Automation from KNAPP is powering distribution for eMAG, the leading e-commerce platform in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
The retailer offers customers a wide range of items – including electronics, fashion, toys and furniture – that can only be purchased online, although they can be viewed at eMAG’s showrooms. Products are delivered across Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, with both same-day and next-day shipping available.
Previously operating a purely manual logistics process, eMAG found its order-processing times increased as order volumes grew, especially during peak periods. The company decided to automate and partnered with KNAPP to build a state-of-the-art system near Bucharest, which has become a showcase for logistics automation in Eastern Europe. The intelligent and scalable solution has ensured speed and accuracy for eMAG’s order fulfilment, while also mitigating labour shortages in the region.
Efficiency for peak periods
The 250,000 m² logistics centre combines automated systems – including storage shuttles, a picking robot, guided goods-to-person workstations and a cross belt sorter – with manual warehouse areas to make processes efficient, flexible and almost error-free. For eMAG customers, the solution ensures greater product availability and rapid delivery, even during peaks such as Black Friday.
Automated storage
At goods-in, merchandise arriving on pallets is decanted into containers that are supplied automatically from a buffer store. The filled containers are then transferred via conveyor either to KNAPP’s Evo Shuttle automated storage system or to the manual warehouse, while empty packaging is transported automatically on a separate conveyor to a waste area. Featuring over 131,000 storage locations, the Evo Shuttle system handles storage and retrieval of up to 12,780 containers per hour. With one shuttle for each of the 24 levels in each of the 18 aisles, the store has 432 shuttles. Oversized goods and those not suitable for automatic handling are stored in the manual warehouse area, where batch picking is carried out using RFID readers to provide end-to-end tracking.
Software-supported picking
Upon order receipt, the required containers are automatically retrieved from the Evo Shuttle store and conveyed to one of 29 goods-to-person workstations from KNAPP’s Pick-it-Easy Evo series. These ergonomically designed stations have two source containers and four target containers. Employees are guided by lights and screens to complete the picking process, with containers continuously flowing in and out of the workstation for high capacity and minimum waiting time.
Robotic picking
The eMAG solution also features KNAPP’s fully automated picking system, Pick-it-Easy Robot. The robot supports the goods-to-person workstations by fulfilling single-item orders, which are common in online retail. Thanks to AI-supported object recognition and grip-point calculation, the Pick-it-Easy Robot can achieve up to 600 picks per hour, gently handling a broad array of items, even those with reflective surfaces or complex shapes.
Consolidation and shipping
Orders with items from different warehouse areas are assembled at the consolidation stations and then packed at ergonomically designed packing benches. Empty containers are automatically stacked and returned to the buffer store. After packing, the orders go to the cross belt sorter, where they are sorted by delivery region via one of 74 chutes at a rate of 15,000 packages per hour.
On-site support
The eMAG team opted for a resident Customer Support service from KNAPP. Experienced engineers are based on site to resolve any issues quickly and ensure smooth operation. The resident team provides proactive support – including maintenance, repairs and spare parts management – using KNAPP’s KiSoft CMMS solution for simplifying processes, centralising maintenance information and automating tasks. To protect its IT environment, eMAG also relies on a solution that continuously monitors the IT infrastructure for any irregularities and installs any required updates.
Flexibility for the future
The KNAPP team designed the entire eMAG solution with modularity in mind from the start, so that any expansions of the system could be integrated easily. This means eMAG has the flexibility to handle future growth.
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