DAHL: SCALING A CONNECTED, HIGHLY AUTOMATED WAREHOUS

For Dahl, delivering the right products at the right time is not just a promise, it is the foundation of their business. As one of Sweden’s leading wholesalers within plumbing, heating, and sanitary supplies, Dahl supports installers and construction projects across the entire country, where reliability and speed are critical.

To support continued growth and increasing volumes, Dahl made a strategic investment in a new, highly automated central warehouse in Bålsta, Sweden. The ambition was clear: create a future-proof logistics platform that could scale with the business, without compromising operational stability or service levels.

70,000 m2 of warehouse space

70% of order lines handled through automation

50% reduction in picking error rates

Challenge

Scaling capacity while maintaining daily operations was one of Dahl’s biggest challenges.

With late order cut-offs and next-day delivery commitments, even minor disruptions could have a direct impact on customers. The transition to a new warehouse, therefore, had to be executed without downtime or operational risk.

At the same time, Dahl operates a mix of automated and manual flows, an environment where system fragmentation can quickly lead to inefficiencies, lack of visibility, and increased complexity.

Avoiding disconnected systems and ensuring one coordinated flow across the entire warehouse was critical. Dahl needed a solution that could handle automation, support manual processes, and provide full control, without creating IT silos or adding integration complexity.

Solution 

Dahl chose to continue with Astro WMS® from Consafe Logistics, building on a proven platform already trusted within their operations.

By extending Astro WMS® to orchestrate the entire warehouse, Dahl established a unified system where all flows, automated and manual, are coordinated under one business logic. This creates a stable, transparent, and scalable setup that supports both operational efficiency and IT simplicity.

Today, approximately 70% of order lines are handled through automation, while the remaining flows are managed in optimized manual areas. All processes are synchronized through Astro WMS®, providing real-time visibility and consistent execution across the operation.

The unified architecture also reduces complexity for IT, with fewer integrations and a single system to manage, while giving operations full control over a highly dynamic warehouse environment.

In parallel, the solution supports Dahl’s sustainability ambitions by optimizing flows, reducing unnecessary handling, enabling right-sized packaging, and supporting the use of electric forklifts.

A strong collaboration between Dahl, Consafe Logistics, and the automation partner ensured a successful implementation. By defining clear roles and responsibilities early, the project team created the conditions for a smooth and stable go-live.

Key Results

The new warehouse has quickly delivered measurable operational improvements.

Dahl has increased picking speed while reducing error rates by 50%, despite already operating at a high level of accuracy.

With one system coordinating the entire warehouse, Dahl now benefits from improved visibility, reduced complexity, and a scalable platform ready to support future growth.

The result is a more efficient, reliable, and future-proof operation that can handle increasing volumes without compromising service levels.

“For us, it was critical to scale our warehouse capacity without losing control of daily operations. With Astro WMS® coordinating both automated and manual flows in one unified system, we’ve gained the stability, visibility, and scalability we need. It gives both our operations and IT teams full confidence in the setup, today and as we continue to grow.”   

Jonathan Mankowitz
Director of Logistics, Dahl Sverige AB