The company will set up 20 large-scale multi-user fulfilment centres across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific.

The facilities, based on AutoStore technology with goods-to-person automated workstations, will be part of the company's larger campuses.

The DSV Fulfilment Factories will be connected on a 'string,' meaning that one company can have stock placed in multiple warehouses across regions or continents while at the same time having one stock overview.

The interconnectivity system will automatically choose the product at the warehouse closest to the delivery point.

Four facilities are already operational (in Kolding, Oslo, Helsinki, and Venlo), and six are underway (Northamptonshire, Duisburg, Barcelona, Toronto, Stockholm, and Copenhagen). The remaining ones will be erected in North America and Asia-Pacific in the coming few years.

"With DSV Fulfilment Factory companies do not need to be a multinational to get automated, competitive and efficient warehousing. We know there is a significant gap in the market for automated warehousing solutions for companies without enormous volumes because, usually, these solutions, such as AutoStore, are only accessible as a single-user solution for companies with a certain scale," Ronald Poort, Executive Vice President, DSV, explained.

He furthered, "We are investing significantly in a string of 20 interconnected automated facilities across several continents, so our customers can get access to the much-needed automated capacity. By doing so, we are providing companies of all sizes with the opportunity to get access to DSV's automated solutions matching their fluctuating needs in one market or across multiple. I believe that a large-scale multi-user automated facility combined with the logistics capabilities of a 3PL is a rare - if not a unique - offering in the market."

Photo: DSV