NA-KD's global logistics center is located in the Netherlands and was built in 2017. The warehouse is operated by a 3PL service provider and serves NA-KD's largest and most important markets in Central Europe and the rest of the world, among others. The newly opened, automated warehouse in Sweden will serve the Swedish market and surrounding countries in the future.

"Right from the start, our goal was to grow into a global brand that can offer free shipping worldwide. Our biggest markets today are Germany, the Nordic countries and Western Europe. To be able to deliver quickly and accurately in the Nordics and offer different delivery options, we decided in 2019 to invest in an AutoStore solution for the regional warehouse. The Nordic region is our second largest market. With the new warehouse, we are increasing our efficiency, shortening lead times by at least one day and enabling same-day delivery in several regions," says Oscar von Konow, Chief Operating Officer at NA-KD.

"Perfect choice for our growth"

"We evaluated several automation solutions, but stayed with AutoStore because it is so simple, scalable and flexible. The fact that it is possible to build an AutoStore system modularly like a Lego landscape fits perfectly with our growth. When you grow as fast as we do, it's impossible to plan capacity for several years ahead," continues Oscar von Konow.

The new warehouse, in which NA-KD has invested just over 10 million euros, is initially designed for a size of 23,000 m² and can be expanded to over 40,000 m². Element Logic specializes in the planning, implementation and servicing of integrated AutoStore solutions and Logent is responsible for the operation of the warehouse as a 3PL partner.

"NA-KD's new automated warehouse comprises over 100,000 containers and 100 robots in the first expansion stage, which means that the system is designed to deliver over 1,000 orders per hour. This makes it one of the largest AutoStore installations in Europe. We are delighted to be taking a decisive step towards highly efficient real-time inventory management together with NA-KD," says Thomas Karlsson, Managing Director at Element Logic Sweden.

"It is a large and important investment for us that will streamline and accelerate our delivery capacity in the Nordic region and create several hundred jobs in the long term. We required a fast and proven set-up and I am impressed with how quickly our partner Element Logic installed and implemented the total solution, consisting of the AutoStore system, an extensive conveyor and sorting system and the associated IT in Sweden. It went very quickly and we are extremely satisfied so far," concludes Oscar von Konow.