CNH Industrial Indianapolis Distribution Center

Project Overview

CNH Industrial, a global capital goods company, sought to optimize its distribution facility in Indianapolis to meet evolving market demands. The project was driven by several key business challenges: managing continual SKU growth, overcoming physical space constraints within the existing facility, and most critically, achieving much faster distribution times to serve their global Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers more effectively.

The goal was to transform the distribution center into a highly scalable and efficient operation capable of competing on speed and accuracy. CNH aimed to achieve same-day shipping and dramatically reduce order fulfillment cycles to 24-48 hours. To accomplish this, they partnered with Bastian Solutions, an experienced system integrator, to identify, design, and implement a comprehensive automation solution.

Technical Solution

AutoStore Cubic Storage System

At the core of the solution is an AutoStore cubic storage and retrieval system. This high-density storage technology was selected to maximize the use of the constrained warehouse space while providing fast, automated access to a growing number of SKUs. The AutoStore grid stores parts and components, with robots delivering bins to goods-to-person picking stations.

Key Features

The system is characterized by its highly integrated combination of best-in-class technologies—AutoStore for density, conveyors and ModSort for flow, and intelligent picking aids—all unified under a single WCS. This design directly targets the challenges of SKU proliferation and limited space by maximizing vertical storage and optimizing horizontal movement.

A primary performance feature is the system's capability to support same-day shipping and 24-48 hour fulfillment cycles, which is critical for industrial OEM service levels. The entire architecture was planned with scalability in mind, allowing CNH to "future-proof" operations and efficiently handle continued business growth.

Results & Benefits

The automation successfully enabled CNH to offer same-day shipping from the Indianapolis facility. More broadly, it empowered the company to fulfill OEM customer orders within a rapid 24-48 hour window, significantly improving service levels.

Operational performance saw marked improvements with an increase in overall throughput and enhanced order accuracy due to the guided picking technologies. By solving the core challenges of space and SKU management with a scalable system, CNH has effectively future-proofed its distribution operations to adapt to ongoing growth and market demands.

Challenges & Solutions

CNH faced a triple challenge: an expanding SKU catalog straining existing storage, physical space limitations preventing simple expansion, and customer demand for drastically faster global distribution times. Bastian Solutions addressed all three with an integrated automation strategy. The high-density AutoStore conquered the space and SKU challenge, while the coordinated network of conveyors, sorters, and optimized picking—all managed by a sophisticated WCS—created the high-speed workflow necessary to achieve same-day and next-day fulfillment for OEM partners.

System Integrator

Bastian Solutions served as the lead system integrator for this project. Their role encompassed the initial consultation and needs analysis, system design, and the implementation and integration of all components: the AutoStore system, Hytrol conveyors, ModSort sortation cells, Pick-to-Light, Lumipick software, and the Exacta Warehouse Control System. Their expertise in creating tailored, integrated solutions was crucial in helping CNH Industrial scale its distribution capabilities to meet modern supply chain demands.