIY retailers speedily replenish stores with the exact quantity of goods needed. This reduces labor effort required in store and improves cash flow by not requiring unnecessary inventory to be held pointlessly in a back room.

A core issue many DIY and home improvement retailers face is truckloads of unpalletized boxes arriving from overseas and taking considerable precious time to unload. But by implementing a receiving system such as Zero-Touch Receiving or One-Touch Receiving, TGW Logistics can take the average time of unloading a trailer from two days to two hours, feeding the Stingray with cases and split cases with faster fulfillment to stores.

Cost for transportation of DIY goods can be sky-high, so density of shipments is key. Automized palletizing allows you to increase the density of mixed pallets and thereby drastically reduce shipment costs.

Partnering with TGW Logistics sets you up for that long-term success. With our cutting-edge products, state-of-the-art software, and ongoing support, reaching and surpassing your efficiency and cost-cutting goals is well within reach. We’ll show you how. Let's talk about possibilities if you’re ready for the next step.

Looking Ahead – Market Trends Shaping the Future of Consumer Goods Logistics

A few new trends have emerged recently in the ever-changing landscape of consumer goods logistics. Some brands are turning to micro fulfillment centers near population hubs to store and ship out their most popular products expeditiously. Businesses with periods of varying demand are choosing flexible automation solutions that expand and contract to suit their shifting needs. Other companies have completely outsourced their warehousing and order fulfillment to third-party logistics providers, which can come with compatibility issues.

TGW Logistics offers increased speed and efficiency, customization and flexibility, and integration into your existing business model. Our warehouse automation solutions are designed to support home improvement and DIY retailers for the long term, growing with you and addressing new challenges as they arise. The Stingray shuttle system eases the immediate pain points in the picking and fulfillment processes and is central to any scalable and flexible warehouse automation solution.

To explore how the Stingray shuttle system and other goods-to-person solutions can enhance your operations, slash costs, and grow your business, contact our TGW Logistics experts today. We know the ins and outs of the DIY and home improvement industries and can help you meet the future.