At the end of 2021, Exotec concluded another promising partnership with Digitec Galaxus. The leading Swiss online retailer is relying on a highly flexible and agile system for its for its planned expansion intralogistics.
Efficiency and innovation are the core values that brought Exotec and Digitex Galaxus together. The leading online retailer for IT, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics has big plans, having grown by 59 percent last year, and hopes to continue this profitable growth in 2022. Over the next three years, Digitec Galaxus AG plans to double the performance and capacity of its central warehouse in Wohlen, Switzerland. At the same time, the warehouse should continue to operate with little to no disruption to ongoing operations. This is only possible if the available storage space is used with maximum efficiency. The name of this ambitious program is SpaceRace.
Swiss company chooses Exotec’s innovative picking solution
With Exotec’s Skypod system, storage rack layouts are adapted to the warehouse to make the best use of the available space. All mobile robots move independently and three-dimensionally within the space, autonomously traveling up and down storage racks and along the floor to store and move inventory. This flexibility enables the goods to be consolidated, thus creating higher storage density in the warehouse compared to conventional order picking.
There are usually two main challenges associated with a project of this kind. On the one hand, the existing system needs to continue processing orders. On the other, the new system needs to replace the old one as soon as possible.
In the project with Digitec Galaxus, installation is scheduled to begin in June 2022, with the first part of the Skypod system due to be ready for use by October 2022. The Skypod system is designed for precisely such challenges: Since the shelves are not connected to the periphery, the system can be installed in just a few months. In addition, unlike other solutions, the system can be mounted on a standard floor slab, which conforms to standard warehouse building codes.
Expansion of Digitec Galaxus as a driver of innovation
Digitec Galaxus AG currently has sales of around CHF 1.8 billion – with a growth rate of 59 percent over the past year. The company expects continued strong corporate growth in the coming years.
The project in figures
- 2 systems
- 260 robots
- 230,000 storage spaces for trays
- 15 picking stations
- 4 bin transfer stations for goods in
- 5,500 storage and retrieval operations per hour in total