Fiege Implements Robotic Project for CBR Fashion in Burgwedel

The Greven logistics service provider responds to the growth development of its long-standing customer CBR Fashion Group. Autonomous robots from Locus Robotics will soon be in use at the logistics center in Burgwedel.

(Burgwedel/Greven) Fiege is further advancing the modular automation of its locations. For its long-standing customer CBR Fashion, known for the brands Cecil and Street One, the logistics service provider is developing an automated and flexible material flow system that meets the increasing demands and growth forecasts. To this end, Fiege is constructing a new pick tower at the Burgwedel site, where initially 100 autonomous mobile robots (AMR) will support the picking of garments starting in summer 2023, helping to reduce throughput times.

Fiege has been working for CBR Fashion for 15 years and is responsible for warehousing and fulfillment as well as last-mile transport. Stephan Wittenbrink, Managing Director of the Fashion & Lifestyle business unit at Fiege, says: “In order to increase our performance in light of rising order volumes, we had to optimize some of the historically grown processes and structures. By using collaborative robots, we are now creating a scalable picking system that perfectly meets the individual requirements of our customer.”

The contract was recently extended

The contract with the Isernhagen fashion company was recently extended. Patrick Maack, Head of Logistics at CBR Fashion Group, explains: “We have grown significantly in recent years and launched the new brand Street One Men alongside our women’s fashion labels last summer. Additionally, our business is subject to seasonal and promotional fluctuations. We are very pleased to have Fiege as a flexible logistics partner who can keep pace with our company growth and understands the unique challenges in the fashion and e-commerce business.”

Currently, Fiege is constructing a four-story shelving system in the multi-user center in Burgwedel. Covering an area of 6,000 square meters, it will provide nearly 150,000 storage spaces. Starting next August, 100 AMRs will be deployed there, with the number expected to rise to nearly 170 robots by 2027. As a project partner, the Greven logistics service provider chose Locus Robotics. Wittenbrink says: “The market-ready system allows for easy and short-term integration. Through the Robots-as-a-Service program, which includes not only usage but also maintenance and support, high acquisition and operating costs are eliminated, allowing us to expect a return on investment in the first year.”

Humans alternate with robots

In the pick tower, fixed picking areas will be established, each covering only a few aisles. The AMRs will handle the travel distances between the zones. Employees will thus interact alternately with different robots, each processing six orders in parallel. Using an RFID tag, the AMRs recognize which colleague is currently in front of them and prevent any language barriers through their multilingual software. Ulrich Geislinger, head of the Fiege branch in Burgwedel, explains: “With the multi-bot approach, we expect a productivity gain of more than 30 percent in the picking process and significantly lower costs per unit, from which our customer will also benefit.”

Photo: © Fiege / Image caption: Fiege is developing a robot-assisted material flow system at the Burgwedel site for its long-standing customer CBR Fashion