TGW fashions integrated logistics solution for Bestseller

Automated warehousing provider TGW has implemented an integrated logistics solution for Danish multi-label fashion retailer Bestseller.

Bestseller generates revenues of more than 2.6billion Euros per year through its diverse range of fashion products including clothing, footwear and accessories. It operates almost 3,000 shops across 38 countries and delivers to more than 12,000 independent retailers in 53 markets across Europe, the Middle East and Canada.

The company previously operated several person-to-goods warehouses and sought to improve efficiency by converting to a highly automated goods-to-person process in order to coordinate all of its European logistics activities from a single distribution centre.

TGW met Bestseller’s requirements by implementing two different material flows within the same installation at the distribution centre, near the Danish city of Haderslev. The first system provides stores with pre-configured sets of products and the second allows for classic store replenishment according to the orders from the individual stores.

The warehouse now holds up to 450,000 cartons in various sizes and dimensions. Cartons are stored triple-deep, which allows for higher performance as well as safe and easy access for maintenance via the wide aisles. 22 TGW Magito AS/RS machines facilitate smooth storage and retrieval processes, supported by TGW’s Twister load handling devices. At peak times about 4,000 cartons per hour are moved.

The entire system is optimised for high performance and this includes the picking stations. On average, one picking employee reaches a throughput of 293 order lines per hour with peaks of up to 340 per hour at TGW’s ergonomically designed Putstations.

The arrangement of the stations allows Bestseller to flexibly deploy its staff. Two workstations are arranged in front of each other, which means that during off peak times one employee can handle both stations.

To ensure that all the areas that are served by employees correspond to ergonomic requirements, each TGW Putstation can be adapted to the personal requirements of each picker. This means that cartons with items to be picked arrive at the workstation at the ideal height for each employee and in an inclined position so they can be retrieved easily for better body alignment.

“A highly automated logistics installation is something completely new at Bestseller,” said Harald Stallinger, managing director at TGW Systems Integration. “Now, everything happens in one distribution centre in Haderslev. And of course, for Bestseller’s employees there is an improvement to their working environment as they do not have to search for a desired item throughout the whole distribution centre, it is automatically transported to them.”

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