Intersport Automates with TGW Logistics

By October 2024, TGW will establish a powerful FlashPick® system for INTERSPORT Austria. The sporting goods retailer is consolidating several small logistics locations at its headquarters in Wels, Austria. Automation is the central lever to increase performance and capacity and ensure fast, reliable delivery.

(Marchtrenk) The INTERSPORT Austria group, headquartered in Wels, is the market leader in Austria and includes 104 retailers at over 280 locations. In the fiscal year 2021/22, the company achieved a revenue of 631 million euros. INTERSPORT Austria serves more than 1.8 million customers and is also responsible for markets in neighboring countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

“In Wels, all threads come together, and the demands on logistics are increasing. Expanding and automating this area was the next logical step. At TGW, everything from hardware and software to commissioning and user training comes from a single source. The overall package fits, and that was decisive for the award,” says Alois Grüblinger, Operations Manager at INTERSPORT Austria.

Start of a Joint Automation Journey

To reflect the continuous growth in customers and orders in the intralogistics processes and ensure fast delivery, INTERSPORT Austria is expanding its existing distribution center. The automation is intended not only to enable a significant increase in performance, capacity, and flexibility but also to efficiently consolidate several small warehouses at one location.

TGW is establishing a four-aisle shuttle system that ensures maximum storage density thanks to triple-deep storage and optimally utilizes the available space. Orders are assembled at six PickCenter One picking workstations, where shipping boxes are automatically erected or capped by TGW robots and then transported to the shipping area. The TGW Warehouse Management System (WMS) plans, controls, and monitors all processes and is connected to INTERSPORT’s merchandise management system.

“TGW brought many innovative proposals for optimizing our current logistics processes during the bidding phase, in addition to the professional collaboration of the different teams. We are therefore convinced that we have the right partner on board with TGW and look forward to a successful implementation,” adds Günther Junkowitsch, Head of Logistics at INTERSPORT Austria and responsible overall project manager.

Software Expertise Makes the Difference

“We are very pleased that INTERSPORT Austria trusts the intralogistics expertise and experience of TGW,” emphasizes Johann Steinkellner, CEO of TGW Central Europe. “A decisive criterion in the project is our software expertise. The TGW WMS will replace INTERSPORT’s existing system – both for the automatic and manual parts of the facility.”

Photo: © TGW Logistics