Pet Direct Sets New Standard in Warehouse Cleaning with Gausium Beetle

CHALLENGES

Pet Direct is New Zealand’s leading online pet store, handling high volumes of pet food and related products within a fast-paced warehouse environment.

At this scale, dust and debris accumulate, particularly from pet food is an ongoing challenge. Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness is critical, not only for presentation but also to protect product quality and create a better working environment.

At the same time, traditional cleaning methods were proving inefficient. Manual cleaning required significant time and labour, while delivering inconsistent results.

“We really wanted a solution that would reduce dust on the product and improve the overall cleanliness of our warehouse.” – Jared (Petdirect)

Pet Direct was also focused on reducing cleaning overhead while continuing to invest in automation and operational efficiency.

Balancing higher cleaning standards with reduced outside contract cleaning reliance created the need for a smarter, more consistent solution.

SOLUTION

Following an on-site consultation, Gausium NZ worked closely with Pet Direct to understand the warehouse environment, identify key challenges, and trial suitable solutions.

“We found consultation and setup was easy to get going… We were able to trial a couple of different machines and see how they performed in our environment.” Jared (Petdirect)

After testing, the Gausium Beetle autonomous sweeper stood out as the best fit. Built for warehouse environments, it handles everything from fine pet food dust through to larger debris in a single pass. The sweeper was deployed to operate daily, running autonomously each morning without interrupting warehouse operations.

Key features include:

• Autonomous operation – reducing reliance on manual labour and contracted cleaning
• Consistent daily cleaning – improving overall cleanliness and dust control
• Advanced navigation – safely operating around people, equipment, and obstacles
• Custom route mapping – optimised cleaning paths tailored to the warehouse layout
• Real-time monitoring – visibility of cleaning performance via an intuitive app

“For every site we visit, we map the environment, optimise the cleaning routes, and make sure the system is running exactly how the customer needs it.” Ryan ( Gausium NZ)

A charging dock was also installed, allowing the Beetle to return, recharge, and continue working on its own. This keeps the system running with minimal input from staff.
The setup was designed with safety in mind. Floor markings and defined cleaning areas help the robot operate smoothly while built-in sensors allow it to detect and avoid obstacles in real time.

Overall, the system fits neatly into the operation doing its job in the background without adding extra workload.

RESULTS

The impact of the Gausium Beetle was immediate and measurable.

“With our new robo sweeper we’ve been able to remove our contract cleaning services.” – Jared (Petdirect)

Since implementation, Petdirect has achieved:

• Cleaner warehouse floors
• Significant reduction in dust on products
• Cut all commercial cleaning costs in the warehouse
• Reduced reliance on contract labour
• Improved consistency in cleaning performance

The autonomous system operates seamlessly alongside daily activities, without disrupting operations.

The robot runs seamlessly alongside normal operations, handling floor cleaning autonomously without disruption and removing the need for external cleaning contractors, resulting in a more efficient warehouse overall.

SUMMARY

Model: Gausium Beetle Autonomous Sweeper

Application: Warehouse floor sweeping (dust and debris removal)

Operation: Daily autonomous cleaning (morning schedule)

Environment: High-volume pet food warehouse

Key Outcomes: Reduced dust, improved cleanliness, lower cleaning costs, increased operational efficiency