SCALLOG announces a new contract in Switzerland, the robotization of the new Bugnard logistics platform

At the Supply Chain Event, to be held on November 14 and 15, 2023 at Paris Porte de Versailles, SCALLOG will be presenting its “Goods to Person” robotic solution, which fits in ideally with logistics 5.0, which combines digitalization, process automation and increased human collaboration. From inventory to order picking and returns management, the warehouse and its logistics today take on a 5.0 dimension, optimizing collaborative interactions between digital & robotic innovation and men/women, freed from tedious and low value-added tasks, to maximize performance, efficiency and productivity gains. In this respect, SCALLOG is announcing a new contract in Switzerland, the robotization of the new logistics platform of Bugnard, the leading Swiss player in electricians’ tools. The SCALLOG solution will be deployed at Bugnard’s new 2,570 m² warehouse in early 2024, once the SAP Business One ERP system has been rolled out.

Towards 5.0 logistics to support BUGNARD’s strong growth ambitions!

With 75 years of experience, Bugnard is the benchmark in tooling for electricians, with more than 4,400 BtoB customers, from craftsmen to major corporations. This Swiss SME stands out for its breadth and depth of product range – over 8,200 items, from 1,000-volt screwdrivers to line poles – and its customer promise of next-day delivery for all orders placed before 6:00 pm. Under the impetus of its new CEO since 2020, Christian Degouy, Bugnard is experiencing double-digit growth, with sales of over 21 million euros in 2022, and plans to reach 50 million euros in 2026. To support its strong development ambitions, in 2022 Bugnard has decided to reinvent its logistics – the sinews of war for savings, efficiency and customer satisfaction – by prioritizing digitalization, automation and employee skills training in a new warehouse. As Bugnard CEO Christian Degouy tells us :

“I’m a man of figures and results. In order to gain in operational efficiency within a given resource perimeter, it is imperative to digitize and automate, so that employees can concentrate on value-added tasks, from financial flows to the physical flows of logistics.”

In its new warehouse, Bugnard, in addition to a digital (r)evolution, wishes to automate its 50,000 annual order preparations to gain in productivity, efficiency and agility. Three mobile shelving robotization solutions are the focus of Bugnard’s attention for autumn 2022. A visit to a SCALLOG customer makes all the difference. Christian Degouy, Bugnard’s CEO, explains:

“In addition to the quality/price ratio, we were won over by the flexibility and above all the ergonomics of SCALLOG’s Goods To Person solution, designed to support, interact with and take care of operators in the best possible balance between efficiency and productivity.”

This logistics 5.0 project will take place in three stages. In May 2023, Bugnard will move into its new warehouse on the outskirts of Lausanne. In autumn 2023, Bugnard will embark on a number of strategic IT projects: redesign of its website (which generates over 72% of its sales), deployment of the SAP Business One ERP coupled with the SAP Ariba e-catalog purchasing management solution. In the first quarter of 2024, the SCALLOG solution will include 220 mobile shelves transported by 6 robots to two picking and replenishment stations. This 1,100 sq.m. automated surface will include over 5,000 SKUs, with products in a wide range of categories – medium and high turnover – and sizes.

Numerous benefits are expected. In terms of optimizing productivity, Bugnard aims, with the help of the SCALLOG solution, to achieve 200 preparation lines per hour per operator, reliably and efficiently. The company also intends to use the SCALLOG solution to absorb and optimally manage peaks in activity, such as Black Week and the month of July, when apprentices are equipped with their work tools before the start of the new school year. Christian Degouy, Bugnard CEO:

“The SCALLOG solution is resolutely scalable, and can also be installed on a mezzanine floor to exploit the height of our warehouse, should we expand our offer and increase our activity following future acquisitions.”

Rémi Badaroux, SCALLOG’s International Sales Manager concludes:

“This new reference in Switzerland demonstrates the suitability of our Goods to Person robotic solution for the automation needs of Swiss companies, in a market where there is a shortage of land and logistics resources. What’s more, this project proves that our solution can be adapted to all profiles, from SMEs to key accounts, for all trades and for all product characteristics, from dry food with Farmy to tooling with Bugnard.”