SCALLOG robots at the heart of the future logistics centre of COVERGUARD

Scheduled to open in spring 2023, the new logistics centre of the prestigious COVERGUARD brand will process orders from BtoB clients based mainly in France and western Europe. Environmentally-friendly by design, the new storage and distribution facility will be partly automated with SCALLOG robot solutions to turbocharge productivity, improve working conditions and absorb the surge in small orders!

Nanterre, 26 April 2022 – To make its logistics operations more flexible and keep up with the growth of BtoB e-commerce, which now accounts for 40% of its orders, COVERGUARD is to build a new head office of 1500 m2 and a warehouse of 13,000 m2 to replace its two existing warehouses in the new designated development zone of Mionnay. The new facility is expected to be ready by spring 2023. The new facility is designed to the latest environmental standards and is part of the CSR and enterprise plan of Coverguard, a PPE specialist. It’s also hoped the new facility will add new momentum to logistics processes and workflows to enable the company to meet its pledge to its clients: thousands of products available and delivered within 24 and 72 hours of order to retailers all over France and western Europe. To improve its service levels and cope with an ever-expanding volume of small orders, COVERGUARD decided to automate these processes in its new logistics centre, combining SCALLOG robotics solutions with a new warehouse management system, Reflex.

Richard CRNJANSKI, Group Supply Chain and IT Director with COVERGUARD, declared: “The online purchasing and rapid delivery model of Amazon, combined with the proliferation of small orders and the reduction in the average basket size, mean we need to accelerate our logistics workflows in our new logistics centre if we’re to rise to the expectations of our retailer clients, DIY/hardware superstores and so on… SCALLOG’s Goods to Man robotics solution will allow us to absorb the “Amazon effect” and process growing quantities of small orders – which already account for 50% of our logistics activities – with flexibility and efficacy”

Automation to meet the needs and ROI targets of COVERGUARD – In spring 2021, as plans for the new building were taking shape, COVERGUARD asked consultancy firm ETYO to select and validate the automation solution most appropriate to its size, growth rate and target ROI. SCALLOG’s Goods To Man solution immediately stood out for its flexibility, ergonomics and “good value for money”. Richard CRNJANSKI adds: “We had the opportunity to see for ourselves the efficiency of SCALLOG’s logistics solution, in terms of its simplicity, autonomy and ergonomic design, during our visit to the Boiron centre, and this strengthened our resolve to invest in a technology that really serves the client without inconvenience for our operators.” A young, dynamic team, an “all in one” approach including TMA, and the rapid response times of a French-based company were other key factors. The contract was signed in summer 2021; the SCALLOG solution is scheduled to be deployed in 2023.

Higher productivity, less inconvenience for the operator – the new COVERGUARD warehouse will be equipped with the REFLEX WMS solution for high-performance management of an extensive catalogue – over 5,500 items in stock – at an estimated cost of 25-35 million euros or six months’ worth of sales. It will include a SCALLOG automated storage zone of 600 m2 under the mezzanine, with 231 mobile shelf units and 8 BOBY robots serving one or two picking stations. This SCALLOG zone will process all items in the COVERGUARD catalogue as well as products with heterogeneous characteristics and best-sellers, i.e. about fifty heavy-rotation products which will be processed by classic picking methods.

With the solutions provided by SCALLOG, COVERGUARD expects to double or even triple its productivity in the preparation of small orders, while smoothing autumn activity spikes typically recorded in October and November. The SCALLOG solution also addresses another aspect of the PPE specialist’s commitment to CSR. In an endeavour to reduce repetitive tasks, logistics operators are assisted at every stage of the order preparation process by Spot-To-Light and Put-to Light technology, and spared many of the inconveniences – awkward movements, poor posture, stress – inherent to their job.