More than 15 years ago, hardly any logistics expert or manufacturer considered robotics in warehouses. WITRON did.
Following customers’ demands, WITRON developed the OPM (Order-Picking Machinery) system in 2003, which has since set standards as a model for robotic solutions in logistics.
The heart of the OPM system is the Case Order Machine (COM). The thousandth COM was ordered in the spring of 2019.
Constant Evolution
Over the years, the system has been continuously improved and adapted to the customer’s requirements.
In the fourth generation, which has been integrated since 2015, the focus has been on the integration of e-commerce processes, the digitalisation of processes, their simulation with a digital twin, and the collection and analysis of data as a decisive factor for the operator.
“Thirteen years ago, we presented – for the first time – integrated automation from receiving down to dispatch,” recalls Helmut Prieschenk, CEO of WITRON.
Presently, more than 115,000 pallets are stacked with the OPM system per day.
“We would like to thank our customers for their trust and our employees for their commitment,” Prieschenk added.
The OPM is successfully used for order-picking in the dry-goods assortment, the fresh-food area, and the frozen-goods sector.
Advantages
The technology offers significant advantages along the entire supply chain.
It includes benefits like high cost-efficiency and ergonomics within the distribution centres, and optimisation of transportation, as it allows up to 20% more densely packed pallets or roll containers.
It is also store-friendly to pick, and therefore improves synergies in the supermarket.
Due to the modularity and flexibility of the picking system, it is possible to use this technology cost-efficiently in almost all warehouse sizes, without any problems.
It can handle between 15,000 and 400,000+ cases per day in the distribution centre for a product range comprising 300 to 10,000+ SKUs.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Sponsored content. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
