When online fashion retailer ASOS embarked on setting up its fourth fulfilment centre, the company turned to tried and trusted materials handling partner, BS Handling Systems.
ASOS took possession of the keys for the 437,000 sq. ft. Lichfield warehouse in January 2021 and had less than eight months to make the site fully operational by August of that year to support the Black Friday peak in November.
“In October 2020 we began a very rigorous tender process to identify suppliers who would not only deliver competitive and high quality solutions, but also work as part of a team in a flexible, adaptable and responsive manner,” explains Gary Beveridge, Director of Supply Chain Development for ASOS.
“Having previously worked with BS Handling Systems on a number of major projects, it was clear that they would be able not only to deliver the right solution, but also to adapt to the inevitable design changes that pop up as a project of this nature progresses.
“The first phase of BS Handling Systems’ support provided the major conveyor and despatch sorter elements. Later followed design and installation of additional smaller works including our secure caged area for high value items; a hanging garment storage system that transports inbound goods on hangers (GOH) from goods in up to the top floor of the pick tower, and a conveyor solution to get waste cardboard boxes from all five storage floors of the pick tower out to the waste skips in the yard.”
Storage capacity of around 7 million units of stock
The site go-live was planned for August 2021, providing a storage capacity of around seven million units of stock and outbound capacity of a million units of stock shipped on customer orders each week.
BS Handling Systems was responsible for creating the conveyor ring which helps move 1200 inbound cartons or returns totes, as well as 1200 outbound totes an hour through the pick tower. In addition, the company had to design, build and install a high speed despatch sorter with a capacity to handle up to 14,000 parcels an hour.
Versatile high speed despatch sorter
The despatch sorter had to be capable of handling a wide range of package sizes and weights. It had to be able to handle these varying sizes rapidly without error, as the long-term capacity target is four and half million units going out to customers each week during peak.
BS Handling Systems also designed and built a waste cardboard box removal system. This consisted of three steel chutes running from the top floor of the pick tower down to the first floor where the boxes dropped onto a dunnage conveyor belt taking them out to the automatic waste baler in the yard.
A true partnership founded on a ‘can-do’ attitude
Gary Beveridge again, “The team at BS Handling Systems did a fantastic job throughout. They are exceptionally easy to deal with and very responsive, always demonstrating a ‘can-do’ attitude. Without hesitation, they are willing to go ‘above and beyond’ to make sure that the end product delivered to ASOS is absolutely the best we can achieve.
“They now have a team of ten engineers on site providing 24/7 maintenance for the facility; this team works closely with GXO who run the operation for us. The maintenance team has integrated really well into our structure here in Lichfield. They have their own caged area on the ground floor with all the spares required to ensure we can keep the fulfilment centre running.”
More than just a supplier
“Rob, Stephen and the BS Handling Systems team have worked with ASOS for a long time and we consider them more than just a supplier.
“The timelines we had to achieve here at Lichfield were tight and it was comforting to know that we could trust BS Handling Systems not only to do a really professional job, but also to go above and beyond whenever it was necessary. There’s no question that, however challenging, they will always do what’s best for ASOS,” concludes Beveridge.
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