29. 9. 2025
The Rohlik Group is one of Europe's pioneers in online food retail, and its strategic expansion is closely linked to the construction of highly automated distribution centers. A logistics process automation project was therefore implemented at the warehouse in Vienna, which serves the gurkerl.at brand, with the aim of combining state-of-the-art storage, picking, and shipping technologies into a single compact unit. LogTech played a significant role in the project, supplying the backbone conveyor system, including stations for measuring and weighing crates.
The backbone of the entire automated warehouse solution is a two-story conveyor system that connects the AutoStore cubic storage system with an assembly zone equipped with gravity racks and BrightPick robotic picking. The system operates in both the ambient (dry) and refrigerated parts of the warehouse, with the overall architecture of both zones being identical. The lower level of the conveyors transports picked customer orders to the dispatch area, while the upper level of the conveyor system is designed to return empty containers back to the workers for picking further orders. The conveyors were designed with robustness and resistance to intensive operation in mind, while also allowing for safe operation via bridge crossings, which serve both as emergency exits and for the daily movement of operators.
The conveyors also include control stations where containers are automatically weighed and measured and their contents are identified using camera systems with a barcode reading success rate exceeding 99%. Based on the data obtained, the containers are routed to the appropriate outputs, where they are picked up by BrightPick robotic units. The system supports multiple output types and, thanks to its modular design, is ready for expansion with additional shipping zones without interrupting normal warehouse operations.
The capacity parameters of the entire solution allow for the processing of up to 1,800 crates per hour on direct routes and 1,600 crates per hour on transfer units at 90° angles. The conveyors are designed for standard plastic crates used across the Rohlik Group, both new and used. The proposed solution also takes into account integration with the fire alarm system and safety features that ensure that in the event of an alarm or non-standard situation, operations can be stopped immediately and the area cleared for safe evacuation.
The implementation of the proposed solution brings significant benefits to the Rohlik Group and its Austrian customers shopping at gurkerl.at. Thanks to the high throughput of the conveyors, operations are significantly more efficient, errors are eliminated as much as possible thanks to automatic measurement and identification, and safety and ergonomics have been significantly improved. Thanks to the modular solution, the entire system remains flexible and ready for future expansion in line with growth in demand and the company's planned development.
The Vienna distribution center project is an example of successful cooperation between the Rohlik Group and LogTech and shows how modern automation technologies can increase the efficiency and quality of logistics processes in the rapidly growing online food sales segment.
