Automated centre to provide 24/7 click and collect

E-commerce order fulfilment specialists SKUtopia are working with Swisslog in Australia to introduce an automated micro-fulfilment centre (MFC) in Sydney which mirrors similar systems used in world-leading e-commerce markets, including the US.

SKUtopia will use its coworking and e-commerce hub company Workit Spaces to enable e-commerce businesses to scale their business from one order to 10,000 orders.

“This is a truly exciting MFC project, and one of the first of its kind in Australasia,” said Talea Bader, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Workit Spaces. “Swisslog’s customised and automation-driven solution will allow us to provide outstanding value and ROI to our customers.”

SKUtopia enables profitable scalability for the e-commerce industry through software-enabled operations. The company’s four-in-one software package includes inventory management, order management, shipping management and warehouse management.

“Swisslog’s solution provides flexibility to grow as SKUtopia grows, and as our customers grow, which means all companies can stay agile and responsive to growth or changes in product or offering,” Bader said.

“The automated solution has also increased efficiency, accuracy and throughput, allowing us to deliver products to customers faster. The system provides an average increase of 1200% (12 times) compared with a manual warehouse.”

Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) operations take 3PL to the next level by also managing technology, infrastructure and resources, and in some cases building whole supply chains for businesses. SKUtopia’s new configuration will be a 4PL operation serving up to 300 entrepreneurial businesses focusing on e-commerce, including managing inventory, orders, shipping and warehousing.

Swisslog Australia Managing Director Francis Meier said Swisslog’s global experience with 4PLs was a major asset in developing an optimal solution for SKUtopia.

“Our 4PL experience shows us that increases in efficiency and throughput are highly valued, because they allow the 4PL provider to deliver better ROI to its customers. Another important consideration is customisation to add flexibility and futureproof operations,” he said. “SKUtopia was seeking an automated solution that increased storage density to keep up with increasing customer demand, and Swisslog was able to provide a customised solution that met all their needs, and had the flexibility for future growth.

“The click and collect functionality really appealed to SKUtopia, because it allowed them to offer a service-focused advantage to all their customers. Their customers can then provide this efficient service to the end consumer, creating a positive delivery experience.”

The solution will utilise SKUtopia’s in-house developed WMS, to deliver home delivery and automated click and collect functionality with 24/7 availability.