Nothing fashionable about being late

Innovative material handling solutions for Varner, including a system operation contract, has helped to further cement Swisslog's position as a leading provider of automated intralogistics solutions for the retail and e-commerce industry.

Swisslog is acting as general contractor for the material handling elements of a new distribution centre in Vänersborg, Sweden. The solution comprises cranes and conveyors for pallets and light goods, a crossbelt sorter, a hanging garment solution and Swisslog’s proprietary warehouse management software and controls systems. Varner chose Swisslog as it was able to provide everything from a single source - from consulting to cutting-edge technology, implementation to after-sales service. With a clear understanding of the growth strategy Swisslog was able to focus on both short and long-term capabilities.

The storage volume of the DC amounts to 48,000 pallet locations in a high-bay warehouse, 330,000 dynamic locations in the miniload system as well as 60,000 bins in an AutoStore small parts storage system. System operation services performed by Swisslog’s on-site engineers are also part of the contract. Integration of the material handling systems is due to start in April 2015 and hand-over to the customer is expected for summer 2016.

Based in Norway, the Varner Group is a leading and fast growing fashion retailer with a turnover of over one billion euros and more than 1 500 stores throughout Scandinavia, Finland, Germany, Iceland and Poland. It owns fashion brands such as BikBok, Carlings, Cubus, Dressmann, Wow, Volt and Urban. In order to be well prepared for the future, Varner will insource and consolidate its logistics operations from six third-party warehouses (3PL) to one state-of-the-art DC in Sweden from where they will supply their entire European market. “We were looking for a scalable, cost efficient, ergonomic and green solution,” explains Anders Eriksson, Head of Logistics at Varner Retail AB. “Swisslog’s innovative solution design was the final convincing factor. Automation is a driving force in fashion retail, with easy delivery and returns attracting new, young, tech-savvy shoppers.”

The Varner Group is a major player in the clothing and textile industry and has 12 chain store concepts with a total of 1,500 stores in 9 countries.