Alza Prague High-Throughput Fulfillment Center

Project Overview

Alza, the largest online retailer in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, faced the critical challenge of scaling its fulfillment operations to support its market-leading next-day delivery service. With a product range spanning electronics, toys, and cosmetics, and a network including 46 stores and over 4,500 pickup boxes, the company needed a high-speed, high-accuracy automation solution capable of managing over 150,000 unique SKUs and extreme daily order volumes.

The primary goal was to find a future-proof system that could handle large order volumes both quickly and accurately, enabling Alza to keep its promise of next-morning delivery for orders placed by midnight. After evaluating alternatives like shuttle-based systems and AGVs, Alza selected the AutoStore solution for its superior combination of speed, accuracy, density, and ease of integration.

Element Logic, a leading AutoStore integrator in Europe, partnered with Alza to implement and continuously expand this system, which has become their largest installation by size, robot count, and throughput.

Technical Solution

AutoStore Cubic Storage Grid

The core of the solution is a massive AutoStore cubic storage grid occupying 8,000 square meters. It consists of 300,000 storage bins serviced by 580 robots operating continuously. This configuration provides ultra-high-density storage for Alza's vast inventory, maximizing space utilization. The system's real-time "router technology" optimizes the movement of all robots simultaneously to maximize speed and throughput without requiring additional hardware.

Key Features

The system's 300,000-bin capacity within an 8,000 m² footprint demonstrates an exceptional storage density, crucial for space-constrained facilities. Its design prioritizes relentless speed and zero picker wait time through real-time robot coordination, making it the "heartbeat" of the efficient warehouse.

The solution is inherently scalable; Alza has already executed three major extensions to increase capacity and throughput in response to growth. It is fully integrated with a complete ecosystem of packing and sorting automation, creating a seamless, high-velocity flow from bin to shipping sorter.

Results & Benefits

The implementation led to a dramatic 75% increase in the pick rate, directly translating to higher productivity and lower operational costs per order. The facility now consistently handles 120,000-130,000 orders per day, with the ability to double this capacity during peak seasons to 260,000 orders.

A significant return on investment (ROI) was realized in just 4 to 5 years. Operationally, the system drastically reduced process complexity and accelerated both goods-in and picking processes. Most importantly, it enabled Alza to reliably fulfill its core customer promise: next-morning delivery for orders placed by midnight, which would be "almost impossible to handle manually" at their current volume.

Challenges & Solutions

A key challenge was sustaining the speed required for next-day delivery promises while managing immense SKU variety and order volume. AutoStore's high-density grid and real-time robot routing provided the necessary speed and accuracy, guaranteeing quick access to goods.

Managing over 150,000 unique SKUs efficiently in a growing business required a scalable, high-density storage solution. The AutoStore cubic grid met this need, allowing for dense storage and easy expansion through three major system extensions.

Selecting the right technology was critical. After comparing shuttle systems and AGVs, AutoStore was chosen for its better overall fit in speed, accuracy, density, and notably, easier integration, which simplified the implementation and scaling process.

System Integrator

Element Logic served as the system integrator for this project, responsible for the design, implementation, and ongoing expansion of the AutoStore solution. Their expertise was crucial in delivering Alza's largest and most complex automation installation, integrating the storage system with conveyors, sortation, and packing lines. The partnership is cited as bringing a "real competitive advantage" to Alza.