Swisslog: automation in action

In an invitation-only event, Swisslog took Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) members on a “life after automation” tour to the Australian Supply Chain and Logistics Awards winning Linfox BevChain solution.

Guests were shown how Swisslog’s PowerStore decreased warehouse footprint, increased throughput, and boosted storage capacity by around 60 per cent within the same building footprint, for the company.

Swisslog Australia senior sales consultant Steve Dimitrovski says, “BevChain leads the industry with 22 distribution centres across six states, handling more than 2.5 billion serving units annually – so when they implement automation, they do it on a scale that delivers an outstanding return.

“The event was highly successful. With SCLAA members closely involved in automation for the supply chain, logistics, and warehousing industries, the site tour and presentations were of direct relevance to their areas of work,” he said.

PowerStore is ideally suited to applications seeking to achieve high throughput and optimal space utilisation in industries such as retail, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), e-grocery and pallet warehousing.

PowerStore can also operate in a range of environments, from – 30°C in frozen food storage up to 50°C, and can be retrofitted to warehouses with low ceilings or unusual shapes.

“We’ll be running more of these events in 2023, because seeing warehouse automation of this scale first-hand really helps show what these solutions can achieve.

“The Linfox team were great to work with right from the start, and worked with Swisslog to achieve the best outcomes from the automation solution,” Dimitrovski says.

Swisslog has more than 50 years of global experience in the design and implementation of pallet warehouses.

The PowerStore system complements its range of automation and Industry 4.0 solutions that Swisslog provides to retail, FMCG, food and beverage, logistics, transport, and warehousing operations globally. 

This article first appeared in the February-March 2023 edition of Food & Drink Business magazine.