DSV Road and Solutions has settled to its new Vestby facility after gradually moving from three other sites around Oslo since end-May.

Located south of Oslo, the 50,000-sqm facility is now operational, complete with a 12,000-sqm terminal, 32,000 sqm of warehouse space including a 7,000-sqm mezzanine, and 4,700 sqm for office and personnel facilities.

Robotic storage
DSV has been finding ways to innovate and test logistics solutions with the emergence of e-commerce, and the Vestby warehouse is one of the first in its network to be equipped with a robotic storage and retrieval system particularly suited for e-commerce operations.

“With the automated storage system, we obtain increased storage density and flexibility. Combined with the more effective picking methods compared to traditional methods, we can provide our customers with more cost-efficient services,” said Brian Winther Almind, EVP, group property at DSV Panalpina A/S.

Sustainability aspect
Aside from the innovation behind the facility, the logistics provider also focused on the environmental and sustainability aspect of the new logistics base, which it built in accordance with the BREAAM-NOR standard.

DSV plans to roll out similar storage and retrieval systems in a number of other buildings.

“In addition to the overall performance of the new facility, the power consumption used to operate the automated robotic storage and retrieval system is considerably lower than running a conventional picking and packing operation and thus adds positively to the environmental and sustainability aspects we have committed ourselves to,” added Brian.

Plug & Play
But the innovation does not stop with warehouse automation and sustainability, well not for the DSV Innovation Hub.

With its participation in the Plug and Play programme, DSV is meeting up with startups that are currently developing the next generation of supply chain and logistics technology.

In one of the projects, the DSV Innovation Hub worked with drone developers to manage inventory control in warehouses, and the results have been very promising, the company said.

Plug and Play’s scouting service ensures a strong field of startups to collaborate with, DSV added. So when a promising suit is found, startup and corporate partners enter into a potential pilot test of the solution.

“We believe that the fastest way to find innovative solutions, test them out, and learn from others is through a network such as Plug and Play,” says Luca Graf, head of the DSV Innovation Hub. “The goal of our innovation efforts is to improve the customer experience and become more efficient,” he adds.

DSV joins the likes of Unilever, ExxonMobil, Shell, Walmart, Schneider Electric, DHL, and BASF who are working with Plug and Play and startup cohorts to digitally transform the supply chain and logistics industry.