Organic wholesaler doubles output with smart automation

Switzerland-based Bio Partner reached warehouse capacity after a merger and worked with Swisslog to increase its footprint with an automated storage system.

The 12,200 sq m warehouse handles 10,000+ products, a process now optimised thanks to the AutoStore storage solution.

“Companies with large warehouses have to constantly work on increasing efficiency and our robot systems work flawlessly around the clock,” says Swisslog CEO Dr. Christian Baur. The aim of this new system from Swisslog is to automate the storage and picking of the dry assortment and to compress it in terms of volume.

The new AutoStore system has 44 robots with the ability to handle 25,000 containers and at least 6,000 products completely autonomously. 

“The high-tech robots create a volume of 900 containers per hour and, depending on the development, this system can still be expanded considerably,” adds Baur. 

The orders are automatically transmitted to the AutoStore system and processed in accordance with parallel processes, which is a huge advantage in large warehouses. This means that higher volumes can be made available in a shorter time. Picking errors cost time and money, and robots don't make mistakes since the hardware and software work together perfectly. Bio Partner relies on the modular warehouse management software SynQ from Swisslog to orchestrate the warehouse and picking processes based on data-based insights.

“Our company relies on long-term, sustainable partnerships. With Swisslog, we found a strong local partner and the system installation was quick and easy,” commented Bio Partner head of warehouse logistics Lukas Mettler.

For more information, visit www.swisslog.com