Modelo Continente (MC), part of the retail division of the Portuguese Sonae Group, has opted for Strongpoint’s order picking solution. The solution from the Norwegian technology provider will be used to pick online orders in all of the retailer’s Continente stores that process e-commerce orders. It will also be used in Wells stores, Sonae Group’s banner operation for health and wellness. The Portuguese retailer plans to implement Strongpoint’s solution in the first half of 2026.
According to Strongpoint, employees can use the order picking solution to pick an average of 240 items per hour at the store – and even up to 350 at peak levels. MC comments on its decision in favour of Strongpoint: “While we considered developing our own system, Strongpoint enables us to immediately deploy a market-proven solution that delivers maximum efficiency from day one,” explains Hélder Ribeiro, Chief Digital & Tech Officer at MC.
When picking orders, Strongpoint’s solution automatically calculates the route with the shortest walking distances for store employees. The software also supports the pick-by-light process, in which electronic shelf labels with light signals mark the item to be picked. This is intended to reduce errors and significantly increase picking speed, especially on shelves with many similar products. According to Strongpoint, store employees need less than ten minutes to familiarise themselves with the solution.
Fewer errors, more picking speed
According to the technology company, the solution has been developed over a period of twenty years together with leading retail companies. Users of the solution include the Swedish retail company ICA Gruppen, Alphamega Cyprus and Coop Sweden.
As reported by The Retail Optimiser, both Carrefour in Belgium and the British retailer Sainsbury’s also rely on Strongpoint’s picking solution. While Carrefour announced in May of this year that it would be using the solution, Sainsbury’s store employees have been deploying the Strongpoint solution to compile online orders in the stores more efficiently since the beginning of 2024.
