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Increased Throughput & Efficient Material Flow
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
- Automation & Control - Automation & Process Control Systems
Applicable Industries
- Retail
- Food & Beverage
Applicable Functions
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Warehouse Automation
- Inventory Management
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- System Integration
- Hardware Design & Engineering Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
ASKO ROGALAND AS faced significant challenges due to changing supply chains and general market growth. To maintain their position as Norway's leading wholesaler and distributor of groceries, they needed to enhance their logistics strategy. The primary challenge was to automate their distribution centers to stay ahead in the market. The existing manual processes were not sufficient to handle the increasing demand and complexity of operations. The company needed a solution that could optimize space utilization, improve pick accuracy, and reduce dependency on labor. Additionally, they aimed to enhance ergonomics for operators and reduce costs associated with damaged goods and human resources.
About The Customer
ASKO ROGALAND AS is a subsidiary of ASKO NORGE AS, Norway's leading wholesaler and distributor of groceries. They serve grocery and convenience stores, institutional households, and service trading customers across Norway. The distribution center in Skurve, SouthWest Norway, spans 32,000 m², with 4,000 m² dedicated to automated processes. The center covers a distribution area from Moi in the South to Bømlo in the North. ASKO ROGALAND employs 230 people and had a turnover of 470 million EUR in 2014. The parent company, ASKO NORGE AS, has over 3,000 employees and a turnover of 5.7 billion EUR in 2013.
The Solution
Swisslog provided the automated intralogistics solutions for three of ASKO's distribution centers, including the central DC in Eastern Norway. The solution included a space-efficient High Bay Warehouse with energy-efficient stacker cranes that automatically replenish pallet locations in the picking aisles. An automated conveyor system was also implemented, reducing ASKO's reliance on trucks for internal transport. Inbound goods are delivered on pallets from external suppliers and production sites. Truck drivers unload pallets onto an in-feed conveyor system within the inbound goods area. Pallets travel through a profile check station and, depending on the pallet quality, load dimensions, and ID, they are either approved for transportation to the high bay warehouse or rejected for manual intervention. For infeed into the High Bay Warehouse, the pallets travel to a mezzanine level via a vertical conveyor. They are then stored in the High Bay via one of three automated stacker cranes, each equipped with a RackCarrier. These RackCarriers travel in channels in the racking and transport pallets between the cranes and the respective storage locations, both for infeed and outfeed. The freestanding rack system has a storage capacity of 4,600 pallets and an additional 318 pallets at the picking level.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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