Tackling the end-of-year peak
Europa Warehouse reported a 45% increase in orders during December of 2023, attained without the typical stress associated with “peaks”. Sales during the 2023 peak were lower than in previous years due to macroeconomic circumstances, but the pressure on Europa was still high.
However, the 3PL fulfilment provider has invested GBP 70 million in logistics operations over recent years, including GBP 11 million in shared user automation, to improve the efficiency of its processes to deal with such peaks.
The automated picking system is designed for products that can be stored in totes and regularly scaled up to 280,000 individual picks in a 24-hour period.
Dionne Redpath, chief operating officer (COO) and head of warehouse at Europa Worldwide Group: “Shopping habits are ever evolving, but we have invested heavily to alleviate the strain on our e-commerce, retail and wholesale customers.” (mk)