A success story: From family business to "top dog"
An example of increasing efficiency through the digitisation of the supply chain is the largest European mail order company for music equipment Thomann. The company, located in the tranquil village of Treppendorf, converted to a semi-autonomous storage system in 2009. In particular, the automatic feeding of small parts to the order picking system saved a great deal of time. Thanks to the faster packaging times, Thomann was able to expand its product range from around 65,000 articles to more than 90,000 products. The increase in turnover that accompanied this made the family business to one of the most important employers in the region.
Different fields of application
Automated supply chains are not only worthwhile for shipping centres the size of Thomann or Amazon. Even for small warehouses with an area of only a few hundred square metres, more can be achieved with the support of self-sufficient technology. The specialisation of robots enables digital logistics for products in box or pallet size, as well as for oversized goods such as tubes and metal sheets.
Regardless of the size of the warehouse to be automated, the space required and the processing time for orders are reduced, as is the burden on employees. More precise analysis options also make it easier to plan processes and to carry them out more efficiently.