DHL Supply Chain Puts Fully Automated Small Parts Warehouse into Operation
Omnichannel auction platform 1-2-3.tv is focusing on digitizing its supply chains and warehouse logistics. On behalf of the broadcaster, DHL Supply Chain has now implemented its first fully automated Autostore logistics system in Europe in Braunschweig.
The starting signal has been given in Braunschweig for the first fully automated Autostore logistics system by DHL Supply Chain, the Deutsche Post DHL Group division specializing in contract logistics. The system runs in the warehouse of the omnichannel auction platform 1-2-3.tv. The company says that the new system enables small parts to be stored in a space-saving manner and picked fully automatically. The capacity is 18 million products per year. Storage is possible in up to 40,000 plastic containers, which can be stacked on 16 levels. At the top level, robots move to pick the goods and assemble them for further processing by employees.
“Our company has already invested heavily in lean processes and sustainable automation in the past. With the introduction of Autostore’s flexible and modular robotics solution, we are building on the strong growth of recent years, sustainably optimizing our logistics processes, and are thus ideally equipped for future growth,” explains Eberhard Kuom, Executive Vice President Finance and Operations at 1-2-3.tv, adding that this will enable the company to better map its broad range of products and services and make maximum use of the warehouse site’s capacity.
The Autostore solution by supplier Element Logic consists of an aluminum frame in which the current inventory is stacked and stored in more than 40,000 plastic containers on 16 levels. The top level serves as a travel route for the robots, 26 of which are in use at the 1-2-3.tv warehouse in Braunschweig alone, to pick the ordered goods fully automatically and assemble them for further processing by the employees. The goods are placed in the respective package for the customer order on a shipping and transporting system, automatically sealed, and shipped.
