Swedish third-party logistics provider Nowaste Logistics has become the first AutoStore user to deploy AutoCase, a carton-injection port that feeds boxes directly into the storage grid. Swisslog handled the rollout this summer, a world first for the technology.
A World-First Deployment
AutoCase was among the innovations AutoStore unveiled last autumn. Nowaste, founded in 2008 in Helsingborg, put it to work at a site handling large volumes of apparel shipped from Asia. The garments arrive boxed, and the new port lets them enter the AutoStore grid on receipt, with no repacking into bins.
Cutting Out the Buffer
The real gain is in seasonal stock. New collections land weeks before shipping starts and have to cover a season that can run six months. “We managed that buffer by storing cartons on pallets in racks, then feeding them into the system as orders came in, which meant a lot of manual work,” said Patrik Johnfors, Head of Solution Design and Implementation at Nowaste. AutoCase removes that step. Boxed goods can be picked at the item level or shipped as they are.
A Deepening Partnership
Swisslog has worked with Nowaste for years. AutoCase is at least their third automated project together, on top of pallet-handling systems and robotic pallet picking. For Swisslog, the deployment widens the range of applications that AutoStore, already past a thousand installations worldwide, can automate. Tests continue with different carton types.
