DHL Supply Chain has implemented its first European fully automated Autostore logistics system with robot picking in Braunschweig, Germany, for the omnichannel auction platform 1-2-3.tv.
The Autostore system was designed by the logistics technology company Element Logic and uses robot picking and a software solution to increase the processing speed of each individual order, improve operational efficiency and maximize the location’s storage capacity. This compact storage and retrieval system enables optimized space-saving storage of small parts and fully automatic picking of up to 18,000,000 items per year.
Element Logic’s solution consists of an aluminum frame in which the current inventory is stacked and stored over 16 levels in more than 40,000 plastic containers. The top floor serves as a route for the robots, 26 of which are deployed in the 1-2-3.tv warehouse in Braunschweig where they automatically pick the ordered goods and group them for further processing by the employees. The goods are placed in the respective package for the customer order on a dispatch and transportation system, automatically sealed and then dispatched. Following 1-2-3.tv’s recent investment in order acceptance processes and the digitalization of its entire supply chain, this solution represents the company’s third optimization step along its process chain.
Eberhard Kuom, executive vice president of finance and operations at 1-2-3.tv, said, “Our company has already invested heavily in lean processes and sustainable automation in the past. With the introduction of the flexible and modular robotic solution from Autostore, we are building on the strong growth realized in recent years, optimizing our logistics processes sustainably, and are therefore ideally equipped for future growth. We are pleased to have DHL Supply Chain as a highly professional partner at our side. Integrating the Autostore solution into the existing infrastructure during peak times was an enormous achievement.”
Andreas Bicking, business unit director of e-commerce at DHL Supply Chain Germany and Alps, said, “We are pleased that this automated solution will allow us to further strengthen our trust-based cooperation with our long-standing customer 1-2-3.tv, and to invest in a successful future together. Thanks to the Autostore system, we have continuous inventory control and can achieve high efficiency in storage and retrieval, so that customer orders can be processed quickly and reliably. In addition, the logistics solution relieves our employees on-site by shortening walking distances. Most importantly, they are now able to focus their energies on more demanding activities in other areas on-site.”