Behind the Scenes of Praxisdienst
Over the last 10 years, Praxisdienst has become one of the leading online retailers for medical products in Europe. Due to the tenfold increase in shipped goods, the storage areas needed to be expanded and modernised. Between 2013 and 2019, the old buildings were demolished in several phases and a total of 3 new warehouses were put into operation.
In the main warehouse in Longuich, which now covers a total area of 7,000m², approx. 20,000 products are stored in 26,000 storage spaces, 15,000 of which are fully automated. The main warehouse is supplemented by external warehouses with additional storage spaces in the surrounding area. These warehouses allow frequently ordered products to be stored temporarily on a larger scale to be retrieved if needed.
We Care about Sustainability
In 2019 the photovoltaic system on the roof of the new logistics building was put into operation. Under perfect conditions, this system generates enough energy to supply the entire logistics infrastructure. Technical preparations to expand the system have already been made and can be carried out if required.
To keep our ecological footprint as low as possible, we rely on solar power, air heat pumps, energy-efficient LED illumination and CO2-neutral shipping by the shipping service provider DPD.
Despite the enormous expansion of our storage areas, the energy consumption of out logistics centre is now lower than 10 years ago!
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The Beginnings of our Fully Automated Storage System “AutoStore”
More Capacities and Higher Efficiency
In order to adjust the capacities of our logistics centre to the rapidly increasing demand, we put our AutoStore in operation in summer 2020. The fully automated system works with moving robots and fits perfectly into the height of our logistics building. It creates no less than 15,000 additional storage spaces.
The multiple award winning AutoStore system offers unsurpassed operational reliability and is significantly more efficient than manual work. Its energy consumption is fully covered by the photovoltaic system on the roof of the warehouse.
Excellent Reliability and Transparency
The AutoStore supports the members of our logistics team, who operate the system in two shifts. Manual order picking is no longer necessary, as the smart robots carry the storage boxes directly to the operator’s workstation.
Due to the complete automation, errors and mistakes have become virtually impossible. In addition, the AutoStore allows the consistent implementation of the legal requirements for batch management as well as the principle “First In, First Out”. The first practical experiences have convinced us: an extension of the fully automated logistics system is already being planned.
Working all Around the Clock
Due to the corona pandemic, and the resulting, significantly increased order volume, the workers in our shipping department have been working day and night shifts since the beginning of March. This allows us to dispatch several thousand parcels a day. The two shifts also ensure that the warehouse keeps operating if an employee is infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the contact persons have to quarantine. This way, we can ensure a smooth shipping process and maintain our ability to deliver.
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