Ellen Wille awards AutoStore project to Element Logic

For its new logistics centre in Bad Homburg, Ellen Wille, a European market leader for second hair products, has commissioned the system integrator Element Logic to design and implement an AutoStore system with 62,500 bin locations as a central automated storage and picking system for small parts storage.

Ellen Wille, The Hair Company is the European market leader for second hair products. The company regards logistics as a key function for further development and adaptation to the growing complex demands and planned sales increases. With this in mind, the established trading company based in Schwalbach am Taunus near Frankfurt/Main is building a new logistics centre at its branch in Bad Homburg.

An AutoStore system will be installed there, serving as the central automated storage and order picking system. The contract for the design and implementation of the project has been awarded by Ellen Wille to the system integrator Element Logic, the world’s first official AutoStore partner.

“After an intensive comparison of technologies, we decided in favour of small parts storage in an AutoStore system because this scalable system offers us enormous storage capacity on a small storage area and maximum flexibility,” explains Ralf Billharz, CEO of Ellen Wille. “The decision to go with Element Logic was based on its experience and the company’s extensive references as a proven AutoStore partner.”

For the logistics centre in Bad Homburg, Element Logic has developed a system that is precisely tailored to the requirements of the retailer. The system’s aluminium grid will provide 62,500 bin locations. The 220mm-high bins allow a load of up to 30kg with internal dimensions of 603 x 403mm. On the surface of the grid, 40 R5 robots, so-called Robots, take over the storage, transfer, and retrieval processes. Fourteen workstations, so-called ports, are integrated to load the system and pick orders, 10 of which are carousel ports for higher storage throughputs plus four conveyor ports for lower throughputs.

“Overall, the AutoStore system with the integrated workstations offers a 60-70% improvement in space utilisation compared to conventional miniload solutions,” summarises Joachim Kieninger, Director of Strategic Business Development Element Logic Germany. “At the same time, the options for further future expansion in terms of performance and storage capacity offer maximum flexibility and ensure the future viability of the facility. This puts Ellen Wille in an excellent position for further growth in demand and volume.”