Pikolinos shoe brand renovates its warehouse to deal with e-commerce trends

About Pikolinos

It is a popular brand of shoes that started up in 1984. Currently, it has a team of more than 500 people working to develop new high-quality designs.

Pikolinos shoes stand for three values: originality, naturality and authenticity. They can be purchased in one of the more than 4,000 retail shops the company runs in 65 countries around the world, as well as on its website.

Shelving with walkways

Mecalux has equipped the Pikolinos logistics centre in Elche with a block of shelving for picking. On top of these shelves are raised aisles that create a total of four floors. This solution has the advantage of using the entire height of the warehouse, which has multiplied the useful storage area by four. This results in greater storage capacity.

The warehouse has been designed with its main operation in mind: the preparation of orders. To boost picking, it was necessary to have as much storage capacity as possible, to prevent service disruptions and streamline the work of operators.

In terms of capacity, the company can store up to 632,230 boxes of shoes on the shelving for picking. As to agility, the direct access to the products provided by the shelves enhances box handling, which results in faster picking.

The warehouse is divided in such a way that each floor houses certain products. Proper distribution of shoeboxes is essential to speeding up picking, because operators know which area of the warehouse to go to while doing their job. So, the most sought-after models are deposited on the ground floor or in the most accessible locations, with products with the lowest rotation remaining on the upper floor.

Good organization of work is also crucial. Each one of the storage levels is assigned a specific number of operators, which may vary depending on the demand and the number of orders waiting to be prepared. With this system, many operators can prepare various orders simultaneously.

The operators walk up and down the aisles collecting the products for each order directly from the shelves. They follow the order grouping method, which consists of preparing several orders during the same route.

Replenishment is carried out in off-peak hours, i.e., when there are fewer orders that must be prepared. Forklift operators take the pallets located on the ground floor and deposit them on each floor level. A hinged door panel or an ‘up and over pallet gate’ is fitted to one side on each level to ensure operator safety.

Warehouse ready to face the e-commerce challenge

Pikolinos sells quality shoes at a competitive price. To this end, it is essential to minimise logistics costs. The e-commerce boom is a big challenge for these companies: multiple orders comprise a few lines each and deliveries made in the shortest possible time.

Pikolinos, with Mecalux’s help, has established an agile order preparation system, which means it provides more efficient service to customers who make purchases through its online shop.

Advantages for Pikolinos

• Multiply useful storage area: shelving with walkways use the height of the warehouse to accommodate as many boxes as possible (632,230 overall).
• Divide and conquer: each level corresponds to a sector, with certain products and a number of operators that can be adjusted according to demand.
• Optimal goods management: the racks provide direct access, something that is crucial to speeding up order prep.