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Tag: eCommerce

Faster, Cheaper, More Reliable Delivery

Posted on by David Priestman

Wix.com Ltd., a global SaaS platform to create, manage and grow an online presence, today announced the launch of its native shipping solution. Wix has partnered with Shippo, a shipping platform for modern eCommerce, to seamlessly provide Wix business owners with a shipping solution that gives them access to Shippo’s feature-rich shipping capabilities directly from the Wix Dashboard.

Wix’s comprehensive online platform combined with Shippo’s end-to-end shipping technology provides business owners with the ability to easily and professionally fulfil their eCommerce orders, reducing the complexities they face when fulfilling orders independently. This solution, powered by Shippo’s new Shipping Elements suite of modular embeddable shipping components, gives merchants access to a robust rate engine, tracking and returns flows, and the ability to purchase and print shipping labels without leaving their orders page.

Benefits of Wix Shipping include:

• Fulfilling orders faster: From within the Wix Dashboard, business owners can buy and print shipping labels, as well as print return labels. This removes the need for additional shipping applications, accounts, and fees to fulfil orders without friction.
• Managing inventory and shipping in one place: Users can fulfil orders in the same place they manage products, inventory, and other aspects of their business for a more streamlined process.
• Receiving carrier benefits: Business owners have access to pre-negotiated rates, discounts on top carriers, and flexible shipping options for any shipment volume. Additionally, every region has its own local carriers, ensuring full geographical coverage and a large variety of top-carrier options and preferred shipping rates.

“We are constantly improving our platform, developing advanced tools and partnering with industry leaders, to provide merchants with all the tools they need to successfully run and grow their business directly from our platform. Helping our users get their products to their customers in a cost-efficient and reliable way is mission critical,” said Arik Perez, Head of Wix eCommerce. “Shipping can be a complicated process with many moving parts and with Shippo’s leading shipping solutions, business owners using Wix can be assured that their shipping needs are met, and decrease logistics headaches, all while providing better experiences for their customers, and scaling their sales.”

“Here at Shippo we live and breathe e-commerce shipping, and we’re passionate about sharing our technical capabilities and knowledge with our partners,” said Andreas Lieber, Shippo’s COO. “That’s why teaming up with Wix is such a great fit. With Wix Shipping powered by Shippo, we’re able to make shipping faster, easier, and more affordable for their users. It’s also a testament to the effectiveness of our Shipping Elements offering, which simplifies the process of connecting with e-commerce platforms and fulfilling our mission of building the shipping layer of the internet.”

Wix Shipping powered by Shippo’s Shipping Elements is now available for Wix users based in the US, UK, Canada, and Germany with plans for more geographies in the future.

Founded in 2013, Shippo is the leading shipping platform for modern e-commerce. More than 120,000 businesses, including top e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, warehouses, and brands, trust Shippo to navigate the complexities of shipping and fuel growth. With Shippo’s platform, businesses of all sizes can access 37 global carriers, get real-time shipping rates, print labels, automate international paperwork, track packages, facilitate returns, and more.

Senior Appointment for Warehousing Firm

Posted on by David Priestman

Big Box Group UK is pleased to announce the appointment of Stuart Rathbone to the role of Buildings Division Lead, reporting to Managing Director, Iain Gillard.

Stuart, pictured, brings extensive managerial experience from senior industry roles incorporating sales, operations and project management. This experience, which includes the delivery of one hundred successful projects in under three years, allied with a wealth of technical knowledge, will help Stuart to develop the expertise Big Box Buildings offers.

Big Box Buildings provide both temporary and permanent structures. The buildings division works closely alongside Big Box Intralogistics to provide racking and mezzanine, whilst incorporating the expertise of Big Box Automation.

Commenting on his new role, Stuart said, “My immediate priorities are to use my experience and knowledge to underpin technical expertise within the buildings division, introduce protocols and set up instinctive systems that the team can pick up and easily manage. If one benefits, we all benefit. This is a rapidly expanding sector and I’m excited to be a part of such a dynamic company with a big future.”

Commenting on his appointment, Big Box Group Managing Director, Iain Gillard said, “We are constantly striving to attract and retain outstanding talent and Stuart’s appointment marks an important milestone on our journey. It reinforces the experience and expertise we are building across our major operational areas, contributing a wealth of skill and experience that will help grow the company.”

Ecommerce DC Deploys Array of Automation

Posted on by David Priestman

John Lewis’ new e-commerce distribution centre in Fenny Lock, Milton Keynes, UK, features an array of automation technology. Robotics and Automation supplier Logistex was chosen earlier this year to implement its warehouse execution system to optimise the systems.

The multi-phase project will initially see Logistex deploy its Warehouse Execution System, Reflex, which will orchestrate the picking of orders across multiple zones of the Fenny Lock DC and provide full integration with conveyors, robots and automated bagging machines.

Future phases will include the deployment of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) tote-to-person (TTP) picking solution based on Hai Robotics’ ACR robots and HaiPort workstations.

Tony Gruber, MD Logistex, said: “We are delighted to be working with John Lewis on this strategically important initiative. It combines all of our key capabilities in one project, solution design, the deployment of our Reflex WES platform in a multi-agent robotic-based automation environment & complete project life cycle support. We look forward to a successful project and an enduring relationship with John Lewis”.

John Munnelly, Head of Distribution, John Lewis Partnership (JLP), added: “This is an exciting partnership which will transform our Fenny Lock site, as we look for new and innovative ways on how to best serve our customers.”

Damien Skinner, Country Manager of UK & Ireland, Hai Robotics, said:

“We are thrilled JLP and Logistex have found the right solution with Hai Robotics’ HaiPick, which can reach up to 10m for picking and storing. We look forward to working with them on this project and expanding our partnership. One of the reasons why HaiPick was the right fit for the Logistex solution is because it is highly flexible and suitable to be deployed in existing sites. Next to that, the solution is rapidly scalable and is designed with plans for expansion in mind. HaiPick is fully CE and UKCA compliant and can be deployed relatively quickly. We will be working closely together with Logistex to achieve successful deployment for John Lewis through a joint testing methodology.”

Hai Robotics HaiPick systems can increase storage density by 80 to 400 percent while improving worker efficiency by 3 to 4 times. In addition, ACR robots can reach up to 10m high (32.8 ft). Compared with existing, especially traditional warehouse automation solutions, Hai Robotics‘ UKCA certified solutions can deliver extraordinary benefits for warehouses and logistical centres in the UK. The HaiPick systems provide more flexibility in terms of future expansion, exponentially increase operational efficiency, require less implementation time and are more cost-effective.

 

Fortna Automates Swedish eCommerce Parcel Hub

Posted on by David Priestman

FORTNA, a leading automation and software company for the full logistics value chain, has partnered with Budbee, a Sweden-based tech company, to develop a parcel hub with enhanced and seamless delivery experience for their customers. The automated parcel system includes a new sorting solution that improves speed and accuracy for their new terminal in Jönköping, Sweden.

At the end of 2022, Budbee joined forces with Instabox under a new parent company, Instabee, with the aim of continuing the transformation of eCommerce deliveries while challenging traditional players in Europe. The terminal in Jönköping will deliver parcels to customers from both Budbee and Instabox.

The new automated hub is based on a shoe sorter system with loop functionality designed to transport products, such as cardboard boxes and bagged items. The solution is designed to achieve a throughput of hundreds of thousands of parcels daily, with multiple outfeeds for Budbee and Instabox destinations. This future-proof solution can expand the system and reach higher throughput as demand increases.

“As a true partner, we use our capabilities and industry experience to make our customers competitive and relevant to their clients,” said Jonathan Kruisselbrink, Director of Sales at FORTNA. “The facility will contribute to an overall operational improvement of the customer’s parcel environment. We are very pleased to support Budbee in its mission.”

The new sorting solution is up and running to serve as many customers as efficiently and quickly as possible. “We are happy to be working with FORTNA and the operational advantages it will give us. This will help us to serve Budbee and Instabox customers even more efficiently,” said Fredrik Nyström, Nordic General Manager of Instabee.

FORTNA partners with the world’s leading brands to transform omnichannel and parcel distribution operations. Known world-wide for enabling companies to keep pace with digital disruption and growth objectives, we design and deliver solutions, powered by intelligent software, to optimize fast, accurate and cost-effective order fulfilment and last mile delivery. Our people, innovative approach and proprietary algorithms and tools ensure optimal operations design and material and information flow. We deliver exceptional value every day to our customers with comprehensive services and products including network strategy, distribution centre operational design and implementation, material handling automated equipment, robotics and a comprehensive suite of lifecycle services.

Bowe Intralogistics and Plus One Robotics Partner

Posted on by David Priestman

BOWE Intralogistics and Plus One Robotics, two innovators in the intralogistics market, announced a collaboration at ProMat Chicago that will enable customers to seamlessly combine Plus One Robotics’ industry-leading parcel induction systems with BOWE’s innovative line of parcel sorting solutions that are widely deployed in the e-commerce fulfilment and parcel delivery markets.

One of the most difficult jobs in today’s logistics environment is handling the tonnage of parcels that are manually inducted into sortation systems. This problem is more acute during peak periods where it is even more critical that automation assets such as sorters achieve their maximum efficiency and throughput. Plus One’s induction systems automate the task of “feeding” or “inducting” parcels into the sorter. Plus One’s induction systems can be readily integrated into existing BOWE sorters or bundled in the sale of new sorting systems. Further, BOWE IQ’s Warehouse Management Software (WMS) can help integrate the data and workflows between these complementary solutions.

Plus One provides the industry’s fastest and most reliable parcel-handling robotics platform. With more than 700 million picks in production, Plus One’s solutions are utilized by some of the world’s largest parcel-post and e-commerce companies. Plus One’s innovative AI-powered software with unique end-of-arm grippers provides the perception and manipulation necessary to pick and place parcels. Key to Plus One’s effectiveness is its unparalleled approach to human-in-the-loop software. Remote or on-premise employees can supervise multiple robots from any location, speeding the robot’s ability to handle exceptions, enabling 24/7 operations. This approach improves productivity and provides ergonomic benefits to the laborious task of feeding parcels.

“We are excited to announce this non-exclusive partnership with BOWE INTRALOGISTICS,” said Robert Nilsson, Chief Revenue Officer at Plus One. “While our solutions can be implemented independently as an upgrade or as part of a total system offering, our collaboration with BOWE helps ensure a seamless integration between BOWE INTRALOGISTICS’s sorters and Plus One’s induction systems, thus yielding the maximum possible efficiency gain for our mutual customers.”

“BOWE INTRALOGISTICS is embracing robots to make our existing solutions more effective,” said Joachim Koschier, Managing Director of the BOWE GROUP. “We will do this by providing turnkey solutions incorporating Plus One’s robotic induction systems to dramatically lower manual labour and increase throughputs. For high-volume operators, our portfolio of sorters offers the best return and maximum facility throughputs.”

John Lombard, President of BOWE USA & CANADA, added: “At ProMat, we showcased our parcel sorting products and our Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) solutions that automate the movement of products, parcels and the like, to and from the sorter, thus offering additional productivity gains. We expect that the combination of the Plus One induction systems and BOWE AMRs can reduce operating labour requirements on our sorters by over 50%, more during peak periods while increasing hourly capacity and throughput.”

“Together, Plus One and BOWE are providing a unique solution that delivers higher throughput rates and lower operational costs for warehouses and distribution centres,” said Erik Nieves, Chief Executive Office at Plus One. “We are thrilled to bring these versatile technologies to shared customers.”

What Influences Retail Manual Pick Rates?

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Ecommerce has become one of the fastest growing sectors within the supply chain, making pick rates key. With this growth each business faces a number of challenges, not just scaling up the operation to cope with demand, but also investing in equipment that can adapt as the process changes and improve the operation to make savings wherever possible.

The right warehouse fulfilment plan will not only improve productivity but will also make the whole operation more efficient. However any plan has to take into account a number of factors. Without the right equipment designed for your applications to help achieve the above, implementing the right WMS, tackling productivity or perhaps outsourcing the picking to a 3PL can’t be looked at until the hands on ‘’Picking’’ operation is defined, yet in many cases businesses will look at ‘’Off the shelf solutions’’ instead of a’’ tailor made solution’’, that’s is not only right for the current process but can adapt as and when the fulfilment process changes in the future. And in many cases, this can also take place towards the end of the planning process.

When we look for IT solutions such as WMS, or even the building we occupy how often is the right solution available without some changes? But more importantly how often are today’s requirements the same as those in two or even three years ago? Obviously one of the most important areas we have to consider is order fulfilment, what impacts our output and how this can it be improved. Can time be saved in areas, and thus reduce waste (time or material) Aside from the equipment used the wellbeing of staff has to be a key consideration after all ‘’A happy worker is a productive worker’’.

Speaking to a wide range of retail companies any improvements are the key to achieving profitability and in some cases saving just 2 seconds on a picking operation can have financial benefits to a business , obviously this is dependent on the number of picks carried out, but how many businesses do not want to grow and increase? So what items of equipment can we identify as the ones that will require the most changes over the years and what are the factors influencing change. Take for instance a picking trolley, how difficult is it to move when fully loaded, how does this impact on pick route times, can the picker load all product onto the trolley, are the shelves at the right height, is the handle to move the trolley at the right height for the operator, does the picker need steps to pick items occasionally?

Picking /Packing stations, how many items are required to complete the process? PC, Label printer, boxes, envelopes, protective packaging, how long will the operator have to stand at station, is the work surface the correct height, and are all the items within easy reach and easy to locate? Custom built solutions designed to take the all the above into account and are the obvious solution to answer many of these questions, ‘’Aren’t they expensive compared to off the shelf?’’ Yes is the quick answer, however when you look at a flexible solution that can adapt as your process/workload changes the ROI is unquestionable with so many businesses having to either ‘’Make do’’ or worse still scrap their equipment and start again it does make custom flexible solutions the unequivocal choice to the issues faced not just in E-procurement order fulfilment, but also the far wider order picking market place.

Flowstore offer a wide range of custom built applications into market sectors looking find the right solution that will stand the test of time and adapt as the demand on the supplier changes with the market place, put simply ‘’Smart solutions that work ‘’ With a dedicated team who will visit site understand your process to offer the best solutions.

Improving Manual Ecommerce Picking

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Ecommerce over the last three years has become one of the fastest-growing sectors within the supply chain. With this growth, businesses faces a number of challenges, not just scaling up the operation to cope with demand, but also investing in equipment that can adapt as the process changes and improve the operation to make savings wherever possible.

The right warehouse fulfilment plan will not only improve productivity but will also make the whole operation more efficient. However, any plan has to take into account a number of factors.

Without the right equipment designed for your applications to help achieve the above, implementing the right WMS, tackling productivity or perhaps outsourcing the picking to a 3PL can’t be looked at until the hands-on picking operation is defined, yet in many cases businesses will look at off-the-shelf solutions instead of a tailor-made solution that’s not only right for the current process but can adapt as and when the fulfilment process changes in the future. In many cases, this can also take place towards the end of the planning process.

When we look for IT solutions such as WMS or even the building we occupy, how often is the right solution available without some changes? But, more importantly, how often are today’s requirements the same as those two or even three years ago?

Obviously one of the most important areas we have to consider is order fulfilment, what impacts our output and how this can be improved. Can time be saved in certain areas, and thus reduce waste (time or material)? Aside from the equipment used, the wellbeing of staff has to be a key consideration. After all, a happy worker is a productive worker.

Speaking to a wide range of retail companies, any improvement can be key to achieving profitability;  in some cases, saving just two  seconds on a picking operation can have financial benefits to a business. Obviously, this is dependent on the number of picks carried out, but how many businesses do not want to grow?

Right Equipment for Ecommerce

So what items of equipment can we identify as the ones that will require the most changes over the years and what are the factors influencing change? Take, for instance, a picking trolley; how difficult is it to move when fully loaded, how does this impact on pick route times, can the picker load all product onto the trolley, are the shelves at the right  height, is the handle to move the trolley at the right height for the operator, does the picker need steps to pick items occasionally…?

Picking/packing stations: how many are required to complete the process? PC, label printer, boxes, envelopes and protective packaging. How long will the operator have to stand at the station? Is the work surface the correct height, and are all the items within easy reach and easy to locate?

Custom-built solutions designed to take the all the above into account are the obvious solution to answer many of these questions. In response to the question “are they expensive compared to off-the-shelf?” the quick answer is yes. However, when you look at a flexible solution that can adapt as your process/workload changes, the ROI is unquestionable. With so many businesses having to either make do or – worse still – scrap their equipment and start again, it does make custom flexible solutions the unequivocal solution to the issues faced, not just in Eprocurement order fulfilment, but also the far wider order picking market place.

Flowstore offers a wide range of custom-built applications into market sectors looking find the right solution that will stand the test of time and adapt as the demand on the supplier changes with the market place. Put simply, it says its provides “smart solutions that work” with a dedicated team who will visit your site, understand your processes, and try to offer the best solutions.

 

Funding Raised to Capitalize on $128bn Market

Posted on by David Priestman

Plus One Robotics, a provider of advanced AI vision software and solutions for robotic parcel handling, today announced that it has raised $50M in Series C funding. The round was led by Scale Venture Partners, with Partner Rory O’Driscoll joining the board of directors. Top Tier Capital Partners, Tyche Partners, ROBO Global Ventures, Translink, McRock, and Pritzker Group Venture Capital also participated in the round alongside existing investors, which brings the company’s total funding to date to nearly $100 million. Plus One’s technology helps to alleviate the persistent shortage of manual labour through robotic solutions, dramatically streamlining the parcel picking and depalletizing processes. Plus One deployments perform over one million parcel picks each day in production and currently hold an industry-leading metric of more than half a billion parcel picks globally. With these new funds, Plus One can further increase its capacity and rapidly scale deployment, as well as expand its sales and marketing efforts in North America and internationally.

This expansion builds on Plus One Robotics’ existing relationships with customers in the parcel post, logistics, and general merchandise industries, serving customers that include FedEx, MSC Industrial, and many more.

The Labour Problem

“The labour shortage is hitting the shipping industry hard, and parcel picking is an often overlooked yet essential part of the process,” said Scale Partner Rory O’Driscoll. “By automating the parcel handling piece, Plus One Robotics is rapidly modernizing an outdated system that’s no longer sustainable. It is stepping up and leading the way in a $128 billion market, with fundamentals that prove its value.”

Ecommerce has grown to represent 19% of U.S. retail sales, with approximately 20 billion parcels delivered in the U.S. in 2021. Shipping growth is expected to rise by 25% over the next five years resulting in warehouses and distribution centers not having the workforce to keep up.

On the supply side, over 80% of warehouses are manual, and with the demands placed on shipping expected to grow, there will be over 1 million more jobs to fill by 2025 despite the shrinking of available labour sources – and costs are rising. Labour costs average $25 per hour and continue to increase. This creates a perfect storm threatening the supply chain and impeding future e-commerce growth.

“The growth of e-commerce has placed tremendous pressure on shipping responsiveness and scalability that has significantly exacerbated labour and capacity issues,” said Erik Nieves, CEO and co-founder of Plus One Robotics. “Automation is key, but keeping a human-in-the-loop is essential to running a business 24/7 with greater speed and fewer errors. With the ongoing labour shortages, I believe we’ll see an increase in the adoption of Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) to lower capital expenditures and deploy automation on a subscription basis. This new funding will help us scale up and meet the need for these solutions.”

Plus One Robotics’ solutions employ award-winning AI-powered software with unique end-of-arm robot grippers that provide the perception and manipulation necessary to pick and place parcels. Key to Plus One Robotics’ effectiveness is its unparalleled approach to human-in-the-loop software. Employees, remote or on-premises, can supervise multiple robots from any location, speeding the robot’s ability to handle exceptions, enabling 24/7 operations. Users benefit from improved sorting and picking throughput by >30% while decreasing operational costs.

Plus One has experienced nearly three-times year-over-year growth from expanded business with existing customers and new deployments. Additionally, it has increased its adoption of the human-in-the-loop capability and RaaS offering among its parcel and post, third-party logistics (3PL), and general merchandise customers. Plus One deployments perform over one million parcel picks each day in production and currently hold an industry-leading metric of more than half a billion parcel picks globally.

Logistics Experts: Prepare for Easter Peak Trading

Posted on by David Priestman

Courier experts at DeliveryApp have revealed how companies can prepare for the Easter peak trading season. From ordering household essentials to gifts for a loved one, customers are used to receiving parcels with ease. Retail spending in the UK for Mother’s Day gifts was predicted to reach £1.34 billion in 2021, meaning demand for gifts to arrive in the time ahead of the big day is crucial. Research revealed that in 2022 sales surged twice, almost two weeks before Mother’s Day by 80%. Interestingly, revenues rose by 72% of the daily average on Mothering Sunday itself.

Peter Board, Commercial Director at DeliveryApp, a UK-wide same-day delivery tech platform has given top tips for companies on how they can best prepare for peak trading periods such as Mother’s Day, whilst keeping up with demand for fast delivery.

1. Consider the impact of peak periods on last-mile delivery
During peak selling periods most companies will need additional support for fulfilment and delivery, but for smaller businesses it can often present more of a challenge. Consider the cost benefit of finding temporary versus permanent resource to ensure productivity levels are most effective. Additionally, consider the importance of employee and delivery personnel’s welfare – setting increased drop targets or challenging fulfilment goals during peak season can be counterproductive, and negatively affect employee wellbeing. In the last-mile delivery phase where pressure can be high – it’s harder to maintain control and standards, so bolster support throughout the supply chain.
2. Investing for key periods is an investment in future customers
Whilst the additional cost of hiring support drivers may be over facing in the lead up to peak trading periods, the alternative can often be a far costlier situation. A lack of logistics support to fulfil orders to eager customers can result in undelivered or spoiled goods, customer frustration if a failure to deliver for the key date, and therefore potential refunds.
3. Tailor your messaging to customers
E-commerce brands need to ensure they communicate any potential delays to customers during the peak shipping season. Unfortunately, some delays do happen but be proactive and transparent in communication with customers about any issues that may arise. For key trading periods, it is advised that you should let customers know of shipping deadlines so customers can have their orders shipped on time. If you’re offering same-day or next-day delivery, be honest with how realistic that may be during these peak periods and if your courier partners can support this.
4. Partner with the right logistics company for your business needs
Partnering with the right logistics company can help make peak trading seasons more manageable. When seeking a reliable courier service, one of the most important factors you will be looking for is a service provider who can ensure their service is seamless and goods are delivered on time. By using more agile delivery services, e-commerce companies can meet the needs of their customers with networks of self-employed courier drivers who offer the benefits of both flexibility and reliability.
5. Consider the environmental impact
Peak trading periods mean increased deliveries and therefore increased journeys. In the UK, Black Friday alone contributed 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and the shipping, logistics and ecommerce sector contributes around 4% of the world’s total emissions. Consider your overflow drivers, whether they have access to green fleets of vehicles, if they operate a hubless service or offset carbon emissions with their deliveries to mitigate some of the environmental effects.
6. Tracking transparency can prevent costly customer service
If customers are keen for a package to arrive before Mothering Sunday, there’s increased frustration when delivery timeframes aren’t met, and resulting pressure on customer service teams if there’s a lack of transparency. Late deliveries are one of the top frustrations amongst customers who take to social media and other channels, requiring increased work for customer support staff, or longer waits for already aggrieved shoppers. The short-term failure to prepare can result in the loss of lifetime customers, strain on support staff and damage to TrustPilot reviews, online sentiment and overall brand perception of your business.
7. For smaller businesses, consider pooling deliveries to save on costs
If you’re operating a smaller business with harder to send parcels, options such as a day van hire and driver solution could mean using one reliable service to deliver multi-packages, rather than multiple consignments with couriers who are harder to track for your customers.

Board concludes: “Peak trading periods put enormous pressure on couriers to accommodate customer demand, whether it’s Mother’s Day, Black Friday or Christmas – retailers need to have a sustainable strategy to meet rising consumer demand. At DeliveryApp, we’ve created an innovative courier work overspill solution. If your courier business needs some help during these times, you can book an A to B delivery whenever you need it. Our professional couriers ensure prompt and safe deliveries, with a unique real-time tracking technology to ensure your customers know exactly where their parcel is on it’s journey. For brands, last-mile delivery is often one of the costliest and least efficient parts of the chain during key retail periods – it’s important that they plan, prepare and partner with the best resources, technology and logistics partners possible to ensure a successful delivery.”

TGW Presents the Future Fulfilment Centre

Posted on by David Priestman

The TGW Logistics Group will demonstrate its Future Fulfilment Centre – how it works, how users can benefit from its advantages, and what technology it uses – for visitors at the LogiMAT intralogistics trade fair in Stuttgart from 25 to 27 April. To promote the continuous development of this innovative ecosystem, the company invests heavily in technology, structures and its employees.

There is a fundamental difference between today’s warehouses and the Future Fulfillment Center: the system of the future is not only highly automated, but also and above all it operates proactively. This means that it fulfils tasks independently, optimises processes and is constantly learning. At the same time, it offers maximum flexibility and thus relieves the operator’s workload. For example, in the future, staff scheduling need not be handled by employees, but rather can be carried out by intelligent software tools via data processing. These tools will also control performance in an energy-efficient and low-wear manner and will anticipate consumption behaviour.

Customer benefits, flexibility and profitability

TGW is constantly working to further develop the Future Fulfilment Centre and its modules, which range from user-friendly software to intelligent mechatronics to a digital twin. There are three central goals in this regard:

• Greater customer benefits: operating the system shall require significantly less time and effort, allowing customers to focus entirely on their core business.
• Greater flexibility: customers shall be in a position to increase their adaptability and react flexibly to changes in the market or in their business models.
• Greater profitability: system performance shall be adapted to the required availability, thus increasing profitability by minimising staffing, reducing wear and decreasing energy consumption.

It’s not just the geopolitical situation that is unpredictable: changes in economic sectors also complicate things. Faster delivery promises and rising service levels continue to drive these developments, while demographic change exacerbates the shortage of qualified personnel. “Anyone investing in a new intralogistics system is seeking flexibility, efficiency and fitness for the future – and collaboration with partners that they can trust 100 percent,” emphasises Harald Schröpf, CEO of the TGW Logistics Group.

Transparent, self-learning and self-healing

The credo is therefore: Spotlight on customer benefits. Keywords like full data transparency, self-learning and self-recovery are hallmarks of TGW’s Future Fulfillment Center. Initially, relevant data are gathered and used for a digital representation. The system learns through information analysis and uses real-time data for optimisations. It proactively corrects malfunctions and autonomously reports potential sources of error.

Focusing on sustainability

The fulfilment centre of the future is based not only on modern robotic technology that increases profitability and addresses the labour shortage, but also on the three pillars of sustainability. “Our basic principle is that each system must be planned and implemented in an ecologically, economically and socially acceptable manner,” insists Harald Schröpf. In order to fulfil this promise, TGW is constantly optimising its supply chain and developing more sustainable products.

In order to continue promoting the Future Fulfillment Center and improving the technology, TGW consistently invests in research and development. “We invest approximately 4.5 percent of our annual revenue, which is significantly more than many of our competitors,” according to CEO Harald Schröpf. “At the moment, there are over 750 specialists working in the areas of software and digitalisation at TGW.”

TGW Logistics Group is one of the leading, international suppliers of material handling solutions. For more than 50 years, the Austrian specialist has implemented automated systems for its international customers, including brands from A as in Adidas to Z as in Zalando. As systems integrator, TGW plans, produces and implements complex logistics centres, from mechatronic products and robots to control systems and software. The company has subsidiaries in Europe, China and the US and more than 4,000 employees worldwide. In the 2020/2021 business year, the company generated a total turnover of 813 million euros.

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