On track for innovation: DB Schenker to open high-tech logistics center in the Czech Republic

DB Schenker, one of the leading global logistics service providers, will be opening a new site in the Prague region next year. The highly automated fulfillment warehouse will expand the company’s logistics capacities and shortens delivery times. Along with retail operations, the new distribution center will also manage B2C e-commerce activities, including an extensive value added services area addressing the demand for personalized products requested by consumers.

“DB Schenker has experienced outstanding success since its entry into the Eastern European market,” says Ingo Brauckmann, Executive Vice President Contract Logistics / SCM Europe at DB Schenker. “The new automated fulfillment center, will enable us to expand our capacities and improve our performance, thereby setting the stage for further growth in the region. We are thus now ready to expand and improve the services we offer to our rapidly growing customer base.”

Efficient and innovative fulfillment has become more important as e-commerce logistics operations continue to expand and automation helps increase capacities and make the supply chain more resilient. The new distribution center will offer excellent service quality – made possible by a highly scalable, modular G-T-P (goods-to-person) system combined with an extensive conveyor system and a high-performance cross-belt sorter for shipping parcels that will be provided by DB Schenker’s partner Körber. Indeed, Körber’s software solution will control more than 100 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that will be part of the highly automated logistics ecosystem. The facility will thus feature one of the largest AMR deployments of its kind in Eastern Europe.

Despite the high automation level, the distribution center will require more than 1,000 operators at peak times. The center, which will be located near Prague Airport and a major highway that runs to Germany, will enable very short delivery times to customers in Central and Eastern Europe. The new distribution center is schedule to begin operating in the summer of 2023. The current distribution center, which is 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 to meet our customers’ circular economy needs and reduce their digital carbon footprint.