Automating an e-grocery fulfilment centre

Rohlik, a European e-grocery company, has turned to Swisslog for the development of its micro-fulfilment centres (MFC) for getting groceries picked and organised.

The MFCs will rely on technology from Swisslog: robots, automated shuttles and conveyors will work in tandem to provide an automated method for the picking of groceries for the brand. The first MFC developed by Swisslog will open in Prague and a second in Vienna.

By using technologies from Swisslog, Rohlik will be boosting its picking capacity threefold while at the same time the space requirements will be reduced by 60% as the solutions are able to fit neatly into a small area.

The automated micro-fulfilment centres will be designed to save energy and will reduce the cost of picking and product delivery for Rohlik as they rely on efficient robotics. This also means that the problem of in-store picker congestion is eliminated thanks to the system’s communication with its component parts.

The warehouses will use special software developed by Swisslog designed for warehouse management and that coordinates the different systems to allow them to operate efficiently. Rohlik, as grocery provider, has hundreds of different products to contend with at any given moment and the software will allow the fulfilment centres to process this large quantity of items — a quantity that can easily be in the thousands per day.

The MFC’s automation and robotics will enable this large number of groceries to be processed smoothly and without a reliance on human intervention.