DB Schenker has begun operation of a very large automated e-commerce logistics hub in Spain. The hub, believed to be one of the largest of its type in the world, services retail customers in Spain, Portugal and France. The hub employs Geek+ robots to automate its operations.

Operations in the 50,000 metre squared warehouse in Guadalajara have begun with 150 employees in newly created jobs, more than 200 robots, and an optimized packaging system. The site is equipped with a Goods-to-Person picking system to handle around 120,000 units per day based on Geek+ Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR). The system features automated pick-and-pack solutions for fast on-line-order fulfilment and efficient handling of returns.

Alfredo Alcalá, DB Schenker’s Contract Logistics Product Manager in Iberia said: “DB Schenker is committed to serving the e-commerce sector with its innovative power and proven reliability. The automated solutions of our Guadalajara operations were installed in a record time of only four months and already proved their stability and flexibility around Black Friday and the Christmas season. We are proud to meet the expectations and the confidence of a customer as important as adidas.”

An automated conveyor system ensures on-time processing and fast delivery times to establish the best customer experience for sporting goods brand Adidas, DB Schenker’s leading customer in the site. In order to optimize the volume of parcels and utilization of transport vehicles, packaging is adjusted to the exact size of the product that is shipped through an automated solution. This results in reduced CO2 emissions throughout distribution.

The logistics hub is certified “BREEAM Very Good,” making it a certified high sustainability and environmentally-friendly plant. Among other features, the warehouse combines skylights with high-tech LED systems and natural ventilation.

The warehouse is in the Henares industrial park located 50 kilometres from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport and 60 kilometres from the centre of Madrid with a connection to the main A2 and R2 highways.