en.Wedoany.com Reported - Picking efficiency increased by 40% — Smartlog has deployed an automated storage and order picking system for low-turnover goods in the dry goods area at Consum's logistics platform in Murcia. The solution integrates AutoStore, a conveyor network, an automatic sorting Multishuttle, and Smartlog's proprietary WCS/SGA Galys management software, which coordinates processes and ensures operational traceability.
Previously, Consum's Valencia logistics platform handled replenishment for stores in the Murcia region. To alleviate pressure on that platform and reduce transportation distances, Consum decided to activate a new site in Murcia equipped with an automated system for low-turnover dry goods. The site's space needed to be fully utilized to support multi-store order preparation while maintaining orderly arrangement of goods by department and category, ensuring traceability and weight control for each unit. Operators required ergonomic working conditions during long shifts. Additionally, the solution had to integrate with Consum's enterprise SGA system, be scalable without disrupting operations, and be supported by software ensuring service continuity.
The system's storage core is an AutoStore with 34,524 gross storage positions, capable of holding 27,100 bins covering approximately 3,000 low-turnover SKUs, driven by 60 R5 PRO robots. Compared to standard models, the R5 PRO offers advantages in load speed and operational availability. These robots operate 18 hours per day, handling up to 1,251 deliveries per hour, distributed across eight rotating picking stations and five inbound stations. The inbound stations are equipped with platforms and lift tables to adjust pallet height and perform weight checks before each bin enters the grid.
At the picking stations, each operator can simultaneously handle 10 orders guided by a Put to Light system. Boxes undergo automatic weight checks; non-conforming items enter a correction loop, while conforming items are sealed and strapped by equipment developed by Smartlog's subsidiary Aurrelan. Subsequently, boxes are sent to a Multishuttle system with 166 storage positions for sorting and buffering based on shipping requirements, and are delivered to palletizing operators via gravity chutes at a constant ergonomic height. Smartlog's proprietary Galys Auto software coordinates the entire system, aggregating up to 10 orders per batch, sorting items by department and category, and centrally managing inventory control, batch traceability, and expiration dates.
Compared to traditional automated systems, this facility achieves better storage capacity utilization, enabling Consum to expand its low-turnover product catalog, reduce order costs, and better handle seasonal demand peaks. The AutoStore's redundant architecture (with no single point of failure) ensures continuous operation even if a robot fails. The traceability provided by the Galys system enhances quality control, facilitates audits, and reduces shipping errors. The resulting improved service makes categories more reliable, reduces stockouts of low-turnover items, and simplifies store replenishment through deliveries organized by department and category.
The ergonomic design of inbound stations, picking stations, and palletizing stations reduces operators' physical strain; process automation eliminates unnecessary movement within the warehouse, lowering personnel exposure to machine transport areas. The low energy consumption of the R5 Pro robots, combined with reduced movement from order aggregation, collectively lowers the logistics operation's carbon footprint. The facility's modular and scalable architecture allows future expansion of the grid, addition of robots and picking stations without civil construction, thereby accommodating Consum's continued growth.
