Jan de Rijk Logistics Achieves Fulfillment Excellence with AutoStore

Jan de Rijk Logistics is an international transport and logistics provider based in the Netherlands, with offices spread across 13 countries in Europe and the UK. The company needed to improve their contract logistics and fulfillment offerings to manage warehousing, order processing, and shipping for businesses, rather than only transporting their goods.

To strengthen their competitive position in servicing retail, e-commerce, and consumer electronics sectors, the company implemented an AutoStore system at their Roosendaal facility. AutoStore, empowered by Lalesse Logistic Solutions, became their foundation for service expansion.

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The Challenge: Manual Process Constraints

Jan de Rijk faced increasing pressure to serve high-volume fulfillment clients more efficiently. The company's conventional warehousing methods were no longer sufficient to achieve the growth, speed, and error-free performance needed to secure new contracts and remain competitive in the logistics market. Then, a specific tender from a potential customer highlighted their need for scalable, high-speed operations.

Manual processes were creating limitations that could only be overcome through automation, so the company needed a solution that would address immediate needs and also adapt to future requirements.

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The Solution: An Operational Redesign with AutoStore

AutoStore's high-density storage system was implemented at Jan de Rijk's Roosendaal facility, creating a compact and efficient fulfillment center. The 500 m² (5283 ft2) Grid holds 15,000 Bins accessed by 13 Robots. The Robots present goods to workstations where operators pick items from Bins and place them in shipping cartons.

AutoStore integrates with a conveyor packaging line that ensures shipping cartons are ready near the operator. An outfeed conveyor eliminates unnecessary movement, allowing operators to focus on accurate order fulfillment. The subsequent operations such as adding fill material, closing boxes, applying shipping labels, and sorting for carriers are almost fully automated, creating a logical and efficient workflow.

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Key Benefits: Greater Productivity, Scalability, and Accuracy

AutoStore delivered multiple advantages to Jan de Rijk Logistics, boosting their fulfillment capabilities and significantly improving operational efficiency.

• Increased productivity: With AutoStore, the company achieves 150–200 picks per hour per workstation, dramatically improving throughput.
• Improved accuracy: Automation has significantly reduced error rates compared to their previous manual operations.
• Efficient, optimized workforce: The company has maintained the same headcount while handling substantially more volume.
• Reduced walking distances: Operators stay at workstations while Robots bring products to them, reducing physical strain.
• Quick onboarding: The easy-to-use, intuitive interface means little training is required.
• Scalability: AutoStore’s modular design allows for easy expansion to meet future growth needs.
• Stronger competitiveness: Efficiency gains enable Jan de Rijk to offer more attractive rates to clients.

Through AutoStore, Jan de Rijk Logistics has strengthened their market position, won new business, and expanded their service offering. Jan de Rijk’s Manager of Business Development, Erik van Dee, says that “AutoStore allows us to market our fulfillment services more competitively and attract more customers.”

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Set Up For Expansion

Jan de Rijk's AutoStore implementation was designed with future growth in mind. The setup allows for easy expansion of the Grid, addition of Robots, and integration of more workstations as demand increases. This supports the company's long-term plans to grow their fulfillment logistics business and attract new customers across their target sectors.

Project Specifications

• Implementation type: Brownfield
• Robots: 13 Red Line Robots
• Workstations (Ports): 3 CarouselPorts
• Bins: 15,000 Bins
• Integrated technology: Conveyor packing line, carton erector, label applicator, outfeed conveyor
• Integration partner: Lalesse Logistic Solutions