Finnish online retailer Verkkokauppa.com has announced plans to build an automated urban logistics hub in the Jätkäsaari area of capital city Helsinki.
Verkkokauppa.com delivers nearly 15,000 products from Jätkäsaari to customers across Finland daily.
The investment in the new facility is approximately €4m (£3.5m), reportedly the largest in the company’s history.
Construction will commence this summer and be completed in early 2022.
Once developed, the new hub should enable future growth, cost savings and improved customer experience through wider assortment, better product availability and faster deliveries, said Verkkokauppa.com.
The new warehouse will see a fully automated AutoStore small item solution delivered by logistics-automation company Swisslog.
Comprising 36 robots that can pick up and deliver up to 1,000 articles per hour, and with a capacity of approximately 25,000 articles, the AutoStore system is designed to be modular, easy to expand and cn reduce the energy consumption of the facility.
Panu Porkka, CEO of Verkkokauppa.com, said: “The demand for online shopping has increased tremendously during the last year, and with this investment, we will be able to serve our customers with the growing delivery volumes.
“Our competitive edges are our extensive assortment, efficient fulfilment, and superior technology backbone. We want to hold on them also in the future and to offer our customers the best possible customer experience.”
A new automated packaging system and vertical conveyor system will also be built following deployment of the AutoStore solution.
