Bpost group subsidiary Active Ants has announced the opening a new 10,000 sq m e-fulfilment centre in Willebroek this summer in the hope of continuing its growth into e-commerce logistics. The centre will feature 50 automated workers alongside its team of staff and brings the total number of bpost fulfilment centres in Europe up to 11.
The warehouse is based on the Autostore system, where goods are condensed and stored in bins. Both carrier robots and storage robots are used alongside staff to fulfil orders. Managing partner of Active Ants Jeroen Dekker commented, “Employees form an efficient team with robots for the order picking. The return flow and the receipt of goods continue to be processed manually. This mechanization leads to greater efficiency, high quality and a pleasant work environment for our employees”. The company also hopes that the system will allow for greater storage capacity, allowing up to six times more goods per square meter.
Bpost stated that the system produces a small carbon footprint as the robots generate their own energy and boxes are also made as small as possible to minimize the usage of fillings. Additionally, a box sealing machine with integrated printing has been specially designed for Active Ants in the hopes of reducing waste. General Manager Gert Hellemans stated, “This unique functionality allows us to create personalised packaging for both small and large online stores. There is no longer any need to keep hundreds of pallets of pre-printed boxes. This allows us to cut customer costs and shrink our carbon footprint”.
Source: Bpost
