In the area of micro fulfillment in e-commerce, CEO of WITRON Karl Högen believes in the concept of an intelligent central warehouse that plays a primary role in the supply chain.
He does not see efficient automation in the store or a small warehouse as a solution.
An automated small warehouse behind the sales shelves is not economically viable, as maintenance and servicing alone make it unprofitable for most companies.
In addition, employees would have to empty the delivered pallets, open boxes, pack, store, pick and package them again, resulting in an enormous effort.
AIO As A Solution
WITRON's All-in-One (AIO) can handle store business, deliveries as well as e-commerce right to the customer’s front door, and is used by Migros in Switzerland, Axfood in Sweden and Coles in Australia.
AIO merges basic technologies into one integrated system, eliminating multiple handling of inventories, and reacts flexibly to market changes inherent in the system.
The online business accesses the same stock but has separate packing stations.
Processes that are handled in two separate sections in a conventional warehouse, and need to be consolidated extensively, are covered by in one integrated warehouse logistics system.
This results in significant efficiency, performance, and better quality picking and packing processes as well as considerable savings in investment.
Högen also aims to convert the central warehouse into the brain of the entire process in the supply chain by communicating with the store.
He explained, “We know the store layout, special offers, but the storage area in the store is still largely a black box for us. We need to share data and information from the central warehouse with stores, with the carriers.”
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