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Swiss online retail is booming. 3.7 million parcels were distributed in Willisau in 2022 – with the latest technology.
Whether it’s a frying pan, a child’s seat or a notebook: more and more products are being ordered in Switzerland with a click – and delivered to your home in a parcel. The pandemic has further intensified the trend towards online trading and is bringing record sales to logistics companies. The Lucerne-based company Competec – which also owns Brack.ch – packed and shipped 3.7 million parcels last year. Never that many before.
Conveyor belt system replaces forklifts
So that the customers really have the right one of the 200,000 products in the parcel, a great deal of logistics is required. Over 400 people work for the shipping giant. Entrepreneur Roland Brack is convinced that the online boom is not over yet: “The growth is particularly impressive among private customers. The number of parcels sent here has doubled in the last two years.” Despite this growth, Switzerland still lags slightly behind when it comes to ordering at the click of a mouse compared to other countries. The logistics company is therefore preparing for even more orders.
The future of online trading is clearly visible in the Competec Group’s newly opened new building in Willisau, Lucerne. CEO Martin Lorenz: «In the new high-bay warehouse, all items are recorded with a barcode. The collection of items is automated throughout the warehouse.» In concrete terms, this means that the goods no longer have to be fetched by a logistician with a forklift, but are automatically collected with a high-tech conveyor belt system.
Automated conveyor belt system
In the industry, these warehouses are called “Autostores”, the one in Willisau is 30 meters high and cost 70 million Swiss francs. Some of the items ordered are also packed fully automatically. This is when someone has only ordered one item – in the case of several items for the same customer, employees continue to complete the package.
We want to send as little air as possible.
A challenge for the industry is the package size. Ordered items are often delivered in packages that are much too large. According to Lorenz, the automated system helps to optimize the package size. “We want to send as little air as possible. Parcels that are too large are not in our interest and also not in the interest of the post office.” With automated packaging, the package volume can be reduced by almost a third. “This means more packages fit in a truck.”
Legend:
The distribution center in Willisau from the air. The various warehouses are around eight football pitches in size. A further construction is already planned.
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But despite the high level of automation, fewer people will not be needed. “It helps to be able to send more packages at the same time, but not as a downsizing measure,” emphasizes Lorenz. On the contrary: online trade will continue to grow in the future and will need employees. This can also be seen in Willisau, where there are already plans for another fully automated car store.