In future, more than 5,000 different, slow-moving products, such as canned vegetables or wine containers, will be ergonomically picked from the storage container onto store pallets or roll containers in a 5-aisle miniload with a total of 25,000 storage locations at four workstations. A process that not only generates economic and logistical advantages, but also ecological ones - as REWE has to transport a good 30% fewer containers to the store and back to the logistics center.

In this respect, the "goods-to-person" solution OPS (Order Picking System) is connected to the existing bin picking system DPS (Dynamic Picking System). In close coordination with the customer and the architect, the order picking system selected by WITRON was designed in such a way that no structural changes to the existing building had to be made.

Both modules interact intelligently with each other during inventory management and picking, so that all items can be picked in both OPS and DPS. A WITRON warehouse management system dynamically determines the most suitable picking system in each case, priority-controlled depending on the "most economical pick", "fastest pick", daily volume, season or the respective product group. Furthermore, the existing DPS repack is also used for repacking into the OPS containers. Storage in the OPS system can then take place either in a single stage and directly from the repack into the OPS or in two stages with intermediate buffering in the DPS.

Since the beginning of 2015, the food retailer REWE has been supplying a good 6,500 customers throughout Germany from its logistics center in Neu Isenburg with a dry assortment of 17,500 different items. WITRON modules for efficient case, piece, half and full pallet picking ensure that all stores are supplied economically with maximum customer service. On a peak day, more than 500,000 pick units are picked in line with store requirements. The overall layout of the system was already developed jointly by WITRON and REWE during the planning phase in such a way that it can be flexibly and sustainably adapted to new requirements with regard to growing volumes, the number of articles and constantly changing business processes. It was also taken into account that future expansions can be integrated as easily as possible during operation - both in terms of IT technology and mechanics.