Case Study: ASDA doubles picking rates with AutoStore warehouse automation

ASDA Picking Rate Doubled by New Warehouse Automation System

ASDA, a major UK grocery retailer and part of the Walmart Group, faced the challenge of increasing the flexibility, capability, and productivity of its supply chain to meet growing customer demand in a multi-channel retail environment. To address this, they partnered with Swisslog and AutoStore to design and implement an innovative automated materials-handling solution within one of their most complex distribution centers.

The solution was the installation of a large AutoStore robotic order fulfillment system. This involved constructing a grid with 164 robots that managed 70,000 bins, which doubled the site's picking productivity and achieved a 99.8% accuracy rate. The AutoStore system, implemented by Swisslog, maximized storage capacity in a small footprint and provided ergonomic workstations, all while being installed without disrupting ongoing operations. The £15.2 million investment proved highly valuable, resulting in warehousing that operates at peak efficiency.

ASDA

Ant Everett

Head of Capacity and Engineering