German software vendor and integrator EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group) has signed a partnership with US-based Locus Robotics, a specialist in collaborative autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Under the agreement, EPG’s LFS warehouse management system will fully integrate the execution layer powering Locus’s robot fleets, allowing customers to plan, dispatch and orchestrate goods-to-person and assisted-picking operations from a single platform.
Strategic Rationale
The deal expands EPG’s automation portfolio at a time when third-party logistics operators and shippers increasingly look for flexible, software-led alternatives to fixed mechanisation. By coupling its WMS — and an embedded warehouse control system (WCS) module — with Locus’s mobile robotics, EPG positions itself as a single-source provider that covers everything from order management down to robot-level orchestration. The integrator argues that the combined offering shortens picking cycles, eliminates unnecessary travel time across the warehouse and lifts overall productivity by routing tasks intelligently.
How the Integration Works
Inside the joint stack, EPG’s LFS handles the order book, inventory updates and high-level task allocation, while its WCS module talks directly to the Locus robots on the floor. According to EPG, the robots circulate safely along defined routes, position themselves at predetermined picking stations and optimise journeys to minimise distance travelled, leading to shorter cycles and higher throughput. The set-up supports both assisted-picking modes — where AMRs follow operators in the aisles — and pure goods-to-person configurations in which mobile shelves or totes are brought to fixed pick stations.
Market Context
The Locus tie-up adds another mobile robotics option to an EPG portfolio that already covers cubic storage with AutoStore and vertical solutions with Kardex. EPG’s pitch is increasingly that of a unified technology platform able to support both first steps in warehouse automation and large-scale, multi-site rollouts. With AMR adoption accelerating across European and North American distribution networks, end-to-end software control — rather than discrete point solutions — is becoming a key differentiator for integrators chasing complex, multi-modality projects.
The partnership formalises a clear industry direction: pairing best-of-breed AMR hardware with WMS-grade orchestration to give warehouse operators a single point of accountability as automation footprints expand.
