AutoStore Users Gather to Share Experience and Best Practices

We at Swisslog were pleased to bring together North American AutoStore users for the first-ever AutoStore Users Conference on September 5^th and 6^th of this year. The event offered AutoStore users the ability to network with peers, share key learnings and best practices, learn about the latest software and technologies from Swisslog and AutoStore, and drive future innovation.

The event was held at the offices of Medline, the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, in Northfield, Illinois. Medline, an early adopter of the AutoStore system and now the world’s largest AutoStore operator, not only provided their first-class conference center for the event, but also gave prospective AutoStore users who attended the conference an opportunity to tour its Libertyville distribution center, which features a Swisslog-configured AutoStore system. Medline VP of Engineering, Paul Ancona, kicked off the event and Daniel Schwartz, Area VP of Engineering, followed through with a presentation of Medline’s key learnings as one of the world’s most experienced users.

Users came from a variety of industries, including electronics, apparel, auto parts, medical, and grocery. One of the highlights of the event was the roundtable sessions in which users presented their key learnings and had a chance to pose questions to other users and the experts in attendance. We had a number of our Swisslog experts at the event, providing users with unprecedented access to AutoStore expertise.

Keynote presentations were delivered by Swisslog and AutoStore executives. AutoStore shared details about their organization in the U.S. while our own Nicholas Leonard offered insight into the advanced analytics capabilities within the SynQ software platform that supports AutoStore. Fredrik Henriksson, Swisslog’s Senior Director of Consulting and Design for E-commerce/Retail, gave a comprehensive presentation on picking technologies that complement AutoStore, highlighting various pick station configurations as well as robotic picking solutions such as Swisslog’s ItemPiQ. Adam Strange, a Customer Care Account Manager at Swisslog, reviewed our customer service capabilities.

The event was also an ideal platform for AutoStore users to influence future product developments. On the second day users were organized into three groups and participated in in-depth focus groups to help us identify key improvements and innovations for the future. As partners in our product development process, AutoStore users have consistently provided valuable input for our team as we tailor AutoStore and SynQ to the requirements of specific applications. At Swisslog we take the voice of the customer very seriously and plan to implement a number of ideas as a result of the conference.

The event was not only valuable in increasing education and collaboration among the AutoStore community. It marks a significant milestone in the continued maturity of this innovative technology. AutoStore, combined with Swisslog SynQ Software, can no longer be considered a niche or emerging technology platform; it is firmly established with an extensive and engaged user base. As the largest integrator of AutoStore systems, with more than 130 systems installed or sold, Swisslog was uniquely positioned to bring these users together and help ensure this, and other robotic-based automation solutions, continue to build on their current momentum.

Thank you to all who made this event possible, including the AutoStore users and prospects who traveled to Northfield from across the U.S. to share their experience, and particularly Bill Abington III, Paul Ancona and Daniel Schwartz from Medline. Special thanks to all of the staff at Medline who supported the event and the team here at Swisslog who organized it. We see this being the first of many AutoStore Users Conferences facilitated by Swisslog.