Swiss grocery giant, Migros, expands automated facility powered by Witron
Migros-Verteilbetrieb Neuendorf AG, one of Switzerland’s largest logistics operators, is expanding and modernising its existing logistics centre in Neuendorf, Switzerland, in partnership with WITRON Logistik + Informatik, a German company specialising in logistics automation.
To be completed by 2021
Upon completion, the revamped facility, which will include a frozen goods and a non-food area warehouse, will be boasting some impressive figures: 100,000 different items, some 500,000 cases per day, 250,000 pallet storage locations, 136,000 tray storage locations, and 240,000 tote storage locations. It will also be powered by WITRON’s OPM (Order Picking Machinery) technology.
Thomas Kissling, from Migros-Verteilbetrieb AG in Neuendorf, who is responsible for the non-food area, comments: “We are replacing an existing Schäfer system in the frozen goods area with WITRON’s OPM technology while we are also expanding the operation to include the assortment of the Denner discount store chain. In the non-food area, we are expanding the logistics processes with the AIO system, an OPM system, and a CPS system. Moreover, in order to meet the increasing e-commerce demand, we are further automating the online processes”.
The non-food area in Neuendorf is able handle the shipment of store orders, store pick-ups (click + collect) as well as online orders.
“ Our goal is to be able to pick close to 100 percent automatically or semi-automatically”
Premium customer service
Migros-Verteilbetrieb aims also to provide a premium customer service for all distribution channels – store and e-commerce orders. This means: Store-friendly picked pallets, roll containers and totes, optimally filled shipping cartons in the correct size, less waste, on-time delivery, and consumer-friendly prices.
In the neighboring frozen goods warehouse, the Swiss logistics operator will rely on WITRON’s OPM system, replacing a Schäfer system in order to cope with the current growth.
Alexander Schweizer, IT and data expert at Migros-Verteilbetrieb, explains: “Our frozen goods warehouse runs fully automatically – 24/7. The quantities have increased strongly over the past months. In the future, we will also be responsible for the frozen goods business of the Denner discount stores, an operation where we will need to pick onto roll containers. The current system can neither handle this volume any longer, nor was it possible to expand the system. This is why we are buying ten new COM machines from WITRON”.
Source: https://supplychainanalysis.igd.com/news/news-article/t/migros-expands-existing-logistics-centre-in-switzerland/i/26116
