Zalando has commissioned KNAPP to automate their new distribution centre in Bleiswijk near Rotterdam. The new online distribution centre of 140,000 m² will be equipped with a combination of shuttle system and pocket sorter technology to ensure highest efficiency and flexibility.

Zalando began the construction of the first Dutch distribution centre in Bleiswijk near Rotterdam in summer 2019. The warehouse is scheduled to begin operation in two years, creating 1,500 new jobs in the medium term. The expansion of the logistics network is an important step in Zalando’s growth strategy: by 2023/2024, the company wants to have achieved a gross merchandise volume of 20 billion euros. Customers from Western Europe, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain and Great Britain will be supplied with goods from the distribution centre near Rotterdam.

200 million Euro investment
Zalando invests roughly 200 million euros in the overall project. Out of all nine logistics locations that Zalando currently has, the new distribution centre in Rotterdam will have the highest degree of automation. The logistics centre will provide space for around 16 million articles with several hundred thousand items leaving the warehouse on peak days. This is achieved with a combination of shuttle and Dürkopp pocket sorter technologies. “We have a longstanding partnership with Zalando, during which we have made great strides by implementing pocket sorter systems for three large-scale projects. I’m very pleased that the KNAPP group can help Zalando further their business with an integrated overall concept,” emphasises Sigurd Völker, Managing Director of Dürkopp Fördertechnik GmbH.

KNAPP is the partner for fashion logistics
State-of-the-art technology for the automatic supply of hanging and flat-packed goods combined with our industry expertise is what makes the KNAPP group the leading logistics partner for fashion companies. Dürkopp’s pocket sorter system efficiently integrates diverse systems such as the OSR Shuttle Evo, the returns buffer and manual processes in the warehouse. “Thanks to the sophisticated technologies, the warehouse in Rotterdam will enable us to deliver orders faster to Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg,” explains Carl-Friedrich zu Knyphausen, Head of Logistics Development at Zalando.

Christoph Lafer, Vice President of Retail Solutions KNAPP AG, adds, “We are delighted that Zalando has chosen such a visionary solution and that the KNAPP group has now also come on board to join Dürkopp and Zalando. As a system supplier, we are their first point of contact in all phases of the project from commissioning to, implementation and maintenance of the entire system, which is definitely an further advantage for Zalando.”

About Zalando
Zalando is Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle. Founded in 2008 in Berlin, Germany, Zalando offers their now over 28 million active customers products from all areas such as clothing, shoes, accessories and cosmetics. The article range includes world-renowned international brands as well as local labels. Zalando offers their customers a platform full of inspiration, innovation and interaction. Being Europe’s most fashionable technology company, Zalando is constantly on the lookout for new digital solutions for every aspect of the shopping experience – for customers, partners and other actors who want to shape the business of Zalando. Zalando’s goal is to become the first place to go to in the fashion industry.

About KNAPP
KNAPP is one of the leading technological companies and provides intelligent solutions for distribution and production. Together with their subsidiary Dürkopp Fördertechnik in Bielefeld, the KNAPP group’s customers include renowned fashion brands such as Hugo Boss, Olymp, Parfum Christian Dior, Esprit and Marc Cain.