In March 2024
Swiss Post is expanding its customized logistics solutions division with a highly automated logistics center in Villmergen, Aargau, which is slated to become its largest and most modern site in Switzerland by 2025. Around 100 new jobs are expected to be created.
Swiss Post also has other warehouse logistics locations in Dintikon, Mägenwil, and Oftringen. However, these are reaching their capacity limits due to increasing demand from business customers. Therefore, Swiss Post is investing nearly 140 million Swiss francs in Villmergen.
Project manager Daniel Moser: “The facility will comprise five floors, four new extensions, and a state-of-the-art automated high-bay warehouse.” Furthermore, Swiss Post will increase the floor space from 20,000 to 57,000 square meters and raise capacity to 56,000 pallets and 145,000 automated containers. “The crucial aspect is that the various storage areas will be networked and intelligently controlled,” he explains proudly.
In an older section of the center, a wide range of medical and pharmaceutical products are already stored. Moser points out that medications, compresses, syringes, infusions, catheters, and implants are kept in temperature-controlled areas. This is part of a comprehensive logistics solution for hospitals, clinics, and care facilities. It is the Swiss Post's only fully automated logistics center in the healthcare sector. An intelligent control system powers around twenty robots that retrieve products from one of 20,000 containers and transport them at high speed to the packing station. There, postal workers collect and pack the various products of an order into a reusable container before sending them to the respective healthcare facility.
Photos: Swiss Post
It goes without saying that fire protection measures in buildings where hazardous, potentially flammable substances are stored must be state-of-the-art. "We deliberately chose not to install a sprinkler system in the high-bay warehouse," explains Moser. "Instead, enclosed storage areas are enriched with nitrogen, which reduces the oxygen level and eliminates the risk of fire. The required nitrogen is produced on-site. The increased nitrogen content is harmless to employees. Due to the oxygen reduction," explains Daniel Moser, "the air in these enclosed areas corresponds to an alpine climate at approximately 4,000 meters above sea level and is therefore safe for short maintenance operations.".
The plan is to open the new center in the summer of 2025. However, as with any construction project, the timeline depends on various factors. "The work is well advanced and proceeding according to plan. We have just begun installing the new conveyor and automation systems," explains the project manager.
The logistics center in Villmergen combines various automation technologies. These include a high-bay warehouse for pallets, an automated container warehouse for medium-sized parts, and an AutoStore system for small parts. Pallets, storage containers, and picking bins are automatically transported via a network of conveyors. State-of-the-art systems monitor the technology and inventory levels.
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