German food retailer Bartels-Langness, known as Bela, selected Swisslog as the main integrator of a new automated high bay warehouse at its logistics facility in Neumünste.

The EUR13.9 million (USD14.9 million) project will include than 11,100 storage locations, three heavy duty Vectura stacker cranes for double-pallet handling and 228 m of ProMove pallet conveyor system.

It’s the first automation project in Bela’s 130-year history.

The Swisslog Vectura pallet stacker crane, which can operate at up to 50 m, will handle up to 200 pallets an hour at the Bela facility.

The new high-bay warehouse and pallet conveyor system will be controlled by Swisslog SynQ software. All activities on the system are fully automated and user intervention is only required if a problem occurs.

Swisslog head of sales for Central Europe Christopher Herweg says: “We're honoured to be selected as Bela's strategic partner for their first automation endeavour, where we can put our decades of experience in the food retail industry to use alongside our civil construction and software knowhow.”
Swisslog, the main integrator for both civil engineering and intralogistics works on the project, is set to start work on site in November 2023, and the project is scheduled for completion in June 2025.

“One of the main reasons why we chose Swisslog was the passion and professionalism of the entire team,” says Bela managing director Volker Bluhm.

“Swisslog's reputation and experience in dealing as a general contractor for both civil construction and logistics supplies has been known for decades."