miniload Archives

Centralized DC in Spain using Mobile Robots

Posted on 9 November, 202325 July, 2025 by David Priestman

In an effort to expand its logistics capacity and deploy efficient logistics management and technological innovations throughout the company, Desigual, an international fashion company based in Barcelona, has once again trusted SSI Schaefer.

To centralize operations at its distribution centre in Viladecans, Spain, Desigual is replacing a traditional pallet rack for overstock with a new area equipped with 24 RackBots from SSI Schaefer’s range of SSI Mobile Robots. In the first phase, the initial orders (push) are prepared there; these supply the company’s branch stores with the collections for the next season. The goal is to pick 30,000 units per day in two shifts in this new area.

When orders are assembled, a key requirement of this project is to organize them by collection and include all the sizes of a model combined together in the end. SSI Schaefer proposed a solution that could meet this sequencing requirement and ensure consistent store-ready order preparation – a key element in Desigual’s plan to improve the shopping experience. The solution SSI Schaefer proposed is also flexible enough to pick other types of orders, such as repeat orders of the same items (in-season re-orders) in department stores or Desigual branch stores, as well as picking online orders.

Jorge Soriano, Logistics & Distribution Manager at Desigual, explains: “Comparing RackBots to other types of solutions, they are obviously a flexible solution that is easy to scale, and they allow us to both expand storage capacity with new racks and increase dynamic capacity by purchasing new RackBots. In Desigual we are committed to efficient logistics management and technological innovation to improve product availability at its points of sale and through all our distribution channels.”

An extension of the conveyor belts connects the new area where the RackBots work to the existing SSI Schaefer system. This conveying system transports the cartons to the new area directly from the incoming goods area or the existing high-bay warehouse, which SSI Schaefer designed for Desigual in previous projects and which is made up of 10 SSI Miniloads and 200,000 storage locations for cartons. The customer order cartons that are prepared in the new RackBot area are either delivered to customers via shipping lanes or temporarily stored in the high-bay rack for later shipping.

Centralizing operations at the Viladecans distribution centre is part of the company’s ‘Open Desigual’ philosophy, based on the principle of cross-collaboration. Collaboration with the best partners in each area of the business allows the company to be ever closer to consumers and offer them the best experience in physical stores and digital retailing. For this project, Desigual teamed up with SSI Schaefer, a partner specializing in optimization of logistics processes. Commissioning of the new area is scheduled for November 2023.

Project details:
• Number of RackBots: 24
• Number of storage locations: 7,980 storage locations for 600×400×400 mm cartons
• Rack height: 5.3 meters (last carton level at 4.9 meters)
• 4 picking stations equipped with Put to Light racks with 16 positions per workstation
• Incoming via RackBot Port

Performance:
• 486 cartons/hour for the picking stations with 300 incoming cartons/hour at the same time
• 648 cartons/hour for the picking stations (without simultaneous incoming cartons)

Automatic Small-parts Warehouse with Pallet Channel

Posted on 6 October, 202325 July, 2025 by David Priestman

ITH GmbH & Co. KG, a leading system supplier in the field of bolting technology from M16 up-wards, is using a new automatic small-parts warehouse. The company develops, produces and sells hydraulic, pneumatic and electric tools. ITH placed an order with the system integrator Klinkhammer Intralogistics with logistics planning and subsequently with the construction of an automated small parts warehouse and pallet channel warehouse as well as the retro-fit of the existing tray warehouse at the Meschede site. With this automation, a six-fold increase in the current logistical throughput, in terms of the number of order items, is possible in the small parts area. Existing and new warehouse systems will be equipped with the material flow control and the warehouse management software KlinkWARE 11.

As a medium-sized, owner-managed mechanical engineering company, the worldwide sales network includes twelve ITH subsidiaries and more than 40 worldwide representatives. In addition to bolting technology, the company also offers fastening elements, engineering services and a comprehensive service as a system supplier. The vertical range of manufacture of over 90 %, which is unique in the market, enables ITH to react flexibly and quickly to enquiries and to guarantee a high availability of components.

As the logistics had reached its limits in terms of performance, ITH commissioned the development of a future-oriented logistics concept that, in addition to expansions, would also take into account process optimisations of the existing warehouse technology. After a comprehensive logistics planning, which included all logistical areas from delivery to the supply of production to the dispatch of finished products, the decision was made to build a new automatic three-aisle container warehouse in order to significantly increase the picking performance. For an optimal logistical process, conveyor-connected combined workstations are planned between the tote warehouse and the existing tray warehouse, each of which has 7 replenishment tote positions and thus ensures a continuous flow of totes. The warehouse is optimally prepared for a significant increase in the parts assortment in the future, also due to the software-supported partitioning oft the load carrier. The container warehouse offers two different height classes.

In addition, a single-aisle pallet channel warehouse is to be built. The channel storage system is characterised by a particularly high storage density. Due to the multiple-deep storage, up to five pallets can be stored compactly one behind the other. The camera system on the stacker crane with an opening angle of approx. 180° is used for fast and targeted troubleshooting directly from the control room. In the course of this, the narrow-aisle warehouse will also be expanded and the existing tray warehouse will be modernised. In future, all warehouse systems will be equipped with the material flow computer and the warehouse management software KlinkWARE 11 and thus operated with a uniform software solution. The logistics centre is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2025.

The managing directors Frank and Jörg Hohmann as well as the project manager Jan Hohmann confirm the good cooperation: “We have experienced Klinkhammer as a reliable, innovative provider of logistics solutions and are looking forward to the completion of the logistics facility.”

Fastpick Live in State-of-the-art DC

Posted on 26 June, 202325 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Vanderlande has delivered its highly-automated FASTPICK solution to VF Corporation (VF), one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies. The goods-to-person (GtP) system, which incorporates innovative ADAPTO shuttle technology, has been installed in VF’s new state-of-the-art distribution centre (DC) in Ontario, California, and went operational this month.

VF selected Vanderlande to supply FASTPICK for the new DC because of the solution’s flexible and scalable design. It’s capable of delivering high-performance sequencing on a relatively small footprint, making it both an efficient and sustainable solution. The collaboration builds on a solid foundation, as the two companies have already successfully executed three warehousing projects in Europe.

The new facility is the largest and most efficient in VF’s global network of 46 DCs. With the capacity to ship 485,000 units per day, the DC provides more efficient services for the company’s own retail stores and wholesale customers, while fulfilling next day e-commerce orders for consumers in California, Nevada, Arizona and southern Utah. Initially the centre will service the Vans® and The North Face® brands, but will be capable of adding more brands from the VF portfolio in the future.

Vanderlande’s end-to-end solution covers all operations from receiving and storage, through to picking, packing and shipping. ADAPTO, Vanderlande’s shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS), is central to the operation. The AS/RS supplies orders to the 28 ergonomically designed, height-adjustable GtP workstations, which are capable of handling 10,500 order lines per hour.

“We are proud to introduce VF’s largest and most efficient distribution centre to date,” says Cameron Bailey, VF’s Executive Vice President Global Supply Chain. “Servicing our consumers and customers is our number one focus. This facility allows us to get our products to our consumers faster using technologically advanced equipment, which results in reduced lead times and increased efficiency in meeting consumer demand.”

“We’re delighted to partner with VF to implement our market-leading, future-proof automated warehouse solutions,” says Francisco Moreno Velo, Vanderlande’s President of Warehouse Solutions North America. “FASTPICK’s flexibility will help the company meet customer demand across all sectors – wholesale, retail and e-commerce – while providing an ergonomic working environment for its operators.”

Sports Retailer Relies on Efficient WMS

Posted on 23 June, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The international distributor of sportswear and equipment Sportisimo s.r.o. is launching the Warehouse Management System PSIwms and the Material Flow Control PSImfc from PSI. With a focus on the agile implementation method, the order was placed directly via the PSI App Store.

PSIwms includes extensive functions for handling the logistics processes in the Sportisimo’s distribution centre located in Ostrava, Czech Republic. It takes into account the specifics of both the e-commerce market and stationary retail. The preconfigured Omnichannel release enables efficient implementation and flexible customization and will support the Omnichannel processes as well as a proprietary system. The launch of the first, pilot phase was scheduled for January 2023 and has been completed on time.

PSI Polska is also responsible for the delivery of the Material Flow Control System PSImfc to manage the miniload automated small parts warehouse with 11 aisles and with a capacity of over 300,000 cartons and over 6,000 meters of conveying systems. The project also includes the development of complex batching needed to orchestrate automation of picking process.

“With the solution from PSI, we have the opportunity to optimize our automated warehouse and meet our business needs”, explains Paweł Waler Supply Chain Director at Sportisimo. He adds: “PSI convinced us with the implementation time and the leap in efficiency in all logistics processes. In addition, the agile implementation method offers cost distribution over time as well as flexible software development.

Aliaksei Siparau, Board advisor and former CFO/COO complements at Sportisimo: “Right from the beginning of the project, PSI was able to deliver the running real prototypes which we could use for testing to speed up production deployment significantly. All lightning fast, including automation interfaces. In the first quarter of 2023 PSI has already delivered the solution for the miniload and Pick Tower and we are really glad about the results”.

Sportisimo is a European retail company and one of the leading distributors of sports apparel and equipment from the world’s most popular sports brands. In addition to online sales in 25 countries, the retailer runs over 200 brick-and-mortar stores in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.

With over 400 employees in Poland, PSI Polska already counts renowned retail chain companies such as LPP, CCC and Empik among its customers. Moreover, PSIwms replaced the previous warehousing systems at Empik, CCC and Asmet.

The PSI Group develops its own software products for optimizing the flow of energy and materials for utilities (energy grids, energy trading, public transport) and industry (metals production, automotive, mechanical engineering, logistics). The industry-specific products, which are built from standard components, are sold both directly and via the cloud-based PSI App Store and can also be customized by customers and partners themselves. PSI was founded in 1969 and employs more than 2,200 people worldwide.

Elten Expands German Warehouse Capacity

Posted on 14 June, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Fortna, a leading automation and software company for the full logistics value chain, has partnered with Elten, manufacturer of safety and occupational footwear, to consolidate and upgrade its central warehouse in Uedem, Germany.

Responding to steady growth and rising customer demand for greater speed and flexibility, ELTEN commissioned FORTNA with the design and implementation of the project, which will be rolled out in stages and during ongoing operations. The go-live of the miniload AS/RS in April 2023 marked the completion of the first construction phase.

Founded in 1910 and now in the family’s fourth generation, ELTEN employs over 400 people. The company headquarters in Uedem on the Lower Rhine include offices and warehousing, along with the end production of safety and work shoes, which are sold online and distributed to B2B and B2C customers worldwide.

“With over 5,000 order lines daily, a trend that has been rising steeply for ten years now, we have known for a while that our logistics operations would have to adapt if we wanted to stay competitive in the future,” says Georg Maxwill, Head of Supply Chain Management at ELTEN. “We started construction of the miniload on an adjacent site back in 2020 with a view to centralizing all processes so as to improve the volume and efficiency of our operations and increase our turnaround times. The FORTNA team supported us, as they have in all our projects since the original construction of our current building at the start of the millennium.”

From manual to automatic: 22 meters tall, eight aisles, a footprint of 5,250 square meters and a storage capacity for 143,840 cartons containing shoes, insoles and shoelaces – all of these are the cornerstones of the new miniload warehouse making significant improvements to the intralogistics processes. “Before the construction phase even started, a new WMS was installed in anticipation of the forthcoming automation,” explains Waldemar Ungefug, Project Manager with FORTNA. “The miniload system now consolidates all incoming items – shoes and shoe components – from third parties and ELTEN’s production. We expect the connection of the automatic storage system to the outbound processing in Phase 2 to happen equally flawlessly during ongoing operations.”

The second phase of construction is planned for completion by the end of 2023. Phase 2 will include the expansion of shelving capacities through the installation of a mezzanine and new conveyor technology to ensure automatic replenishment of the order picking area, as well as connection to outbound goods. This is also where order sorting takes place, with orders reaching their final destinations via shipping companies or CEP service providers.

“Integrating the miniload into the existing operations without any problems and the improvements we gain from the new systems and processes are vital for the positioning of our company,” says Georg Maxwill. Equally important, automation will help ELTEN overcome the challenges it faces in finding qualified labour. “However, our team needn’t be worried about losing their jobs because by consolidating our fulfilment in one place, Uedem is increasing its processing capacity, thereby, requiring additional staff.”

Capacity expansion and centralized processes enable ELTEN the ideal conditions to meet changing customer requirements and to process orders quickly and flexibly both now and in the future, even with substantial long-term growth.

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 fulfillment 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 center operational design and implementation, material handling automated equipment, robotics and a comprehensive suite of lifecycle services.

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