AutoStore turns record year in Europe

17 March 2021

Element Logic breaks sales barrier of 100 million euros by 2020

Element Logic, the world’s first AutoStore distributor, has seen its sales increase by forty percent over the past year. With the huge boost in online shopping, companies are putting more focus on the efficiency of processes, such as warehousing and order picking. Expansion into new markets also strengthened growth. The Norwegian company has had a branch in the Netherlands since 2020. Rob Pauls, managing director Benelux: “The rise of e-commerce in the Netherlands is also creating increasing demand locally for flexible and sustainable warehouse management solutions.”

Element Logic specializes in the robotic solution AutoStore and achieved several records in 2020. Operating profit (EBITDA) amounted to 16 million euros, representing 100 percent growth compared to 2019. The order book also experienced a record amount with a growth of sixty percent to 64 million euros. Sales passed 100 million euros in 2020.

Small distribution centers gaining ground

With increasing demand from online shoppers, the need for faster delivery is also increasing, creating new demands for efficient logistics. Rob Pauls: “A shift to smaller warehouses closer to customers is ensuring that fast delivery. Experts also predict that this trend will continue in the Netherlands^[1]. There is a maximum capacity to the space in the warehouse, especially in a small DC. Instead of more square meters, with an AutoStore system you maximize the space and can run a larger production in the same space.”

AutoStore in the Netherlands

One of the companies that has put a new automated storage and order picking system from Element Logic into operation is Solar Nederland, a sourcing and services company in the fields of electrical, heating and plumbing and ventilation technology. The AutoStore installation at the warehouse in Alkmaar consists of 43,000 storage bins, fifty robots, and sixteen workstations.

“A robotic warehouse increases our order picking capacity and optimizes our business processes to deliver orders quickly and correctly on a permanent basis,” says Michiel Rohrman, Managing Director Solar Nederland. “This allows us to pick orders faster, with a low chance of error. And our customers also benefit from advantages such as consolidation of small goods and reduced risk of damage.”

Want to know how AutoStore works?

Element Logic has visualized the process of the AutoStore system in a short video.