The adidas Group automates with KNAPP

The adidas Group, international player in sportswear manufacturing with the brands adidas and Reebok, has commissioned KNAPP to automate its new e-commerce centre in Rieste, near Osnabrück in northwest Germany. With the provision of a new, high-performance all-in-shuttle solution, KNAPP will support the adidas Group in handling the flow of e-commerce goods, enabling strong growth in the business and making it possible for the organisation to react flexibly to the changing demands in the sportswear sector.

With more than 55,000 employees in over 160 countries, the adidas Group produces a wide range of articles each year. In peak periods, more than 350,000 products a day leave the group’s largest distribution centre worldwide. The expansion of the facility with KNAPP’s automation solution will allow the constantly growing volume of e-commerce orders to be handled effectively. Alongside managing the large quantities of outgoing deliveries and the constantly changing assortment, the adidas Group has a strong focus on customer service. Fast transit times and high levels of flexibility were therefore crucial in the choice of system.

The e-commerce solution being delivered by KNAPP, particularly its OSR Shuttle technology, fits the bill precisely for these requirements. Thanks to the design of the Pick-it-Easy Shop workstations, order picking is carried out ergonomically according to the goods-to-person principle in an intuitive, error-free workflow. The warehouse logistics software, KiSoft, guarantees efficient processing for every article in the online shop.

Start-up of the new system is planned for 2018. Gerald Hofer, CEO of KNAPP AG said: “This project is a prime example of our philosophy of making complexity simple. The flexible OSR Shuttle solution provides access at all times to all articles and gives the adidas Group the independence needed for future business development. The entire solution is modularly constructed and can be easily expanded. We look forward to the collaboration with the adidas Group and the successful realisation of this all-in-shuttle project.”