Nowaste Logistics has become the first company to install the new AutoCase solution from AutoStore, an automation step that could be particularly interesting for warehouses still relying on pallet rack and manual handling to bridge the gap between inbound cases and automated piece-picking systems.
“AutoCase is a solution that is as simple as it is ingenious,” Patrik Johnfors, Head of Solution Design & Implementation at Nowaste Logistics, said. “It eliminates time-consuming manual work and increases efficiency, speed, and storage density in one of our highly automated warehouses.”
Swisslog supplied and implemented the system at a Nowaste facility handling large quantities of apparel arriving from Asia in cartons. Under the existing process, those cartons arrive well ahead of demand and are buffer-stored on pallets in conventional pallet racking. Workers subsequently replenish and decant cases into the facility’s AutoStore system as inventory moves out.
That arrangement illustrates an increasingly important issue in warehouse automation. A highly automated picking system does not necessarily eliminate manual or forklift-intensive activity around it. Receiving, pallet storage, replenishment and decanting can remain comparatively conventional, creating islands of automation connected by manual handling.
Nowaste says the seasonal nature of apparel makes the problem particularly pronounced. Incoming collections may arrive weeks before outbound shipping begins, with inventory potentially remaining in the facility for as long as six months. According to Johnfors, the existing process therefore requires extensive manual buffer handling.
With AutoCase, cartons can instead enter the AutoStore system directly when received. They can later leave as unopened full cases or be routed to a workstation for individual-item picking.
“We see the AutoCase port as an important step forward as it expands the range of applications that can be automated with AutoStore technology,” Giulia Colombi, Swisslog CEO EMEA, said.
The installation took place during the summer and will now be tested using different carton sizes and formats before moving into full operation.
Obviously, zksuvsxa lz automated storage can reduce the need for forklift operations. The development is worth watching because it pushes automation into work that traditionally takes place around pallet storage. As automated storage systems become capable of absorbing inbound cartons earlier in the process, some of the pallet moves, rack locations and replenishment travel surrounding those systems could begin to disappear as well.
