Swisslog to deliver state-of-the-art AutoStore Multi-Temperature solution for Vandenbulcke in record time
26 February 2025
Swisslog France is proud to announce a new collaboration with Vandenbulcke, a leading distributor of bakery, patisserie and catering products in the Hauts-de-France region. This project will see the implementation of an advanced AutoStore Multi-Temperature solution in Vandenbulcke's new 21,000 m² warehouse in Herlies, near Lille.
Founded in 1900, Vandenbulcke is a cornerstone in the distribution of raw materials, catering products, beverages, packaging, cleaning products and small materials. As a member of Back Europ France, Vandenbulcke is part of a network of independent local distributors serving the bakery, patisserie, ice cream and HORECA sectors.
After a devastating fire in August 2021 destroyed all their facilities, Vandenbulcke had to move to a temporary warehouse. Fortunately, the company was already constructing a brand-new, larger warehouse, and they were able to move into it much sooner than expected, just a few weeks later. The new warehouse, completed at the end of 2021, is significantly larger than the previous one, which has resulted in increased operational distances. Additionally, storage capacity issues have arisen due to a 40% increase in new product references. Swisslog has been tasked with addressing these challenges.
The project includes two 16-level AutoStore systems designed for both ambient and chilled environments. This setup features 9,500 bins for chilled storage and 5,500 bins for ambient storage, with an initial phase of 6,500 bins.
The solution incorporates 20 robots, 3 conveyor ports, 2 Fusion Port Staging areas, and a double workstation for picking and recuperation, providing nearly 15,000 total net locations capacity. The systems are managed by Swisslog's SynQ WMS/WCS, ensuring seamless operation between the ambient and fresh storage areas.
The decision to partner with Swisslog was influenced by the company's strong reputation within the Back Europ group and its proven expertise in delivering flexible and efficient AutoStore solutions. Laurent Vandenbulcke, the Managing Director of the family business, emphasized the importance of this project: "With AutoStore, we've discovered a more flexible solution for space constraints, and we've come up with a logistics standard that's easy to integrate into our site. We needed stock management that was complex, varied, and fast."
Vandenbulcke's confidence in Swisslog's capabilities was reinforced by a visit to another site and positive feedback from a Back Europ Director. The swift implementation timeline, with work starting in April 2025 and completion targeted for August 2025, underscores Swisslog's commitment to meeting the urgent needs of its customers. Laurent Vandenbulcke added, "We were reassured because we had seen an existing, high-performance model with another customer from the same Back Europ group. What's more, they're able to do it in a very short timeframe to match our pace of business and be ready for our end-of-year peak."
The new system will significantly enhance Vandenbulcke's operational efficiency, with fulfilment capacity expected to increase from 700 per operator per day (before AutoStore) to 300 orders per hour. This will lead to substantial productivity gains and reduced work fatigue for employees, as the system eliminates the need for heavy, dangerous machinery and ensures error-free workflows. The AutoStore solution also guarantees hyper-exact traceability for expiration dates, end-to-end stock security, and temperature management, ensuring the best experience for Vandenbulcke's customers with order management in less than 12 hours.
About Swisslog
Swisslog delivers data-driven & robotic solutions for your logistics automation alongside reliable, modular service concepts. Collaborating with forward-thinking companies, we are committed to setting new standards in warehouse automation to provide future-proof products and solutions. As part of the KUKA Group, our customers trust the competence of our passionate employees – more than 15,000 people working across the globe.
www.swisslog.com & www.kuka.com
