Home Depot acquires SIMPL Automation to speed deliveries and boost safety

Home Depot’s purchase of SIMPL Automation is aimed at speeding the flow of merchandise through its distribution network, and the first test already showed faster pick speeds, shorter cycle times and fewer product touches at the Locust Grove, Georgia, distribution center.

The deal gives the retailer a new automation layer in a supply chain that already includes rapid deployment centers, stocking distribution centers, bulk distribution centers and direct fulfillment centers. Home Depot said it has spent several years automating and mechanizing its rapid deployment center network to move product more efficiently, and SIMPL’s tools fit that strategy by pushing more inventory into storage systems designed to make retrieval quicker and more orderly.

For associates on the warehouse floor, the practical question is not just whether boxes move faster. It is how the work changes. SIMPL’s ADAPTIV ASRS platform includes goods-to-person and vertical lift module systems, and the company says the technology is modular enough to work in brownfield environments, where it can be layered onto existing racking. That kind of setup can reduce repetitive handling and consolidate walking and searching, but it also raises the bar on equipment familiarity, system troubleshooting and workflow discipline.

Home Depot framed the acquisition around safety and efficiency as much as speed. The company said the automation should help distribution center associates work smarter rather than harder, language that suggests an effort to cut down on unnecessary product touches while tightening output. That matters in buildings where storage density can determine how close high-demand merchandise sits to customers and how quickly same-day and next-day orders can be filled.

The timing also fits a broader push to make delivery more visible. In March, Home Depot said it would launch a real-time tracker for big and bulky orders, with minute-by-minute updates for Pro customers and live tracking already available for consumer appliance orders. The company has also said it offers same-day or next-day delivery in many markets through stores and fulfillment centers, with omni-channel fulfillment centers and market delivery operations consolidating freight for final-mile dispatch.

Home Depot said it had added nearly 200 supply chain facilities over the previous eight years, including 160 market delivery operations and 20 direct fulfillment centers. Against that backdrop, SIMPL looks less like a one-off tech purchase than another step in a long buildout to keep stores stocked, protect delivery promises and handle heavier orders for DIY customers and Pros.

SIMPL, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, launched its VLM line on June 3, 2025, and lists Nicholas Gordon as co-founder and chief operating officer. For Home Depot, the acquisition points to a supply chain where automation is no longer just behind the scenes. It is becoming part of how the company sets pace, measures productivity and decides what kind of work remains for people in the warehouse.