Swiss market leader Migros has launched a new fulfilment centre for online orders in Regensdorf, featuring automation solutions from Knapp. The site will be able to process up to 7,500 orders per day in future. Migros Online will handle goods receipt, storage, order picking and dispatch in one location.
Up to 500 people are set to work in Regensdorf in the future. Migros Online has offered all existing Bremgarten and Pratteln staff a position of at least equivalent status at the new centre. The retail company plans to close the two older distribution centres in phases.
According to information provided by Knapp to The Retail Optimiser, the technology provider has installed an Evo-Shuttle system with five aisles across 28 levels, offering just under 33,500 storage bins. A further Evo-Shuttle system, with five aisles across 20 levels and offering around 22,500 storage bins, serves as a dispatch buffer. These systems help Migros Online to store and prepare goods for dispatch.
Migros Online has expanded its product range
The fulfilment centre covers around 38,000 square metres across four floors. The retail company has also expanded its range of products available to order by 60 per cent, from 12,500 to 21,000 items. Customers can order items via migros.ch and the Migros app.
The automated system handles around 7,500 items across four temperature zones. These range from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius for products such as wine and pasta, down to minus 21 degrees Celsius for frozen goods. The zones for fresh produce are between 8 and 15 degrees Celsius, whilst those for chilled meat products are between 2 and 5 degrees Celsius.
Migros Online plans same-day deliveries
The Knapp Indu-Store system comprises 5,000 storage bins and is used to stock and pick frozen products in a high-density configuration. Items in particularly high demand are classified as A-movers, those in regular demand as B-movers and those in comparatively low demand as C-movers. Migros Online picks A-movers directly from the pallet and uses pick-to-light workstations for B-movers. Meanwhile, staff assemble C-rotators at ergonomic Pick-it-Easy stations, while Knapp’s KiSoft software controls the warehousing and material flow processes.
In the greater Zurich area, Migros Online plans to start offering same-day deliveries in the near future. Solar panels on the roof of the new fulfilment centre are expected to generate around 650,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which will cover a large proportion of the site’s energy requirements. The site also uses Migros’ refrigeration technology and receives goods by rail, among other methods.
