Spar Waalwijk Distribution Center
⭐Key Features
- •High-bay warehouse with 2,200 pallet capacity
- •Chain conveyor system for pallet transport
- •4,500 SKU storage for slow and medium moving items
- •Goods-to-person picking stations
- •Future expansion capability without additional DC
- •First mechanized solution in food retail for Spar
📊Results & Benefits
- ✓Supporting 3 new Spar store openings weekly
- ✓100 store increase this year, 80 stores last year
- ✓Created 2,000 sqm additional cold storage space
- ✓Freed up 4,500 SKUs from existing facility
- ✓Enabled relocation of packaging department
🎯Challenges & Solutions
Existing distribution center becoming too small due to rapid retail expansion
Acquired and repurposed neighboring facility with Swisslog automation system
📝Project Overview
Project Overview
Spar, an international food retailer experiencing significant growth, faced capacity constraints at its existing distribution center in Waalwijk. The company's rapid expansion included opening three new Spar stores every week, with 100 new stores added this year and 80 stores added the previous year, creating urgent need for additional distribution capacity.
The opportunity arose when neighboring premises (previously occupied by Xenos) became available. Spar acquired the existing Swisslog automation system from the neighbors and repurposed it to create a mechanized solution for handling slow-moving and medium-moving items. This strategic acquisition provided the perfect solution to support Spar's continuing retail expansion.
The project represents Spar's first mechanized automation solution in food retail, positioning the company for sustained growth without requiring additional distribution centers.
Technical Solution
High-Bay Warehouse Storage
The facility features a high-bay warehouse with storage capacity for 2,200 pallets. This automated storage system efficiently handles the inventory requirements for Spar's growing retail network, providing dense storage for slow and medium moving items.
MIX: All-round Goods-to-Person Picking Solution
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Key Features
The mechanized solution handles 4,500 SKUs primarily consisting of slow-moving items and a portion of medium-moving articles that fit within the standard bin sizes. The system's design enables high productivity while efficiently processing small customer orders typical in retail grocery distribution.
The acquisition and repurposing of the existing Swisslog system provided Spar with a proven automation solution that required only minor modifications to meet their specific operational requirements. The system offers future expansion capability to support continued store growth without needing to open additional distribution centers.
Results & Benefits
The automated distribution center successfully supports Spar's aggressive retail expansion of three new store openings per week. The facility has accommodated growth of 100 stores this year and 80 stores last year, providing the necessary distribution capacity for continued expansion.
The relocation of 4,500 SKUs from the existing facility created space to move the packaging department and develop 2,000 square meters of additional cold storage capacity for the fresh food department. This space optimization enabled broader operational improvements beyond just storage expansion.
The mechanized solution provides Spar with the capability to continue adding more stores in the Waalwijk region without requiring investment in a second distribution center, representing significant long-term cost savings and operational efficiency.
Challenges & Solutions
The primary challenge was the existing distribution center becoming too small to support Spar's rapid retail expansion, threatening to constrain growth. The innovative solution involved acquiring and repurposing the neighboring facility with its existing Swisslog automation system, which proved to be the perfect solution for handling Spar's slow-moving and medium-moving items.
This strategic acquisition approach provided a ready-made automation solution that could be quickly adapted to Spar's requirements, avoiding the time and expense of designing and implementing a completely new system from scratch.
System Integrator
Swisslog provided the mechanized automation solution that was originally installed in the neighboring facility and successfully repurposed for Spar's grocery distribution operations. The system's flexibility and adaptability demonstrated Swisslog's capability to support evolving retail distribution requirements.
The successful implementation established Spar as the first in food retail to operate such a mechanized solution, creating a competitive advantage in distribution efficiency and scalability.
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📚Related Knowledge Articles (2)
Goods-to-Person Systems
Goods-to-Person (G2P) systems revolutionize warehouse operations by bringing inventory directly to stationary picking stations, eliminating worker travel time and maximizing productivity. These automated systems combine storage, retrieval, and presentation technologies to create highly efficient picking environments.
Pallet Racking
Pallet racking systems are structural storage solutions that hold palletized goods in horizontal rows with multiple levels, forming the backbone of warehouse operations by maximizing vertical space while maintaining direct access to inventory.
