ASICS

The Kakushin Project: Omnichannel Fulfillment Transforms ASICS Warehousing

• ASICS achieves 50% productivity improvement for DC operations through innovative partnership with ThreeSixty and Vanderlande
• Industry leading project wins 2025 ASCLA Award for Supply Chain Management
• Complex automation implementation completed in fully operational warehouse without customer service disruption

Kakushin is an automation implementation project that has transformed ASICS’ Australian distribution operations at its Marsden Park facility in Sydney. The transformation shows how collaborative partnerships and cultural alignment can overcome complex technical challenges in live operational environments. The project required careful coordination between ASICS, Vanderlande as the automation partner, and ThreeSixty as the independent consulting specialists who provided crucial project management and technical expertise.

Recognised for industry leading transformation, ASICS, ThreeSixty and Vanderlande were awarded the Supply Chain Management award at the 2025 ASCLA awards for the Kakushin project.

The Challenge

ASICS faced the fulfilment challenges that come with a business evolving from large wholesale shipments to smaller consumer and e-commerce orders. Following their initial automation experience in 2020 with a sliding shoe sorter, ASICS identified capacity limitations and operational pain points that hindered their ability to efficiently process the growing volume of small consumer orders.

The existing system performed well for large wholesale orders and single-item picks, but struggled with the increasingly common two-to-four item orders that are common in modern e-commerce. Previously, picking achieved 2,000 units per hour on larger orders but dropped to 250 units per hour on small orders.

The project faced significant technical challenges, including discovering that the warehouse slab was not built to automation specifications. This required innovative engineering solutions and careful coordination between ASICS, Vanderlande and ThreeSixty to think outside the box, and vigorously test to avoid costly mistakes.

Operating in a live warehouse environment required exceptional coordination between multiple parties including contractors, electricians, and fire safety specialists, while ASICS needed to maintain full operational capacity throughout the build.

“One of the biggest challenges was implementing in a live environment. You need to be surgical in the changes – approximately a third of the warehouse had to compress their operations to allow for the automation installation while continuing to fulfill orders nationally and maintain service levels.”

Derek Tan, Executive Director, ThreeSixty

The Solution

ThreeSixty’s consulting expertise was crucial in developing a comprehensive business case that secured corporate approval in September 2022. The project team established extensive vendor evaluation processes, with five potential suppliers ultimately narrowed to two finalists based on technical capability and solution fit.

ASICS and ThreeSixty established meticulous advance planning processes, including detailed 3D solution design workshops conducted across different time zones to ensure all parties clearly understood equipment placement and integration requirements. The collaborative approach prevented the install and integration issues that plague other major automation projects, with countless design sessions ensuring both vendors would not impact timelines or disrupt each other’s installations.

ThreeSixty’s six-month forward planning ensured customers experienced no service disruption during the extensive construction period. The team established a three-to-four week rolling planning cycle, coordinating between ASICS operations, Vanderlande, ThreeSixty and multiple specialised contractors.

The project ultimately led to the adoption of High Dynamic Storage shuttle technology – one of the only HDS implementation of its kind in Australia.

The Results

What makes this implementation different is its integrated omnichannel approach, serving e-commerce, store replenishment, and wholesale operations. Unlike many goods-to-person solutions that focus purely on e-commerce, or crossdock sorters that operate independently, ASICS has created a fully integrated solution combining all technologies.

The new automation targets 3,000 units per hour overall, successfully processing over 10,000 units daily with only two of three stations operational, demonstrating significant headroom for future growth. During peak periods, all three stations operate effectively, with the capability to add a fourth station to reach the designed capacity of 20,000 units daily.

The HDS buffer system addresses the site’s operational constraints from limited dock capacity, providing essential space and sequencing for palletising stations and dispatch operations. This change not only resolved the structural weight concerns but delivered superior performance, achieving 1,500 movements per hour compared to the required 1,000.

Beyond immediate operational benefits, Kakushin has repositioned ASICS for future expansion, with built-in capacity for additional pick stations, pack stations, and potential AGV capability. The project provides a scalable foundation that will support operations through 2030 and beyond, while also delivering environmental benefits through reduced packaging waste and more efficient container loading processes.

The project exemplifies true three-way collaboration, with ASICS demonstrating how to leverage each partner’s strengths while maintaining project ownership. A real cultural alignment enabled all parties to work through challenges collaboratively rather than adversarially, with ASICS effectively leveraging their partners’ expertise and industry relationships to maintain project accountability and achieve optimal outcomes throughout the complex implementation.

“To get the best out of everyone involved, ASICS knew how to leverage our relationships and experience while taking ownership themselves – they’d engage us when they had issues, and we’d drop everything to help. The cultural alignment made it possible to work through challenges seamlessly over a period of years.”

Derek Tan, Executive Director, ThreeSixty