The Monoprix supermarket chain has built an automated distribution centre just outside Paris to deal with its online orders. It is a robotic system made of cubes which circulate on a grid and allow 50 articles to be picked in 6 minutes. The system is part of a deal with UK firm Ocado which has been expanding its DC service offer around the world. It uses the Autostore technology from Norway to automate warehouse operations and cut down considerably on human numbers. The Autostore group is currently suing Ocado for wrongful appropriation of its technology.

Department store Manor in Switzerland has been using Autostore in two of its warehouses for several years now and has benefited from considerable cost savings as a result.

See IADS Exclusive piece on Monoprix here