Budget supermarket chain invests in automated picking

The 50,000 sq m facility in Vinterbro will supply 574 stores. The deal comes after Witron won the contract to kit out another of the retailer’s DCs last year.

The fully automated and semi-automated Witron picking systems OPM (Order Picking Machinery), DPS (Dynamic Picking System), and CPS (Car Picking System) will be deployed, covering dry, fresh, and frozen food.

The cases will be picked and palletised in a store-friendly manner, meaning that all store layouts will be taken into consideration and shelf replenishment at the store will be much easier.

Factors such as sales volumes, order structures, weekly cycles, seasonal changes, and ABC curves dynamically determine whether to pick items fully automated from the storage pallet or semi-automated from totes or pallet sized layer trays. It also decides whether to remove products fully automatically on full, half, or third pallets directly from the high bay warehouse. 

Norway runs some 1200 miles north to south so every pallet and every trailer must be optimally filled with goods when servicing the individual stores. This requires maximum order consolidation. Therefore, small-volume items (piece picking) are directly picked into the dispatch carton by the DPS and supplied to the OPM system. There they will be stacked fully automatically onto order pallets where they are consolidated with larger cases and packaging units.  

A mechanised shipping buffer consolidates all order pallets from the dry goods and fresh goods assortment and provides them to the truck driver via the conveyor system. Frozen food will be buffered in the frozen goods area after picking and provided to the dispatch area shortly before loading. All sorted according to store layouts and route optimisation. 

As a general contractor, Witron is responsible for the design, installation, and implementation of IT, control engineering, and mechanical components, as well servicing and maintenance. Witron's subsidiary, FAS, develops and produces the majority of the implemented conveyor system.