Case Studies > E-Commerce Automation: Continuous Expansions Maximize Throughput and Minimize Operating Costs

E-Commerce Automation: Continuous Expansions Maximize Throughput and Minimize Operating Costs

Customer Company Size

Mid-size Company

Region

Europe

Country

Switzerland

Product

AutoStore
Click&Pick®
QuickMove

Tech Stack

Robotics
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS)
Conveyor Systems

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements
Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Automation & Control - Automation & Process Control Systems
Networks & Connectivity - Wireless Local Area Network

Applicable Industries

E-Commerce
Retail

Applicable Functions

Warehouse & Inventory Management
Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Warehouse Automation
Inventory Management
Supply Chain Visibility

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

The Competec Group includes e-commerce companies BRACK.CH AG and Alltron AG and sells more than 80,000 items directly from its warehouse. The range of products covers items from more than 1,000 manufacturers in the areas of IT, electronics, home and garden, family and leisure. Competec Logistik AG is the logistics service provider for the trading companies within the Competec Group. Its headquarters are at the Competec Logistics Center in Willisau, Switzerland. Services include next-business-day delivery for orders placed before 5:00 pm and same-day delivery for orders placed before 9:00 am. The Competec Group, whose corporate headquarters are in Mägenwil, Switzerland, also includes online IT retailer BRACK.CH AG, IT/CE/electronics/telecom distributor Alltron AG, and the central services consolidated under Competec Service AG. The Group employs 483 people and generated approximately 535 million Swiss Francs in sales in 2015. The companies within the Competec Group use shipping practices that are climate-neutral.

The Challenge

Until 2012, Competec had four different locations where products were stored and picked. The ordered products had to be consolidated in the main distribution center through a cumbersome process. In light of the constantly growing demand, the existing logistics capacities were quickly reaching their limits. Because customers expect all orders received by 5:00 pm to be shipped the same day, Competec needed to centralize and automate their logistics operations to meet this level of service. After comparing different goods-to-person concepts, Competec decided in 2011 to go with the new Click&Pick® solution from Swisslog. AutoStore enabled them to achieve a high storage density, and robot vehicles quickly and efficiently handled the storage and retrieval processes for the items stored in bins. The new, scalable, and highly advanced system enabled Competec to quickly and efficiently process a growing number of small batch sizes.

The Solution

Competec installed one of the world's largest and most advanced AutoStore systems in its 55,000 m² distribution center in Willisau near Lucerne. The facility went into operation in mid-2015. The AutoStore system enabled Competec to achieve a high storage density, with robot vehicles quickly and efficiently handling the storage and retrieval processes for the items stored in bins. The new, scalable, and highly advanced system allowed Competec to process a growing number of small batch sizes efficiently. Since the company continued to grow even after the new system went into operation, the ability to quickly and flexibly expand the new system was soon put to the test. Just one year after the scalable Click&Pick® solution had been introduced, the transport capacity was expanded to meet the increasing requirements by adding additional robots. The need for expansion again became critical in early 2014, leading to the addition of a second, even larger AutoStore system. The goal of the second AutoStore system was to give the Competec Group ample room to grow. Scalability and expandability were again top priorities. The new system now permits maximum expandability with a reasonable initial investment. Future additions can be completed in just a few weeks, depending on the requirements. Capital costs are incurred at the same time that the associated investment can be used, giving the Competec Group an outstanding cost-benefit ratio.

Operational Impact

The expanded AutoStore system allows robots to move over the surface of the aluminum grid at a speed of approximately three meters per second. If a robot has to extend its long grippers to pull up the requested bin from below, it places the bins that are in the middle in any location that is temporarily available. This only takes a matter of seconds. Robots nearby return the adjacent bins and those underneath to their original locations on the grid while the robot vehicle is still moving the requested bin to the right picking station.
One of the biggest advantages of the AutoStore system is that it eliminates downtimes. If one robot fails, another takes over its tasks. As a result, all robots can transfer all bins to any picking station. If one picking station is down, the remaining ones remain unaffected.
The QuickMove light-goods conveyor is another component of the Competec solution. It rapidly transports customer packages to the fully integrated automated volume reducers and box sealers. After the shipping labels have been affixed, the packages are transported to the individual loading destinations.

Quantitative Benefit

BRACK.CH was able to more than double its storage capacity.
The online store introduced same-day delivery in 2015.
The Competec Group employs 483 people and generated approximately 535 million Swiss Francs in sales in 2015.