POCO Einrichtungsmärkte GmbH is one of Germany's leading furniture discounters, offering a comprehensive range of home furnishings and renovation products: from furniture and kitchens to carpets, floor coverings, household goods and home textiles to wallpaper, and electrical items. The company currently has almost 7,000 employees in more than 129 furniture stores and nine logistics locations throughout Germany. In 2022, POCO opened a new eCommerce location in Bönen, Germany, which sets the course for the future of the eCommerce business. With an impressive storage area of 32,000 square metres, 39 loading gates, and twelve-metre-high shelves, the new centre houses more than 10,000 items from the small electrical, DIY, decoration, and small furniture sectors. Over 70 employees work at the logistics centre.
The explosive growth in POCO's eCommerce business led to a capacity problem in the previous warehouse. The company faced the challenge of finding an efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective solution for shipping its diverse product range. The aim was to deliberately avoid using standard boxes to prevent small items from being shipped in oversized boxes, which could result in damage during transport. Reducing filling material was also necessary to not only improve customer satisfaction (fewer returns due to transport damages) but also to reduce the carbon footprint and increase throughput.
Packsize played a decisive role in finding a suitable solution. Otto Friedl, Account Manager at Packsize, explains the development: "POCO has been one of our long-standing customers. The request to make the online business fit for further growth was an exciting project."
POCO implemented a fully automated Packsize X5 packaging process. This enables the production of customized boxes for each product (in quantities of one), avoiding empty space in the boxes and reducing the need for filling material. Reducing the size of the boxes also leads to a general reduction in material consumption and is an important step towards sustainability.
The “Pack-On-Demand” concept is a win-win situation: it saves on shipping and material costs and protects the environment at the same time. POCO aims to ensure constant product availability through efficient and well-structured logistics.
With the launch of the new logistics centre and the introduction of the X5, POCO has established an efficient, flexible, and sustainable packaging process at the logistics centre in Bönen. Several thousand orders in customized boxes are now shipped to customers daily. By ensuring that products arrive safely and using less packaging, POCO not only enhances customer satisfaction but also aligns with growing consumer demand for sustainable packaging.
POCO has geared the logistics centre in Bönen for growth and is now fully prepared to meet the steadily growing requirements. This marks another important step in POCO's efforts to anchor innovation and sustainability in its core business, while also strengthening POCO's market position.
To learn more about how you can take your automation to the next level and streamline your packaging process, reach out to a Packsize representative today.
