From 100% manual to 80% robotised
E-fulfilment center ShopWeDo will transform into one of the first fully automated e-commerce warehouses in Belgium this year. To do this, it will work with the Dutch company Lalesse Logistic Solutions. AutoStore, a compact robotic storage and order-picking system, will ensure the automated handling of 70% of the orders.
Since the start of the corona pandemic, B2C e-commerce has received an enormous boost. As logistics partner to more than 150 webshops, ShopWeDo ended 2020 with an unprecedented growth of 140%. To keep up with demand from its partners, the company is moving towards automation and robotisation.
Jens De Schryver, Kenny Van Paesschen, Veronique Bogaerts, Machiel van den Hazelkamp and Eric Ebbers.
The headquarters in Mechelen-Zuid will undergo a complete metamorphosis with the robotic storage and order-picking system from Lalesse Logistics Solutions. Together with an automatic packing line from Savoye Supply Chain Solutions, this represents an investment of around two million euros to increase capacity and efficiency.
In order to raise warehouse operations to a higher level, ShopWeDo will be implementing the innovative AutoStore system over the next four months. This system, which consists of several robots on an aluminium grid, makes order picking virtually automatic. The goods are picked by robots, which then bring them to the workstation. Staff members take the ordered goods and the robot returns the rest to the right location. The AutoStore system is also self-learning. Products that are ordered frequently are automatically given a prominent position.
For the realisation of this robotisation project, ShopWeDo is working with the Dutch warehouse integrator Lalesse Logistic Solutions. Christiaan Dorval, account manager at Lalesse, emphasises the potential of the system for ShopWeDo. “A system like AutoStore provides a huge efficiency boost. The available space is better utilised and the order picking process is faster and has a lower error rate. In addition, the system offers the opportunity to continue growing and is easy to expand. It therefore perfectly matches the ambitions of ShopWeDo.”
With smart integrations, we can meet the growing demand from our customers. They increase efficiency and reduce the risk of picking errors, resulting in cost savings,” says ShopWeDo CEO Kenny Van Paesschen.