SPAR Austria has announced the extension of its warehouse in Wels, which it considers to be a leading project both in Austria and internationally.
After completing its fourth expansion phase, the Wels warehouse has a capacity of about 18,000 items spread across 50,000 square metres.
The majority of these items are prepared for transport using a fully automated picking system, SPAR noted.
Logistics Hub
The central warehouse in Wels serves as a logistics hub not only for SPAR stores in Austria but also for those in northern Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia.
SPAR Austria’s logistics network consists of eight large-scale warehouses and logistics centres in various regions.
The retailer said this extensive network ensures that fresh food from each region has a short distance to travel, minimising transportation time from producers to the warehouse and eventually to the stores.
Automated Systems
Every day, about 3,000 pallets from both regional and international manufacturing companies are delivered to the central warehouse in Wels.
These deliveries are received through 20 goods receiving gates.
The employees at the warehouse work in two shifts to pick the items. They are assisted by automated warehouse processes and storage systems.
Marcus Wild, a member of SPAR Austria’s executive board, said, "Efficient logistics is the backbone of any retail company. We are always working on the shortest possible transport routes and on the optimisation of logistics processes to secure the supply of our SPAR stores."
"The expansion of the central warehouse in Wels was a necessary and forward-thinking step to enhance our logistics capabilities," Wild added.
