DB Schenker is set to open a new automated fulfillment warehouse in the Prague region next year.

Along with retail operations, the new 55,000-sqm distribution center will manage B2C e-commerce activities, including an extensive value-added services area addressing the demand for personalized products requested by consumers.

The fulfilment center, which will be located near Prague Airport and a major highway that runs to Germany, is schedule to begin operating in the summer of 2023 to serve Central and Eastern Europe.

DB Schenker said the current distribution center, also located in the Prague region, cannot accommodate the future demands of the customer. The current site will not be closed but used for reverse logistics services.

The new distribution center will feature a highly scalable, modular G-T-P (goods-to-person) system combined with an extensive conveyor system and a high-performance cross-belt sorter provided by partner Körber.

The facility will also feature one of the largest deployments of autonomous mobile robots in Eastern Europe. Körber’s software solution will control more than 100 AMRs that will be part of the highly automated logistics ecosystem.

Despite the high automation level, the distribution center will require more than 1,000 operators at peak times, DB Schenker noted.