SHOP Apotheke Europe currently supplies over 5 million active customers in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland from its existing warehouse in Venlo. The product range includes more than 100,000 over-the-counter and prescription medicines, food supplements and beauty and care products. The new logistics center will now create the conditions to meet the constantly growing demand. "Our customers can expect an even wider range of products and an accelerated supply of medicines," says Theresa Holler, Chief Pharmacist and COO at SHOP Apotheke Europe.

In the course of the intralogistics project planning, SSI Schaefer worked closely with those responsible at the online pharmacy and Miebach Consulting(we reported). The experts from Miebach Consulting have been supporting SHOP Apotheke Europe since 2018 and have already been commissioned with the concept/detail planning and tendering and are now also monitoring the implementation. "For SSI Schaefer, this project is another important step in expanding our business in healthcare e-commerce," emphasizes Klaus Murko, Vice President Healthcare & Cosmetics at SSI Schaefer. "And with SHOP Apotheke Europe, we have a top partner to start a successful future together."

In the automated small parts warehouse (AKL), SSI Miniload 1-mast units designed for double-deep storage and SSI Miniload 2-mast units for single-deep storage are used. An SSI Cuby shuttle system, which acts as an order buffer, must also be installed. Shuttle vehicles serve the storage locations and will complete 800 double cycles per aisle every hour. The high-performance shuttle system takes up comparatively little space and can be flexibly expanded at any time if required. Modularity combined with efficient use of space and high output also characterize the A-Frames. The picking machines enable complex orders to be processed quickly, even at peak capacity.

In addition, put-to-light workstations as well as workstations for single-order sorting and the assembly of large-volume orders will be set up. SSI Schaefer's scope of supply and services also includes around 10 km of container and carton conveyor technology including a cross-belt sorter, a platform extending over 11,000 m², shelving and pallet racks as well as various handling systems that effectively support shipping preparation. SSI Schaefer also supplies the necessary containers from a single source. The Wamas logistics software coordinates the material flow movements. Installation of the intralogistics components began in spring 2020. The go-live of the entire system is planned for early 2021.