Warehouse automation and intralogistics company, Swisslog, has been selected as a finalist in the Supply Chain Management category of the Australian Supply Chain and Logistics Awards (ASCLA), for its highly customised warehouse for Jaycar.
The ASCLA awards are hosted by the peak logistics industry body, the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) and recognise companies that have gone above and beyond to demonstrate innovative solutions that solve the industry’s challenges, and deliver long-term benefits to customers.
Jaycar’s new 25.5m high distribution centre (DC) in Eastern Creek, Sydney, is 21,595 sqm – even larger than the Sydney Cricket Ground (which is about 16,000 sqm), and greatly increases storage and output within the same footprint as the previous warehouse.
“It’s fantastic to see recognition for a project where Swisslog and Jaycar worked so closely together to achieve the best outcomes. I’d like to thank both the Swisslog and Jaycar teams for making this possible through such close and consistent collaboration,” says Swisslog Australia and New Zealand managing director, Dan Ulmamei.
Swisslog was also recognised as a finalist in the training, development, and education category, for its Leadership Development Programme (LDP), which Dan says showcases the company’s dedication to continuous improvement.
“Our comprehensive and data-driven LDP has significantly shifted the culture and fundamental mindset of our leaders to harness individual strengths. We are committed to invest in our people and identify and develop individual strengths to empower our employees and maximise their potential. Trust and positivity have become the cornerstones of our interactions, creating an environment where open and honest discussions are encouraged,” he says.
“We have laid the foundation for a workplace that values and empowers its employees. Our commitment to this initiative remains unwavering, and we look forward to the continued growth and success of this programme as it shapes the future of our organisation.”
Justin Mackedie, chief supply chain officer, Electus Distribution says Swisslog was integrally involved in the DC design, which meant it was designed with our needs in mind and a view to further increases in throughput and storage as Jaycar continues to expand its operations. The warehouse is performing exceptionally well, and Jaycar is achieving 99.7% delivered in full on time (DIFOT) on orders.
“Jaycar has ambitious plans to significantly grow its physical and digital networks within the next five years, and plans further growth over the next 20 years, building on the strong foundations founder Gary Johnston has built,” he says.
“This high-tech, industry leading automated storage, handling, and picking solution will set Jaycar Group up for consistent growth and better delivery to its customers. Swisslog has the global experience, local knowledge, and complete solution to turn Jaycar’s warehousing needs into a reality. Well done on the award recognition – it is well deserved.”
Jaycar Electronics Group is a leading retailer of electronics, leisure, and related products, with a network of more than 326 company reseller stockist store across ANZ.
The new Swisslog automated warehouse includes a 20,000 pallet capacity multi-deep automated pallet store, with a fully automated 24,000 tote and carton goods-to-person picking system, that has doubled output and storage volume for Jaycar and given them a competitive advantage with their speed to market.
Swisslog’s intelligent SynQ software is unique in its ability to ‘click and solve’ directly from the 3D visualisation. An operator can access any pallet within the automated warehouse, and can make changes to that pallet directly – such as sending it to the reject station to be checked if something doesn’t look right.
This software gives Jaycar the power to engage in real-time monitoring and visualisation providing them with useful data that can help shape smart strategic decisions, and optimise warehouse productivity, efficiency, and throughput, while eliminating bottlenecks.
Utilising Swisslog’s Vectura crane multi-deep pallet storage system, Jaycar can store pallets seven deep instead of the typical one or two, which means it can achieve about a 30% increase in storage per square metre of warehouse space.