News - Migros Aare, Schönbühl

Migros Aare, the largest of the ten Migros cooperatives, is expanding its logistics platform. The distribution centre in Schönbühl is reaching the limits of its capacity. Logistical bottlenecks can be expected from 2020. The need for additional space is becoming particularly acute for order picking of refrigerated products and returns logistics.

The returns logistics building will be expanded by 800 square metres. The current package sorting system will be replaced by a new system for automated package sorting and removal of recyclable fractions, such as PET, carboard, plastic packaging and debris.

The intralogistics specialist Gilgen Logistics was commissioned to implement the new system for returns logistics. This includes automatic container conveyor technology and pallet conveyor technology including control, material flow computer and visualization.

The modular elements, as well as the optimally designed special elements such as the container destacker with industrial camera, the channelizer with automatic detection and the container stacker with pre-stacker, transport and sort the empty containers by type. In this way, up to 7,000 pallets of reusable containers and recyclable material fractions are processed.

The first part of the new returns logistics system is already in operation. Further modernization and expansion stages in the Schönbühl distribution center will take place by the end of 2023.