Automated Storage and Retrieval at NEXT
NEXT Dearne Valley Pallet
NEXT plc is a leading British retailer of clothing, homeware and beauty products. With a history stretching back to 1864, NEXT is a well-known, multinational brand. They provide both in-store and online buying options.
In 2021, NEXT approached GEBHARDT Intralogistics UK to upgrade its distribution centre in Rotherham, UK. The intralogistics project focused on upgrading NEXT's beauty and home operations.
GEBHARDT was tasked with implementing a high-efficiency, automated solution to help meet growing customer demand. The new system would need to integrate seamlessly with existing processes and improve storage operations.
The Challenge
With increasing order volumes, particularly for their home and beauty lines, NEXT recognised the need to upgrade their distribution operations. Many existing processes relied on manual work, so they saw automation as the way forward.
Designing the system posed a significant challenge, as the automated solution had to manage a diverse and growing product range. The system needed to carry products in totes and include workstations that supported both order picking and replenishment.
NEXT required all new equipment to be high-density, including the tote storage area. They aimed to boost productivity without expanding the site. By keeping operations compact, they could preserve floor space and allow staff to move easily between work areas.
The Solution
GEBHARDT delivered a fully automated, shuttle-based storage and retrieval system, tailored specifically for NEXT’s beauty and home operations. The beauty system has 56 OLS shuttles in total. In contrast, the home system has 42 shuttles in total.
The beauty area includes a central conveyor loop for tote circulation and workstations equipped with user-friendly interfaces for picking, replenishment, and quality control. The home area uses direct tote handling instead of a loop, allowing for faster processing.
Both systems are controlled by GEBHARDT’s StoreWare, which handles tote movements, top-ups, batch picking, error checks, and real-time updates to NEXT’s host system.
The modular system accommodates various tote sizes, optimises warehouse space, and allows for future scalability—all while reducing energy use, forklift traffic, and manual labour.
The GEBHARDT StoreBiter® OLS is a high-performance, modular shuttle system designed for efficient storage and retrieval of containers, trays, and cartons of various sizes. It supports both single and multi-deep storage.
- Efficient Goods Access: Enables direct, fast access to stored items, increasing throughput.
- Highly Flexible & Scalable: Adapts to custom requirements with modular design and varying shuttle numbers.
- Optimised Space Use: Compact storage layout with high density, freeing space for other uses.
System 300 Conveyor Systems are automated material handling solutions designed to enhance efficiency by transporting totes, cartons, trays, and polybags across functional areas.
- Highly Flexible & Scalable: Modular design allows for easy customisation and scaling to fit any warehouse layout or evolving operational needs.
- Efficient Goods Transport: Supports key processes including order picking, packing, shipping, returns, and more, with a max payload of 50 kg per unit.
- Energy-Efficient & Low Maintenance: Powered by 24V and 400V motor rollers for low energy consumption and minimal upkeep.
GEBHARDT StoreWare is an intelligent logistics software solution designed to optimise the control, management, and coordination of intralogistics processes. It gathers real-time data and ensures efficient material flow across your operations.
- Real-Time Efficiency: Centralised control of movements and storage, providing up-to-date information and process transparency.
- Optimised Inventory & Flow: Ensures delivery readiness through streamlined material handling and inventory management.
- Lower Operating Costs: Increases staff productivity and simplifies decisions, reducing overall costs.
Our Results
The implementation of GEBHARDT’s automated shuttle systems has greatly enhanced NEXT’s distribution capabilities. By maximising storage density, more inventory fits in the same space. Automated shuttles and goods-to-person picking have boosted throughput and accuracy while reducing reliance on manual labour. Real-time tracking has improved inventory visibility and operational control.
Eliminating forklifts in racking areas has increased safety, and the system's maintenance-friendly design has minimised the risk of downtime. StoreWare’s modular, user-specific interface integrates smoothly with NEXT’s systems, offering scalable, high-performance, and cost-efficient operations—even during peak periods.
NEXT is now equipped with a smart, reliable intralogistics system to meet today’s demands and support future growth.
"Staff can stand there, and the items come to them. They come to them faster because they don’t have to walk for ages. They come to them more accurately and in turn, we fulfil our orders more accurately, and efficiently."
James Bilham, Engineering Project Manager at NEXT Distribution
Inside NEXT's Distribution Centre: Managing Thousands of Items Daily
With rising order volumes and a growing product range, NEXT saw the need to invest further in automation. Partnering with GEBHARDT Intralogistics UK, they implemented a new intralogistics system tailored to their needs.
The system is split into two zones—Beauty and Home—each with tote conveyors and ergonomic workstations. Both zones connect to a high-density storage area equipped with an advanced Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS). The ASRS uses one-level shuttles to automatically store and retrieve totes. This reduces the need for manual handling and significantly improves productivity.
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