Swisslog

Machines are increasingly taking over tasks that humans have performed for decades. From Luddites in the 1800s to modern day “digital refuseniks”, some have always resisted change, and yet today’s robots are more capable than ever.

Should physical retailers utilise their store network as mini distribution centres as they seek to compete with the success of e-commerce players? To help you form your own opinion, here are the advantages and disadvantages of the ship-from-store technique, which has become a popular method with Australian retailers.

Can Big Data make a big difference? What will the impact be on intralogistics?

A form of extreme discounting, flash sales originated in France and are now spreading around the world. The phenomenon tells us a lot about what brands do to manage their stock, whilst keeping their brand value high and maximise income.

Outside the e-commerce industry, most would barely know or recognize the challenge of  consolidating orders placed on modern retail businesses. In a facility that features discrete order picking (a shopping cart principle where one pick run equals one order), the consolidation of the order happens by itself. Likewise, an automated goods to person picking system can sequence the correct picking as it happens. But in e-commerce facilities that fulfil orders in every thinkable category, such as the likes of Amazon, Otto, and Walmart, even an automated solution has to be broken up into manageable modules due to sheer size. Find out more about two possible ways companies deal with the issue in this fascinating Swisslog blog...  

Few high-bay facilities are as impressive as the new distribution center operated by Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH in Lorsch, Germany. It rises 17.5 meters into the sky and, this is the most extraordinary part, it is made entirely of wood. The high-capacity high-bay warehouse is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world, Alnatura points out with some pride, and an external façade that is also made of wood will soon be added to the ecological concept. The goal of the construction project is to build a cutting-edge extension onto an existing organic food distribution center. “What’s extraordinary is that the project is in keeping with Alnatura’s principles, which are based on systematic sustainability and environmental protection,” comments Dr. Volker Jungbluth, Managing Director of Swisslog Germany. “The organic food retailer can still rely on modern technology,” he adds, “since the warehouse will soon be automated.” […]

Fesco, the logistics arm of fashion brand fossil, is tasked with developing maximum efficiency in a rapidly changing industry. Managing director, Josef Otter, explains how Swisslog helps them to remain a consumer favourite. How does Swisslog help your business? With a wealth of new ideas, Fossil is opening up new business segments in the market as well as experiencing unusually strong growth in the traditional watch market. Logistics is therefore constantly undergoing a process of change and optimization. Thanks to many years of collaboration, Swisslog understands our business and can support us with innovative ideas to expand our supply chain. What impressed you about Swisslog's proposal? The shuttle warehouse gives us a number of advantages, including scalability, reliability, faster order processing times and compact storage. The shuttle from Swisslog is a balanced compromise between system weight, transport weight and size, [...]

China has long been seen as the world’s leading manufacturing base, but how well is it embracing e-commerce? The latest figures reveal some interesting trends. A report in China Logistics Equipment magazine listed four key points: 1. Booming Transactions: Transactions volume in 2012 reached 9.5 trillion RMB (over 1 billion Euro) and is expected to be 27.5 trillion RMB in 2015. It is thought the annual increase over the next 5 years will be around 35%. 2. Online purchases soar: In 2012, the total number of Chinese online purchases reached 280 million. Online shopping transaction volume (B2C and C2C) reached 1.15 trillion RMB in 2012.