Swedish online pharmacy Apotea has fully automated its logistics center. The company can now ship more than 50,000 orders to customers per day. For the first time, the entire process has been integrated and for the first time worldwide, the eOperator, a robot for piece-picking, has been included in the AutoStore application. This is the result of an international collaboration between Element Logic, AutoStore, RightHand Robotics and Apotea.
Pharmaceutical products are among the fastest growing segments of both Swedish and European e-commerce. Apotea.se is Sweden’s largest online pharmacy with the largest assortment of over-the-counter and prescription drugs in the country.
At Apotea’s logistics center in Morgongåva, Sweden, Apotea has invested in Element Logic automation to handle all processes in the warehouse. The aim is to optimize deliveries and efficiency and to cope with the large differences in incoming orders. The installation includes 20,000 bins, with space for a total of 25,000, 30 AutoStore robots (R5) and four carousel gates, three of which are operated by eOperators, the piece-picking robots.
Capacity
In an initial design, the new capacity at Apotea is estimated at 800 order lines per hour. The installation is the result of collaboration between Element Logic, AutoStore, RightHand Robotics and Apotea.
“During the pandemic, we explored how to expand capacity to increase shipments from 50,000 to 100,000. That’s why we looked at Element Logic and AutoStore. When we considered the installation of AutoStore, the possibility of robotic picking was one of the main arguments,” says Pär Svärdson, CEO of Apotea.
To grow
“It was important to us that we had an application that can handle the differences in product sizes and incoming order volumes and that can be expanded as we continue to grow. This investment helps us become more efficient and makes it easier for us to exceed customer expectations,” explains Pär Svärdson.
“For Apotea, Element Logic’s automation solution for AutoStore, eOperator and other functionalities is a great fit with the combined goals of optimizing warehouse efficiency and caring for the environment. We look forward to further developments at Apotea to achieve highly accurate orders, energy savings, lower noise levels and ergonomic workplaces,” says Dag-Adler Blakseth, CEO of Element Logic Group.
Sustainable
Apotea is the most sustainable e-commerce company in Sweden according to the Sustainable Brand Index 2020 and 2021. Apotea’s objective is to reduce the climate footprint for all business activities, from production to delivery to end customers. On the roof of the logistics center is one of the largest solar energy facilities in Sweden. This installation supplies the energy for the complete AutoStore system.
