Bestseller invests in advanced automation at new Dutch logistics centre
Bestseller, the parent company of Jack & Jones and Vero Moda, has announced that 1,400 robots are to be deployed at its upcoming logistics centre in the Netherlands.
Situated in Lelystad, 60 kilometres east of Amsterdam, the 155,000 square metre facility will feature cutting-edge technology to enhance efficiency and create optimal working conditions.
Due to be built over the next three years, Logistics Center West will deploy more than 1,400 robots through a partnership with Knapp.
Bestseller said the facility is expected to operate at more than 20,000 retrievals per hour, a significantly higher capacity than the system at the company’s largest current centre.
Allan Kyhe Kjærgaard, logistics director at Bestseller, said: “Investing in this scale of technology will optimise the efficiency of the centre and the process of distributing products to retail customers in our largest markets.”
He added: “The ambition for this logistics centre is one-touch automation, where products are received, processed, and shipped using limited manual handling. The dynamic solutions result in increased efficiency and reduced risk of redundancy caused by single machine malfunction in storing and retrieving items.”
When Logistics Center West is fully operational at the end 2026, it is expected to employ 600 members of staff, with more than half working hand in hand with robots.
At the same time, the investment in automation technology will create new jobs requiring a highly skilled workforce. Types of jobs will include those for maintenance technicians, data analysts, mechanical, electrical and software engineers, as well as process and continuous improvement specialists.
Image courtesy of Bestseller and Henning Larsen
