Finland's first AutoStore solution celebrates five years of clockwork efficiency

The market for work and automotive lighting grew strongly in the late 2010s as a result of a technology shift where LED technology replaced halogen. At the same time, the customization of solutions increased, which meant that the number of components included in the end products increased rapidly. Against this background, Nordic Lights was faced with the choice of either expanding its existing warehouse and production facility or increasing the efficiency and density of its 4,300 square meter facility in Sandsund, just outside Jakobstad (Pietarsaari in Finnish). 

“Previously, we had managed our growing volumes by expanding our facility and increasing manual handling, but now we wanted to develop a more automated process. We therefore looked around the market and realized that an AutoStore solution would suit us because it has a high density, good redundancy and a high technical availability," explains Tomas Skott, Director Production & Supply Chain at Nordic Lights, which since 2020 has been part of the US-listed Methode Electronics, Inc.

Automation rate of over 50% 

The main purpose of the AutoStore solution is to have compact storage of components and to optimize and streamline the supply of components to the company's assembly line. Before deciding to invest in an AutoStore, Tomas and some of his colleagues looked at several other automation solutions. 

"Since our physical spaces are short and wide, automatic cranes and shuttles are not good options for us. So pretty soon it became clear that an AutoStore was the best fit for us, and we definitely haven't regretted that choice," says Tomas, pointing out that Nordic Lights was the first Finnish company to invest in an AutoStore solution. 

Over the years, Nordic Lights has implemented several automation solutions to improve its logistics and production processes, which has resulted in the handling in Sandsund having an automation rate of over fifty percent. In addition to the AutoStore solution, robots are used in connection with the assembly of the company's products, and more automation is planned in the future. 

“A very reliable solution”

Over the years, the AutoStore solution has allowed Nordic Lights to continue to grow with minimal inventory levels, short lead times, high quality and service levels, while providing a range of ergonomic benefits for staff, including less heavy lifting.  

"When the solution was installed in 2019, we were the first AutoStore user in Finland, and we were a little concerned about how Swisslog would be able to support us with service and support. With hindsight, I can say that it has gone very well, except when we got light in the plant that disturbed the optical sensors, says Tomas with a laugh and emphasizes that AutoStore's very high reliability means that the need for support and service is minimal, and in addition, there is now a relatively large number of other AutoStore installations in the immediate area. 

Professional, efficient and structured

Since the facility was commissioned in early 2020, additional boxes, a picking station and a couple of robots have been added. Tomas believes that the current capacity is sufficient for the foreseeable future, as market demand has leveled off in recent years.  

"Right now, we basically have the warehouse automation we need, and we are at the capacity level we calculated for when we launched the project in 2018. A little further down the line, we are interested in linking the automated assembly with the AutoStore solution through some form of automated mobile robot (AMR) that can transport the boxes to the assembly stations and then transport the empty boxes back. The challenge here is to achieve a good and efficient integration of the different software so that the automation can interact well.” 

When Tomas looks back on the past years of cooperation with Swisslog and how the AutoStore solution has worked and created value, the experiences are nothing but positive.  

"Our cooperation with Swisslog has worked very well. Their project management was professional and structured from the start and the solution is, as I said, very efficient, stable and it just ticks along in an exemplary way. And if we need support or service, it is available quickly.” 

Many Finnish customers

Since Nordic Lights commissioned Finland's first AutoStore, Swisslog has been entrusted with implementing several other AutoStore solutions for Finnish customers. Specifically, 400 robots and more than 203,000 boxes have been delivered to the Finnish market by the end of 2024. And many more will be delivered in the coming years.  

Nordic Light's AutoStore facility consists of 33,000 positions/boxes, two infeed stations and four picking stations. The AutoStore solution occupies an area of approximately 600 square meters in the company's facility in Jakobstad, Finland. Nordic Lights Ltd. employs approximately 240 people at its headquarters in Pietarsaari, Finland, and at subsidiaries in Germany, the United States, Taiwan, Brazil, Vietnam and Singapore.