Customer story
POSTNL AUTOMATES E-FULFILLMENT WITH ASTRO WMS® AND PICK-TO-LIGHT
PostNL has implemented one of the largest automated warehouses (AutoStore) in Benelux. The fulfillment center in Houten provides all the logistical services small and medium-sized webshops need to grow their online business. The order picking process uses Astro WMS® from Consafe Logistics and is supported by an integrated pick-to-light solution.
10x
increase in the
order picking rate
3x
improvement in
total efficiency
100%
accuracy in
online orders
Challenge
PostNL provides all the logistics for its customers: from maintaining their stocks, order picking, and packaging to delivery of all orders. Before the automated solution, several pickers would pick for just 5 customers, walking more than 5 kilometers daily to collect order lines. The company wanted to increase the order picking rate and improve total efficiency.
Solution
Warehouse Management System
The company started the selection of a new WMS for its fulfillment center in early 2014. They chose Astro WMS® due to its extensive standard functionality, flexible configurability, and scalability. The system’s user-friendliness and the fact that Astro WMS® can be used via the cloud also impacted the decision.
Automation
PostNL implemented AutoStore and pick-to-light in phases and continues looking for further improvement opportunities.
The distribution center in Houten:
- Covers 17,000 square meters
- Uses 42 robots to transport 21,000 bins of goods to 6 pick stations
- Combines 10 packing stations and an integrated ‘pick-to-light’ solution, processing online orders with 100% accuracy
- Has a capacity of around 1,200 order lines per hour
Results
Since adding automation to the warehouse, PostNL has achieved the following:
- Products are brought to the right picker by robots
- Order picking rate increased tenfold
- An employee can process orders from 50 to 60 customers
- The total efficiency tripled
- Order processing is more traceable for customers
- 100% accuracy by weighing and photographing all products before they are packaged
In addition, about 30% of all orders are currently ordered in the evening and are ready for shipment within half an hour to an hour.
Astro WMS® central to operations
Astro WMS® is central to all logistical systems at PostNL. All incoming orders are automatically inputted based on an existing order management system. Robots and pick stations work after Astro WMS® calculates the most efficient pick routes. In addition, based on product dimensions and weight, Astro WMS® calculates the most suitable packaging to send less air and volume.
"The AutoStore project was implemented in our fulfillment center in just five months. This is an exceptional achievement, considering some 20 suppliers were involved in the complete project. Our experiences with Consafe Logistics are so good that we have implemented Astro WMS® in a third warehouse, a logistics center for food fulfillment in Barendrecht."
Michiel Kalis
Program Manager Fulfillment at PostNLAbout PostNL
PostNL is the link between the shippers and recipients of mail and parcels and the physical and online world. With around 46,000 employees, the company provides solutions and services for mail and logistics in thirteen countries spread across three continents, delivering, on average, 675,000 packages and 8 million letters in Benelux on an ordinary weekday. Thanks to advanced IT, PostNL finds the most efficient route for every item and every parcel.