Vanderlande has successfully delivered its largest project on Russian soil to date, with the installation of its first ADAPTO shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) for Leroy Merlin, one of Russia’s largest DIY (do it yourself) retailers. The system has been installed inside an innovative new regional distribution centre named ‘North Star’. This has been constructed in the Moscow area and has the capacity to supply over 200 hypermarkets in Russia and Kazakhstan.
Leroy Merlin is part of the ADEO Group, which ranks first in Europe (and third in the world) as a supplier to DIY outlets. It has 464 stores in 12 countries, offering customers a wide range of quality products in the home, interior, building materials, repairs and garden segments. Vanderlande’s innovative ADAPTO system is facilitating Leroy Merlin’s rapid growth, with even quicker delivery of goods to hypermarkets, as well as efficiently managing the growing volume of online orders.
The Vanderlande solution consists of pallet infeeds and outfeedstogether with palletising, de-palletising and clearing workstations with operator positions. Two ADAPTO modules complete the solution with a total system capacity of 7,400 trays inbound and 7,400 trays outbound per hour. A total of approximately 75,000 storage locations are integrated within the highly automated solution, which is controlled by Vanderlande’s VISION software. The new warehouse commenced operations in May 2021.
“It was a considerable challenge to launch such a significant project during the COVID-19 restrictions,” says Ivan Korotkov, Leroy Merlin Russia Supply Chain Leader & ADEO Warehouse Automation Expert. “Nevertheless, we were able to overcome all difficulties and now we are ready for this latest stage in the development of our logistics.”
“I am very pleased that Leroy Merlin and Vanderlande have worked successfully together to bring this project over the line,” says Terry Verkuijlen, Vice President Warehouse Solutions at Vanderlande. “Despite some difficulties we faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our dedication remained unabated. I am convinced that our FASTPICK solution will enable Leroy Merlin to keep growing at a rapid pace, while remaining competitive.”