Audion Speedpack

Fixing the packaging bottleneck with Audion Speedpack 550 Dual

Wehkamp & Speedpack Hybrid:

Wehkamp operates one of the world’s largest automated distribution centres for online retail. With over 400,000 products and tens of thousands of daily shipments, maintaining speed and reliability is essential. However, packaging often emerged as a bottleneck, particularly during peak demand. When automated lines reached capacity or required maintenance, staff were forced to rely on manual, labour-intensive packing methods that were costly and slowed down the entire supply chain. They needed a more efficient, automated solution to bridge the gap and keep their logistics process moving smoothly.

Approach:

To solve these efficiency challenges, Wehkamp integrated the Audion Speedpack Hybrid into their existing operations. The goal was to create a flexible, semi-automatic packing line that could handle surges in demand while maintaining precision.

The implementation focused on several key operational improvements:

Handling Peak Demand: The Speedpack acts as a critical backup and capacity booster, stepping in whenever the main automated systems are at capacity or offline for maintenance.
Integrated Workflow: By utilising the machine’s integrated label printer, the process was streamlined into a single, efficient motion: scanning, bagging, sealing, and labelling.
Variable Packaging: The team leveraged the machine's ability to adjust bag length automatically. This helped reduce material waste and ensured packages were the right size to prevent issues with their high-speed sorting facilities.

Results:

‍The introduction of the Audion Speedpack Hybrid transformed Wehkamp's packing efficiency:

Increased Throughput: The machine processes seven packages per minute, which is two to three times faster than their previous manual packing methods.
Labour Efficiency: This automation saved significant capacity, effectively freeing up the equivalent of three people per shift to focus on other critical warehouse tasks.
Operational Stability: By mitigating packaging bottlenecks, the warehouse can now handle 40,000 packages on a busy day, ensuring next-day and even same-day delivery promises are met consistently.
Material & Sorting Optimization: The variable bag length feature reduced material costs and improved the sorting process, preventing oversized packages from causing errors in the automated sorting system.