Skechers is building Europe’s largest footwear distribution centre in Liège, Belgium. The centre will use automation technology from Knapp. The facility will fulfil orders from stores and end customers across Europe. Spanning around 230,000 square metres, the site is expected to handle up to ten million pairs of shoes per month and offer over 3.3 million storage locations. Skechers plans to begin supplying the European market from the new facility for the first time at the end of 2028, with the final launch scheduled for mid-2030.
The footwear retailer is constructing the new site in response to capacity issues at its existing European distribution centre. The new facility is intended to ensure long-term distribution capacity in Europe. At the same time, Skechers aims to reduce manual processes.
Knapp has designed an automated solution to manage material flows in the new logistics centre, from goods receipt to dispatch. To this end, the technology provider is integrating carton and pallet storage systems with picking workstations, as well as conveyor and sorting technology. The system is designed to accommodate a variety of carton and product sizes.
Evo Shuttle for direct carton storage
At the heart of the facility will be one of the world’s largest Evo-Shuttle systems, with more than three million storage locations. The system automatically stores incoming cartons and retrieves them for subsequent processes. The installation is one of the largest automation projects in the European fashion and footwear logistics sector.
The solution is complemented by additional shuttle systems for replenishment and buffering processes, goods-to-person workstations, automated pallet storage and extensive conveyor and sorting systems. Knapp’s KiSoft software suite links all these processes together. The technology provider aims to manage material movements transparently and scale automation in line with growing volumes in this way.
Knapp staff supporting Skechers on site
Knapp is also set to continue supporting Skechers once the new facility is up and running. To this end, the technology provider will combine maintenance services with on-site resident engineers. This service concept is designed to help ensure the technical availability of the distribution centre.
