TGW Presents the Future Fulfilment Centre

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.

End-to-end Omnichannel Planning & Fulfilment

Deposco, the omnichannel fulfilment supply chain solutions platform for brand owners, retailers, e-commerce, and 3PL companies, has launched the industry’s first true omnichannel supply chain solution to orchestrate the end-to-end processes – Plan, Source, Order, Fulfil, and Return – across B2B and DTC channels from a single package to full pallets.

In one cohesive Supply Chain Planning (SCP) and Fulfllment solution, businesses can replace inefficient manual processes with instant recommendations and automated workflows that remove the blinders between supply chain operations. The solution is designed to help customers lower their carrying costs, mitigate labour challenges, increase sales, and become more proactive and profitable in approaching inventory as one entity across all touchpoints.

“Creating value to fund growth in the volatile B2B and DTC markets has become a costly game that requires businesses to stock up, staff up, and delay growth initiatives due to processes and systems that can’t keep up,” said Bill Gibson, CEO of Deposco. “We are delighted to deliver a unified platform that feeds our customers with the information they need to put the right products at the right places at the right time and cost, rather than increasing inventory as a defensive response to ongoing changes and disruptions.”

Deposco’s Bright Suite omnichannel platform is the first of its kind to unite demand planning, supply planning, and order fulfilment through a single view of demand against real-time physical inventory execution everywhere. The platform is designed for B2B and DTC brands that need to scale growth and improve their omnichannel experiences but have not had the right tools to make timely, optimal decisions within the full context of their financial, operational, and service impacts.

Deposco’s singular omnichannel planning and fulfilment solution combines up-to-the-minute inventory data, automated demand planning insights, efficient operational workflows, and robust reporting across channels – with the flexibility to adapt and scale the technology going forward. Key benefits include:

• Coordinated decisions: Orchestrate the demand and supply end-to-end across planning and operations to respond to rapidly evolving changes, while improving cash-to-cash cycles and inventory acquisition/carrying costs.
• Improved Forecast Accuracy: Better product availability; efficient processes; and measurable forecast performance and improvements.
• Dynamically Optimised Inventory: Right inventory at the right locations, time-phased inventory investments, and automated safety stock policies to improve market agility, inventory turns, and GMROI.
• Automated Supply Planning: Efficient PO generation, real-time tracking of ASNs and receipts makes replenishment, buying, and supplier management fast and easy.

“By implementing Deposco’s supply chain planning solution into our fulfilment operations, we have seen significant improvements across our organisation,” said Bruce Bickford, Sr. Director of Supply Chain Management at RestorixHealth | AMT. “Now an end-to-end platform, the solution has transformed the way we operate. The implementation process was smooth, and Deposco has been a reliable partner for us.”
To learn more about the RestorixHealth | AMT end-to-end Deposco solution, please view the video case study here.

“No other partner offers this level of real-time inventory visibility (or actionable insights), cross-functional collaboration and efficiencies, and agile decision-making,” Gibson said. “The addition of SCP supports our mission of positioning businesses to scale current growth while establishing resiliency, increased profitability, and speed-to-value that can be used to fund future growth.”

Available now to existing Deposco customers as a bundle, SCP rounds out Deposco’s Bright Suite of cloud-based omnichannel fulfilment applications, which include Warehouse Management System (WMS), Order Management and DOM (Distributed Order Management) solutions that can be implemented with the industry’s fastest time-to-value.

WMS: Size Doesn’t Matter

If an SME is struggling with its warehouse operations and WMS, Big Box Group may have just the right answer, as Peter MacLeod discovers.

Unlike many other systems integrators operating in the logistics space, the Big Box Group says its expertise lies in optimising the operations of SMEs, rather than the household-name high street and ecommerce retailers. The group comprises three business units, namely a rapidly growing warehouse intralogistics company (dealing with racking, mezzanine floors, warehouse design and material handling products), a temporary warehouse company (although many of these so-called temporary solutions are still in everyday use decades later) and an automation arm, which covers AGVs, AMRs, goods-to-person systems, tote-to-person systems, through to scanning technologies, RFID and WMS.

Jason Dyche (pictured), Big Box Group’s Division Director, says that post-lockdown, SMEs have spent three years getting goods out of the door and hitting sales targets rather than looking at where to invest to optimise their processes, so there are now opportunities to help them bring their systems back up to date. With the IT element of the industry’s technological advances arguably running at a faster pace than other more physical aspects, Dyche feels a modern WMS system such as that offered by Big Box Group can offer small businesses the greatest immediate gains.

As an independent supplier, Big Box says it can offer solutions based on the customer’s specific needs. But sometimes in the case of SMEs the customer doesn’t have a brief – they know improvements need to be made but don’t have the specific knowledge to pinpoint exactly where. That’s where Big Box comes into its own, walking a business through its pain points and offering options to solve them whilst working to a set budget. A second challenge is that sometimes these businesses also don’t know what their budget is. A further challenge is when a customer’s IT department is change averse.

“Yes, that can be a bit of a stumbling block especially in smaller companies,” says Dyche. “We come up with some efficient solutions for colleagues and decision-makers within that business. But a lot of companies don’t find it particularly easy to understand what systems are brought into place, So we try to organise a steering group meeting, which somebody will head-up from that business, and then you can go through the whole process so the company knows exactly what you’re looking to do. We’ll also involve not just the heads of the company; we include operations and pickers from the warehouse . It’s vitally important in order to engage with end users.”

Those pain points could be related to ordering, inventory, scanning efficiencies, or the purchasing area of the business. Increasing picking accuracy towards 100% from the current industry-standard 95-97% is another area where Dyche is focusing. “We can’t be all things to all men, but if I see a business that is struggling with their systems, then I will bring in the right resource to come up with a solution. Our aim is to achieve increased productivity and increased accuracy. We can also look to reduce carbon footprint and emissions on the back of a new WMS system, especially as compliance in this area is getting stricter.”

Operating out of a satellite office in Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Big Box Group covers the entire length and breadth of the UK. Rather than retaining a large staff, its strategy is to boost its existing in-house capability by bringing in expertise on an as-needed basis. Thus by only having staff overheads when actual projects are successfully won, Big Box believes it can approach SMEs with a solution that’s likely to be more cost-effective for them.

Whatever aspect of the business is being improved, Dyche always calculates achievable payback options, a task not always simple when not all businesses have a clear idea exactly where their costs have previously been accounted for. It’s important to use a collaborative approach which effectively wins the hearts and minds of a customer’s workforce. Dyche says increased employee satisfaction is a major goal: “If you can get more people on board and understand the reasons for change, this inevitably makes their lives a bit easier, resulting in increased productivity. A happier workforce means everybody is pulling together.”

Automation: Driving Force to Supply Chain Efficiency

Robert Branigan, vice president of international distribution and logistics at Wonder, says that automation is the driving force to improving supply chain efficiency.

With advancements in technology benefitting consumers and businesses alike, increased automation will be one of the key supply chain trends in the coming years. This implementation is gathering momentum, and being agile is key to businesses meeting customer demand in the ecommerce era. However, there are complexities when introducing any type of automation. Considerations from choosing the right system and partner, to the implementation and meeting performance expectations must be taken into account.

Why automate supply chain operations

The requirement for automation comes down to providing customers with the level of service they demand to enable a customer-centric supply chain. Systems need to operate relative to the order sizes to enable efficiencies. Therefore, there needs to be an understanding of how to best make use of automation, and more so in markets with lower product margins. It is important for supply chains to allow next-day delivery to be achieved which is now common practice and within standard expectations, and automation can support this.

Understanding the challenges of automation

Businesses need to undertake a process of due diligence to ensure they understand their precise requirements and select the correct type of automation. It is essential businesses install the right automation system. If a system doesn’t deliver as intended, it could be hugely problematic and disruptive to a business, and consequently, impact customer service. There are usually limited options to recover and maintain order flows if automation fails. This can ultimately put pressure on businesses, as consumers will shop elsewhere if the desired levels of customer service aren’t provided.
The less complex back-office systems are, the better automation also becomes. Back-office systems need to be integrated and robust to enable an efficient process from receipt confirmation to despatch and customer delivery.

Consumer demand is driving automation

Consumer demand has played a pivotal role in the introduction of automation. The B2B market in the UK is already saturated, so growth projections will ultimately come from B2C demand.
At each stage of the modern supply chain, automating any steps in the process which are prone to errors is key to supporting the needs of customers. This can help break down silos between supply chain links. E-commerce has accelerated the requirement of businesses going down the automation route and the pandemic has further increased this. As such, businesses became more interested in automated systems to remain competitive.

Upskilling staff

Automation brings a different way of planning, ensuring it is optimised and how it can impact processes within other parts of the business. It creates opportunities for businesses, due to it requiring a different level of skill and provides the opportunity for warehouse operatives to learn new skills and further progress their careers. Businesses will get the best out of automation by, for example, hiring planning managers with highly developed analytical skills that also understand general business dynamics. To drive efficiencies, operations managers need to understand more about material flows. Systems superusers also need the ability and knowledge to avoid disruption and understand exactly how everything works to include any other associated equipment, from conveyors to packing machines.

Utilising the power of automation to improve supply chain efficiencies

Although there are many factors for companies to consider when introducing automation in supply chain operations, the most important one is whether it will deliver, and also support, long-term strategic plans. At Wonder, we understand the benefits of harnessing supply chain automation. That’s why we’ve invested £8m in a state-of-the-art automated warehouse robotic system and distribution centre (DC) reconfiguration at our Milton Keynes headquarters. Our AutoStore system enables increased stock availability within one central location and a faster order turnaround time for all customer channels. It also allows for greater capacity to handle a larger number of customer orders and an extended next day delivery cut-off to 9pm for B2C customers.

Revolutionising Logistics 3 Words at a Time

Global location company what3words will be exhibiting at the Retail Supply Chain and Logistics Expo in London from the 28th February to the 1st March. Adoption of the technology in the logistics and e-commerce industry is growing at pace, and the technology is playing a crucial role in helping to tackle the inefficiencies that are caused by inaccurate addressing. Jennifer Christie, Logistics & E-commerce Lead at what3words, (pictured) writes.

Inefficiencies in the Last Mile

The e-commerce boom has led to a rise in deliveries, and today as many as 85% of UK internet users place orders online. However, 74% of the UK population say guests, deliveries or services struggle to find their homes on a daily basis. Inaccurate addresses cost businesses time and money, and damage customer satisfaction. In fact, 56% say that they won’t shop with a retailer following a poor delivery experience.

The last mile accounts for up to 55% of the delivery cost, largely as a result of poor addressing. Globally, 70% of street addresses don’t lead directly to the front door, and postcodes can cover large areas, making it difficult to navigate to precise delivery locations such as entrances to large apartment buildings, rural cottages, or a tucked away side passage.

In fact, over a third UK adults have to add in additional delivery notes to help direct couriers to their front doors. Across the world, thousands of duplicate road names exist, for example, there are 34 “Victoria Roads” in London alone, causing confusion and complication for delivery drivers, and prolonging delivery times for the customer.

The simplicity of what3words addresses

It’s clear that a simple and reliable way to identify and communicate locations could transform the experience throughout the delivery supply chain. This is something that global location technology, what3words, is perfectly positioned for.

what3words is revolutionising the way we communicate location. It has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares, and given each square a unique combination of three random words, known as a what3words address. Now every loading bay, parking space, and unregistered new build block entrance has its own unique what3words address. For example, ///quiet.going.leaves will take you to a precise entrance to Spitalfields Market in London. The system works offline, is available in 54 languages, and free to download for iOS and Android, or via the online map at what3words.com

Not only is what3words making life more simple and less frustrating, but it is also increasing efficiency rates. In a delivery test conducted by DPD and Mercedes-Benz using what3words addresses, it was found that deliveries were performed 15% faster, cementing its role as a solution to the widespread last-mile problem.

In the UK, what3words is becoming a standard in the logistics industry, with major industry players such as DPD UK, DHL Parcel UK, Evri, Metapack, GFS, and APG all adopting the technology. There’s been incredible momentum in the last six months alone. DHL Parcel UK recently announced a new element to its partnership with what3words; now, all of its retailer partners can add a what3words address field at checkout. boohoo group PLC, one of Britain’s leading fashion groups, has introduced efficient deliveries for customers across its portfolio of brands. The feature has been launched on the checkout pages of boohoo, boohooMAN, Nasty Gal, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Warehouse, Coast, Misspap, Karen Millen and Oasis.

what3words is also being used by logistics companies around the world – DB Schenker and GLS in Germany; DTDC and Ecom Express in India; Aramex in the Middle East, and AxleHire in the United States. And most recently in Vietnam, HSV Group has added what3words address fields at checkout, meaning customers of Reebok Vietnam, BeautyBox and The Face Shop can get their parcels delivered exactly where they need to go.

On-time, Cost per Delivery KPIs for Logistics Providers

FarEye released the full findings of its Eye on Last-mile Delivery Report today, conducted with Researchscape International, which explores retailers’ and logistics providers’ last-mile delivery priorities and opportunities over the next five years.

Logistics providers’ priorities for performance improvement differs by company size

FarEye’s research findings for logistics providers reveals that for providers over $100 million in revenue, on-time delivery (74%) and cost per delivery (62%) are their top two priority KPIs to improve. For providers under $100 million in revenue, their top two priorities are cost of delivery (73%) and customer satisfaction (64%). As logistics providers grow, complexity and scale increase, where on-time deliveries become more challenging to execute with precision.

“Unlike retail, last-mile delivery is the backbone of logistics providers’ operations and their goals will be focused on delivery performance and cost efficiencies, above all. While their priority improvement metrics don’t differ heavily from retailers’ priority improvement areas, the difference lies in the size of the logistics provider. With size comes complexity, but also efficiency, where the cost per delivery goes down, but the difficulty in managing and tracking orders goes up,” said Stephane Gagne, vice president, product, FarEye.

Retailers and logistics providers must work together to achieve superior deliveries

How retailers and logistics providers work together to achieve the pinnacle delivery experience – one that simultaneously reduces cost to deliver while increasing customer satisfaction will be crucial. Outsourced delivery networks have become a way for retailers to increase speed to deliver (64%) and reduce cost (37%) of last-mile delivery, however, it comes with the sacrifice of less control of the consumer experience.

FarEye’s initial report findings denote that 84% of retailers that have outsourced their delivery networks want more control of their delivery networks. Specifically, 33% of retailers are challenged by logistics providers’ inability to provide reliable information and they rank carrier performance as the top factor that inhibits delivery speed.

Logistics providers’ last-mile delivery growth priorities

Over the next year, 77% of logistics providers expect their budgets for last-mile delivery technology to grow. Eighty-two percent of logistics providers claim they will likely change or buy a new last-mile delivery solution in the next 1-2 years. Forty percent of logistics providers expect to buy a last-mile delivery platform in the next five years, vs. building their own in-house (40%). Similar to retailers, logistics providers are also evaluating electric vehicles (80%), autonomous vehicles (44%) and drones (38%) to make their fleets more sustainable and efficient, over the next five years.

Research Methodology

The FarEye Eye on Last-mile Delivery research was released in two parts, in January and February 2023. FarEye analysed responses from 300 leaders across retail and logistics with responsibility for logistics and retail operations in the U.S. (32%), EMEA (36%) and APAC (32%) regions.

FarEye’s Delivery Management platform turns deliveries into a competitive advantage. Retail, e-commerce and third-party logistics companies use FarEye’s unique combination of orchestration, real-time visibility, and branded customer experiences to simplify complex last-mile delivery logistics. The FarEye platform allows businesses to increase consumer loyalty and satisfaction, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. FarEye has 150+ customers across 30 countries and five offices globally. FarEye, First Choice for Last Mile.

Rise of Direct-to-Consumer in Europe

Nearly six out of ten European organisations (59%) across ecommerce, manufacturing, retail, transport and logistics supply chain, and wholesale say their investment in the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) delivery model has increased since early 2020, with a total of 18% saying it has increased significantly. By increasing their investment, organisations believe they can improve profit margins, reduce cost, and service customers more effectively.

That’s according to a European Direct-to-Consumer research report by Deposco, a leading provider of omnichannel supply chain fulfilment solutions, polling decision-makers across the UK, Benelux and the Nordics, which points to a dynamic, fast-growing DTC sector.

However, organisations are also facing a range of barriers related to people and technology when it comes to achieving the DTC success they are seeking. These include, in the former category, lack of skilled staff, highlighted by 17% of the survey sample and culture of the company (16%), and in the latter, physical infrastructure (19%) and difficulties identifying the right infrastructure for DTC (16%).

Sustainability and Customer Experience are the key growth drivers of DTC in Europe

The latest technology is key in helping businesses protect themselves from failing to fulfil customer expectations when operating DTC. The survey reveals that many organisations are considering complete categories of products and even their whole range through DTC. Organisations must ensure that they are investing in people and technology and making sure that that their systems and processes are working at optimum efficiency levels. Putting money behind order management and fulfilment will be a key part of that.

42% of the survey sample highlighted investing more in order management and fulfilment technology as a key way of protecting themselves from failing to fulfil customer expectations when operating DTC while 29% referenced creating real-time visibility across all inventory locations.

Deposco’s complimentary report, The Rise of Direct-to-Consumer in Europe: How businesses can break through the barriers and make a success of DTC channels, is now available.

ShipStation adds UPS to its Carriers

ShipStation, a cloud-based e-commerce shipping solution, today announces that UPS is live on its carrier services platform in the UK. This new collaboration gives UK merchants using ShipStation access to UPS’s domestic and international shipping services at discounted rates, making it easier to scale their delivery operations, save on shipping costs and grow their revenue.

Quick and easy to set up, the integration gives merchants more choice and transparency when it comes to shipping. Merchants will also have the option to drop off at a growing network of nearly 35,000 UPS Access Point® locations across Europe for greater convenience and control over their deliveries. With no volume commitments, all merchants with a ShipStation account can add and access UPS as they streamline their delivery operations.

“Small and medium-sized businesses are the heart of the global economy, and we’re always looking for ways to make e-commerce easier for them – especially when it comes to cross-border trade,” said Dana Nino, Vice-President of Marketing at UPS. “We’re excited to work with ShipStation to bring our shipping services to more UK businesses. Having easy access to UPS’s flexible, reliable shipping options at discounted rates will help them achieve their business goals and thrive in the world of global e-commerce.”

“At a time when it’s more important than ever for small and medium-sized businesses to save on costs, we’re delighted to be expanding our relationship with UPS to the UK market.” said Mike Hayers, General Manager Europe at ShipStation. “Businesses on our platform can directly access UPS’s affordable rates on our carrier services platform to ship with the utmost ease to wherever they need to in the world. By removing the complexities and inflexibilities often associated with delivery management and instead giving greater choice and control when it comes to shipping, we’re enabling our merchants to focus more on the most essential part of their business, the end-consumer.”

Every day, tens of thousands of e-commerce retailers rely on ShipStation to solve the day-to-day challenges of importing orders and processing shipments. The trusted leader in shipping software since its founding in 2011, ShipStation helps online sellers scale their businesses and deliver exceptional customer experiences, with an intuitive online solution that allows them to efficiently ship orders – wherever they sell and however they ship. The multi-channel and multi-carrier platform offers the most integrations of any e-commerce solution, with more than 300 partnerships with leading shopping carts, marketplaces, carriers and fulfilment services, including UPS, FedEx, USPS, Royal Mail, Amazon, Shopify, and BigCommerce. ShipStation is a member of the Auctane family of companies and is headquartered in Austin, TX.

Automated Bagging System for Totes

An automated packaging solution – provided by distribution partner Yorkshire Packaging Systems (YPS) using Hugo Beck’s flexo e-com machine – has helped totes ISOTONER (UK) to fulfil five times its previous daily order capacity in the run up to Christmas.

totes ISOTONER is a large fashion accessory company, with operations in North America, the UK, Scandinavia and throughout Europe. With a product range featuring the original totes toastie slipper-sox (socks with slip-resistant soles) plus gloves, scarves, slippers, umbrellas, wellies and sheepskin boots, the well-known accessory, gift and footwear brand is stocked in stores across the UK and also runs a B2C e-commerce service, shipping daily online orders out direct to customers’ homes.

The run-up to Christmas 2021 was a particularly busy season for totes’ warehouse and office facility in Billericay, Essex, prompting the company to automate its packaging processes. Prior to the recent investment, totes’ dispatch of orders involved a manual pick and pack process whereby goods were loaded by hand into a choice of three different sized, pre-formed, loose mailing bags. This process often proved problematic, particularly during peak periods, when demand would outstrip physical capacity.

In the first quarter of 2022, totes approached YPS in need of an automated machine, capable of achieving target speeds of 720 packed bags per hour – equating to 12 packs per minute. In addition, the solution proposed needed to sync with their existing ERP systems and allow totes to reduce their reliance on Royal Mail’s data system by including high-speed and GDPR compliant courier label printing.

“To measure up to totes’ needs, YPS recommended the horizontal Hugo Beck flexo e-commerce automatic bagging unit, with an internally mounted VULCAN direct apply labeller from Clearmark,” says Tom Hill, Sales Manager at Yorkshire Packaging Systems. “Hugo Beck’s solution is tailored specifically to coping with the demands of a busy e-commerce packaging line, with its high-speeds, high volume and data security. Replacing totes’ original grey mailing bags with precise-fitted packaging, the machine is able to accommodate over 95% of totes’ product range, from single pairs of socks right up to boxed pairs of wellies. It is this responsiveness to product dimensions which makes the flexo e-com system ideal for totes’ dynamic, busy warehouse. The production does not need to be batched,” explains Hill.

Furthermore, to maintain totes’ brand consistency, YPS were able to replicate the plastic film used on the new line with the original preformed bags by colour matching the shrink film, thus creating durable, 525mm 50mu polythene which is 100% recyclable with a 50% post-consumer waste blend.

The machine scans each order’s unique printed barcode and the correct customer address label is seamlessly recalled by the VULCAN. The length of each product is also detected and the flexo e-com machine then tailors the bag length to precisely match, resulting in a snug finished pack and minimised material usage. The bag width can also be adjusted on the fly with a simple wheel winding mechanism. Before destroying the data in a one in, one out method, translating to complete security and GDPR compliance for totes, the label is applied to each bag via an all-electric system using continuous motion of the VULCAN – significantly increasing the line speed compared to stop-start application models. Furthermore, there is no need for compressed air supply and pneumatic parts which can both require regular maintenance.

Since installation, totes reports that the new e-commerce line has entirely overhauled its UK operation. Far outstripping the target speeds of 12 packs per minute, at sign off the solution achieved an impressive speed of 18 packs per minute and 1080 packs per hour – a daily order output five times greater than pre-install.

“Investing in this equipment from YPS has proven to be a gamechanger,” commented Karl Blackburn, Operations Director at totes ISOTONER (UK). “We’ve radically increased our throughput, allowing us to complete more online order despatches in a faster timeframe and please more of our customers,” concluded Karl Blackburn. “The support offered by the team at YPS has been second to none; every technical query has been answered and resolved quickly and professionally, allowing us to run at peak performance.” Based in the United Kingdom, YPS is part of Hugo Beck’s extensive global sales partner network with dedicated sales representatives all over the world.

Pharmacy Boasts 1st Piece-picking Solution

Swedish online pharmacy Apotea automated its logistics centre last Autumn with a piece-picking solution to quickly, easily, and smoothly deliver approximately 50,000 orders a day to its customers. Following international cooperation between Element Logic, AutoStore, RightHand Robotics and Apotea, the centre fully integrated eOperator piece-picking robots with an AutoStore solution, a world first.

Pharmacy products are one of the fastest-growing segments of both Swedish and European e-commerce. Apotea.se is Sweden’s largest online pharmacy, with the country’s most comprehensive range of over-the-counter products and prescription drugs.

“During the pandemic, we looked at expanding the capacity to go from delivering 50,000 orders to 100,000 orders. That’s when we started looking at Element Logic and AutoStore. When we thought of installing AutoStore, it was precisely the ability to be able to robotise the picking that was one of the driving forces,” says Pär Svärdson, CEO at Apotea.

Apotea strives to deliver the best customer experience in the industry through fast and accurate deliveries. In Apotea’s logistics centre in Morgongåva, Sweden, the company has invested in automation from Element Logic, which takes care of the entire warehouse process. The goal is to optimise delivery and efficiency and cope with large variations in incoming orders.

The installation consists of 20,000 bins (with space for a total of 25,000), 30 AutoStore robots (R5) and four carousel ports, three of which are served by eOperator piece-picking robots. Initially, the new capacity at Apotea is estimated to be 800 order lines per hour. The installation is a collaboration between Element Logic, AutoStore, RightHand Robotics and Apotea. At the end of 2022, all CEOs and founders from the respective companies met at Apotea to inaugurate the solution.

“For us, it was essential to have a solution that can handle variations in product size and order intake, and that can expand as we grow. This investment helps us become more efficient, which makes it easier for us to exceed our customers’ expectations,” says Svärdson.

“To Apotea, the automation solution of AutoStore, eOperator and other features from Element Logic goes splendidly with their combined targets of optimal warehouse efficiency and environmental care. We look forward to following Apotea’s journey towards highly accurate deliveries along with saved energy, reduced noise levels and ergonomically friendly working hours,” says Dag-Adler Blakseth, CEO at Element Logic Group.

Apotea’s investment in eOperator, the world’s most advanced piece-picking robot solution, makes them pioneers internationally by using it to pick from an AutoStore installation. eOperator picks automatically 24/7, requiring no light at night. Through machine learning, eOperator automatically selects the best way to handle an item to be picked, increasing order capacity, goods handling, and delivery time.

“eOperator makes it possible to deliver quickly to customers, even at nights, weekends and bank holidays. You get a 24-hour operation, which is completely exceptional. We get better efficiency and faster deliveries, making everything cheaper and more efficient. It became natural to say, yes, let’s go,” continues Svärdson.

Apotea is not only Sweden’s market-leading online pharmacy, but also the country’s most sustainable e-commerce company, according to Sustainable Brand Index 2020 and 2021. Apotea‘s goal is to reduce the climate footprint throughout the entire chain, from production to the end consumer. On the roof of their logistics centre, you will find one of Sweden’s most extensive solar cell facilities that supply the entire AutoStore system.

“Our goal is to become Sweden’s most sustainable company, which is both brave and ambitious. It is vital for humanity and our environment, but also to be competitive. I believe that future customers will demand a different approach to sustainability from companies than today,” explains Svärdson.

AutoStore is a modular and scalable robotic solution for storing products efficiently. Compared to a manual warehouse, picking performance is ten times higher with AutoStore. The system consists of a grid where robots pick and deliver goods on the smartest available routes. The robots work around the clock and recharge when needed. At Apotea’s ports, the picked goods are delivered to both human operators and three eOperator piece-picking robots.

“Apotea has had a fantastic growth journey in Swedish e-commerce. By connecting an AutoStore system with Element Logic‘s smart piece-picking solution, eOperator, and other automation, we can help them continue to offer their customers fast and accurate deliveries and improved order capacity and goods handling,” explains Anders Bohlin, Sales Director at Element Logic Sweden.

Facts about Element Logic’s installation:
• 20,000 bins (with space for a total of 25,000)
• 30 AutoStore robots (R5)
• 4 carousel ports
• 3 piece-picking robots (eOperator)
• 800 order lines per hour (calculated capacity)
• 24/7 operations

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