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TGW Logistics is realizing a highly automated fulfillment center for the leading team sports specialist JAKO in the municipality of Mulfingen in Baden-Württemberg. With this future-proof solution, JAKO can quickly and reliably supply its customers from both the B2B and B2C segments: thanks to higher performance and reduced lead times.
(Marchtrenk) The story of JAKO Sportartikelvertriebs GmbH begins in 1989 in a small garage in the Baden-Württemberg municipality of Stachenhausen. Founder Rudi Sprügel is driven by an idea: to supply all the clubs in his home region between the rivers Jagst and Kocher with jerseys and training suits. The success proves him right: today, JAKO is one of the market leaders in the team sports business. More than 250,000 teams in over 50 countries rely on the expertise of the family-owned company. Close collaboration with specialized retailers plays a central role in this. The motto “WE ARE TEAM” stands for the commitment to reliable, partnership-based relationships with customers and suppliers.
Automation as a response to the skilled labor shortage
Due to the strong growth of recent years, the central warehouse in Mulfingen is increasingly reaching its limits. The skilled labor shortage in the region was another accelerator for the decision to not only expand the intralogistics but also to automate it. The core of the performance is TGW FlashPick, the intelligent system for goods-to-person order picking. It includes an automatic small parts warehouse and a shuttle warehouse with a total of around 220,000 storage locations.
Pick robot learns thanks to artificial intelligence
The individual areas of the fulfillment center are connected by energy-efficient KingDrive conveyor technology, and customer orders are assembled at four PickCenter workstations, one of which is equipped with the picking robot RovoFlex. RovoFlex is based on insights from machine learning and can seamlessly switch between manual and automated picking. The robot also learns with each pick—resulting in positive effects on performance, efficiency, and reliability. The TGW software WERX serves as the Warehouse Management System (WMS): it plans, controls, and monitors all processes.
“We are very pleased with the trust that JAKO places in TGW Logistics. In the selection process, we were able to convince with an innovative approach and our references for leading international fashion players,” emphasizes Martin Waldenberger, Director Sales of the Customer Unit Central Europe at TGW Logistics. “Together, we have laid the foundation for a long-term partnership, as teamwork plays a central role for both companies.”
Photo: © TGW Logistics
