Bpost is expanding its international e-commerce logistics activities with a highly-automated fulfilment centre in the Netherlands and plans similar moves in Belgium and Germany next year.
The Belgian group’s subsidiary Active Ants has moved into a new-build fulfilment centre in Roosendaal, close to the Dutch-Belgian border and mid-way between Rotterdam and Antwerp. Some 105 robots are in operation alongside human workers at the 20,000 sqm warehouse.
“I’m proud of this new step in our e-commerce logistics activities in the Netherlands,” said Jean-Paul Van Avermaet, CEO of bpost group.
“This shows not only that we are transforming our business in the right way to respond to the changing needs of our customers, but also that we have the courage to deploy state-of-the-art technology and innovation on the market to make our mark worldwide. I wish the colleagues at Active Ants huge success in this new step and look forward to the opening in Belgium.”
People and robots work side-by-side
Thousands of shipments are prepared at the state-of-the-art Roosendaal facility for online stores, “where people and robots work alongside each other in a highly efficient setup”, according to the company.
“Storage, picking and sorting are all fully automated. Employees form an efficient team with robots for the order picking. The return flow and the receipt of goods continue to be processed manually,” explained Jeroen Dekker, managing partner at Active Ants. “This mechanisation leads to greater efficiency, high quality and a pleasant work environment for our employees. The setup is unique in the world.”
Operationally, 65 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) bring empty boxes to the employees, who fill them with the goods brought by other robots. The AMRs then transport the boxes to the packaging machines, where they are sealed and weighed. The boxes are made as small as possible to minimise filling and empty air. A shipping label is also attached. The AMRs then sort the sealed boxes by shipper.
A further 40 robots are tasked with picking goods from the storage bins and bringing them to employees. This goods-to-person system is carefully designed to have a very small footprint. The system stores up to six times more goods per square metre and the robots generate their own energy, minimising the use of mains power.
In addition, a box sealing machine with integrated printer has been specially designed for Active Ants. This means that personalised printed boxes can be made for every customer.
“This unique functionality allows us to create personalised packaging for not just large but now also for small online stores,” says Jean Lahaye, managing partner at Active Ants. “There is no longer any need to keep hundreds of pallets of preprinted boxes. That cuts customer costs and further shrinks the footprint.”
E-commerce logistics drives bpost growth
As its subsidiaries continue to grow, bpost said it is increasingly active in e-commerce logistics worldwide in response to the increasing demand for logistics services from e-commerce companies.
The new Roosendaal facility brings the total number of bpost group fulfilment centres in Europe up to eight. There are two Active Ants sites in the Netherlands while separate subsidiary Radial has six facilities in Europe: one each in the Netherlands, the UK, Italy and Poland, and two in Germany.
In spring 2021, Active Ants will launch operations at an existing site in Boom, located between Antwerp and Mechelen in northern Belgium. It also plans to open a facility in Germany, according to bpost.
Active Ants was set up in 2010 with the aim of raising the efficiency and accuracy of e-fulfilment through innovation, automation and the deployment of robots. Active Ants is now one of the market leaders in the Netherlands, with more than 250 customers and three million plus orders per year.
