Sereact, Zalando and CEVA Deploy Dual-Arm AI Robots for European Returns Handling

Sereact, Zalando, and CEVA Logistics have launched AI-powered automated returns processing across key fulfillment facilities in Greven, Germany, and Świebodzin, Poland. Powered by Sereact's Cortex Physical AI platform, the dual-arm robotic systems have entered live operations to autonomously process returned fashion items.

Returns management remains one of the most complex operations in fashion e-commerce logistics. Returned items often arrive poorly packed and disheveled, defying conventional pre-programming. Sereact's Cortex platform groups previously unseen objects, identifying, grasping, and sorting items dynamically without requiring article-specific training or pre-determined product profiles.

Delivered via a Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, the dual-arm systems take on repetitive manual tasks, enabling warehouse teams to transition toward station supervision, exception management, and quality control.

Masood Choudhry, SVP Logistics at Zalando, stated:

"At the heart of our collaboration with Sereact and CEVA is a fundamental belief: true innovation happens when technology and human potential advance together. By solving the most complex challenges in modern fulfilment today, we are actively shaping the future of e-commerce logistics for fashion and lifestyle."

Chris Walton, SVP Contract Logistics at CEVA Logistics, stated:

"One of the toughest challenges is returns handling, due to its extreme operational nature and scale, unpredictable volumes, manual quality checks, seasonality, value decay, and a disproportionately high cost per unit. Our Robotics-as-a-Service model classifies items faster, reduces manual touchpoints, and delivers consistent, predictable quality on a large scale. For our customers, this transforms returns from a cost driver into a controlled, high-performance service."

Dr. Ralf Gulde, CEO and Co-Founder of Sereact, stated:

"Returns are the hardest manipulation problem in fashion logistics. If a system only works on articles it has seen before, it does not work in a returns operation at all. Running this in production with CEVA at Zalando volumes is the strongest proof point we have."

In July 2026, Zalando joined Sereact's $116 million Series B financing round as a strategic investor, supporting ongoing expansion across their shared European logistics network.