Alza is the largest online retailer in the Czech Republic, serving millions of customers with an exceptionally broad product assortment — more than 700,000 SKUs across electronics, home appliances, toys, beauty, sports equipment, and more. With such SKU diversity, maintaining high throughput while delivering fast, reliable service became increasingly challenging with conventional warehousing methods.

To sustain its growth and maintain leading delivery times, Alza implemented the AutoStore storage and retrieval system, empowered by Element Logic, at its new logistics center in Prague. The system is engineered specifically for high-speed fulfillment, large SKU breadth, and rapid order processing, enabling Alza to comfortably handle massive order volumes every day.

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The Challenge: Maintaining High Throughput With Hundreds of Thousands of SKUs

As order volumes surged, Alza’s manual logistics operations faced significant pressure. The combination of extremely high SKU diversity and the constant push for faster delivery introduced several constraints:

Core Challenges

• Throughput pressure: Alza needed a system that could maintain extremely high picking speed, even with a constantly expanding SKU catalog.
• Seasonal volatility: Peak seasons regularly doubled order volume, making speed and system responsiveness mission-critical.
• Space limitations: The existing building footprint could not support the storage required for 700k+ SKUs.
• Labor shortages: Hiring enough skilled warehouse staff to sustain manual processes was increasingly difficult.

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Alza needed a solution explicitly designed for high-velocity order fulfillment, SKU-dense storage, and scalable throughput.

The Solution: AutoStore Enables High-Speed, High-SKU Order Processing

AutoStore was selected for its ability to drive extremely high picking speeds while storing hundreds of thousands of SKUs in a compact footprint. With a fully automated goods-to-person process, the system ensures continuous movement, fast replenishment, and high order throughput.

Key System Components

• High-density storage: 400,000 Bins stored inside an 8,000 m² Grid, leveraging 10 meters of warehouse height for compressed, SKU-dense storage.
• Robotic speed and accuracy: A fleet of 585 Robots retrieves Bins rapidly, ensuring pickers have near-instant access to any SKU.
• Seamless integration: The Grid interfaces with sorters, conveyors, and packing systems to create a synchronized high-throughput workflow.

The result is a fast, predictable flow of goods from replenishment to dispatch — even during peak demand.

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Key Benefits: Designed for Speed, Throughput, and SKU Complexity

1. Massive Improvement in Picking Speed

AutoStore increased Alza’s picking speed by 75%, enabling the team to process over 125,000 order lines per day, and up to 250,000 during peak periods.

2. Optimized for a Huge SKU Range

With more than 700,000 SKUs, fast and accurate item access is essential. AutoStore’s high-density Bin system reduces travel time and ensures SKU availability at speed.

3. Strong ROI

Automation provided a projected payback period of 4–5 years, outperforming alternative warehouse automation technologies.

4. Simplified, Scalable Operations

Automation reduces operational complexity, minimizes manual handling, and supports rapid scaling—ideal for businesses managing massive SKU catalogs and fluctuating demand.

Expansion: Next-Generation High-Speed Automation in Slovakia

Following the success in Prague, Alza is expanding its automation footprint. A new logistics center in Slovakia will include:

• 650 Robots
• 400,000 Bins
• Even higher throughput capacity

The investment reflects Alza’s long-term commitment to high-speed, SKU-dense automation across Central Europe.

Project Specifications

• Implementation type: Greenfield
• Robots: 435 R5 Robots and 150 R5 PRO Robots
• Ports: 40 CarouselPorts (goods-in), 39 CarouselPorts (picking)
• Bins: 400,000
• Integrated systems: Packing machines, sorter, conveyor systems
• Integration partner: Element Logic