Competec Starts Commissioning of New High-Bay Warehouse

Competec, known among other things for being the largest independent Swiss online retailer BRACK.CH, begins the gradual commissioning of its newly constructed extension. The automatic pallet high-bay warehouse with 27,000 storage locations is the first to go live in the new building. This results in more than a doubling of the previous capacities.

(Willisau) The automatic pallet high-bay warehouse in the new building offers space for around 27,000 Euro pallets. The pallets are stored and retrieved by seven nearly 34-meter-high stacker cranes. Thanks to the new high-bay warehouse, Competec can more than double the capacity of the logistics center for large parts: The high-bay warehouse in the existing building can accommodate 14,000 pallets, while the previous floor storage can hold 5,000 pallets. A new feature: A section of the new high-bay warehouse serves as a cassette storage area with 1,300 storage locations. These cassettes, measuring 3.75 × 1.2 meters, are used to store goods that are too large to be stored on Euro or so-called chemical pallets. To safely accommodate, transport, and position these cassettes, which have a tare weight of 300 kg and a maximum load of 600 kg, a special lifting device had to be constructed specifically for the Competec logistics center.

Construction Work in the New Building is in Full Swing

Competec continues to rely on proven collaboration with companies from Willisau and the surrounding area for the construction and craft work in and around the new building – including flat roof work, sealing, flooring, painting, electrical systems, heating, ventilation, plumbing installations, etc. For the storage technology described above, the trading group relies on one of the few Swiss companies that specialize in the realization of such systems and have already completed large projects in Willisau – Stöcklin Logistik. The Baselbieter company built the automatic high-bay warehouse for the previous owner of the Competec logistics center, LEGO, in the mid-1990s and assisted Competec in refreshing this facility in 2011/12.

Equipped for the Future

Competec’s logistics had long been bursting at the seams. “The new building is an enormous relief for logistics. I thank all the involved individuals and companies for the great collaboration. With more space and state-of-the-art automated systems, we are well equipped for the future to continue providing our customers with an excellent online shopping experience,” says Riet Steiger, CEO of Competec Logistik AG. The building will now be handed over to operation step by step, according to Steiger. The connecting building, which ensures the connection of the new building section to the existing logistics center, has already been temporarily used for the storage of goods due to space constraints. With the commissioning of the high-bay warehouse, another milestone has been reached. Later in the year, Competec will also put into operation the facility for the storage of medium-sized parts with around 100,000 shelf storage locations for containers the size of a half pallet – also built by Stöcklin.

The Long Road to the Extension

The Competec Logistik AG has been planning an extension in Willisau since the end of 2015, measuring 140 (L) × 31 (H) × 60 (B) meters. The first building permit from the Willisau city council in the autumn of 2016 was contested by neighbors. The cantonal court upheld their complaint in June 2017 and required the city council to conduct further investigations. The Willisau city council obtained an expert opinion on landscape compatibility. Furthermore, it required the builder to provide a greening, color, and material concept. In February 2018, the city council granted the building permit again. The same neighbors filed another complaint against it. The cantonal court dismissed the complaint in a ruling from July 2018, after which the complainants escalated the case to the federal court. In October 2018, the federal court ruled that the complaint would not be granted suspensive effect. In early April 2019, the federal court decided in favor of Competec and definitively dismissed the building complaint. After several years of delays, Competec was finally able to realize the urgently needed extension as it was planned and approved.

Title photo: © Competec / Image caption: The warehouse of Competec in Willisau