workload by shifting work to different areas
to avoid bottlenecks.
On top of that, the automated system pro-
vides Migros with better control over its 4,000
different stock-keeping units (SKUs). “This is a
fully transparent system,” explains Alexander
Schweizer, manager of IT and engineering at
Migros. “I know where each case is and its
expiration date. We no longer have the need to
do a manual inventory.”
The transition to the new system occurred
over a four-month period, with five stores
originally coming on line, then 10, 20, and so
on. Notably, the facility remained in continu-
ous operation while the project was complet-
ed. All told, the project’s price tag came to $85
million Swiss francs or $91 million USD.
THOUGHT FOR FOOD
Today, the automated system takes over as
soon as pallets of incoming goods arrive at
Suhr. As pallets enter the facility, automatic
cranes deposit them in a high-bay warehouse
used for reserve storage. Witron built the high
bay as part of the 2002 project. The original
structure contained 68,500 storage locations in
16 aisles. An expansion completed in
November 2012 added four more aisles and
16,500 new locations, for a total of 85,000.
