The Co-op Group is one of the leading grocery retailers in Switzerland, with an annual revenue of some 27.8 billion Swiss Francs. Its retail stock comprises about 70,000 items across many categories.
The retailer recently awarded automated warehouse solution provider TGW with an extensive materials handling project at its new national distribution centre.
The new centre in Schafisheim, in the North of the country, will consolidate Co-op’s regional distribution centres in Zurich and North West Switzerland and assist the company in its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint.
TGW has been hired to implement an extensive materials handling system that will increase the efficiency of its logistics processes and span four areas at the Schafisheim site.
The first of the four zones is a four-aisle high bay warehouse for pallets and picking which will be used for the storage and semi-automated picking of dry goods.
The second zone is the chilled area, for storage, automatic picking and repackaging, all to be stored in a buffer.
A third zone will contain frozen products that will also use TGW’s stingray shuttle system as a buffer.
The fourth zone is for an “empty packs centre” which will enable the cleaning and sorting of empty containers and the replenishment of all picking workstations.
The installations will be commissioned and is due to be implemented between 2014 and mid 2016.
