Typically trusted to store and manage the availability of components in factories and warehouses, Konecranes’ Agilon automated material handling system now serves as a new way to conveniently deliver parcels.
With its ability to store, manage and handle materials of different shapes and sizes, the Agilon is now part of open and shared urban parcel delivery services in Germany and Finland.
The Red-Dot-design-award-winning system can be tailored to suit various material handling requirements. It’s already improving everyday operations at Europe’s largest gold mine, for example. It also monitors the availability of small parts and components at workshops and plants, like the one of a leading Nordic steel manufacturer.
For some time now, the Agilon has been used in a new application: storing and delivering parcels in Nagold, Germany. It is also part of Finland’s first open and shared urban package delivery service in a pilot project involving the Finnish retailer, K-Group, the international online delivery platform provider Smartmile, and Konecranes.
The new service in Finland allows packages from web stores from around the world to be shipped to designated automatic terminals at the K-Citymarket hypermarket at Linnainmaa, and K-Supermarket at Kaukajärvi in Tampere. These terminals are equipped with the Agilon system, which stores the packages, holding up to 300 at a time. Customers can choose the pick-up time within store hours and come to retrieve their online purchases. At the pick-up point, the Agilon’s robot fetches the parcel on demand.
“Our consumer customers in Finland use Agilon every day to pick up their e-commerce packages without any problem. We see that this technology is a key enabler in our journey to build a wide network of shared automated parcel pick-up points with our retail customers and couriers all over Europe and beyond,” says Aku Happo, CEO of Smartmile.
If the project is successful, the service will be expanded to other K-Group stores.
Text: Gino de la Paz
Photos: Shutterstock, Konecranes
