Faithful to its slogan «Innovators by Tradition», Tissot inaugurated, at the end of last year, a new automated logistic centre enabling high technology to comply with the brand’s precious commitment to tradition.
Construction started on August 2, 2010, and the new logistic centre was operational less than a year later. It is dimensioned in order to allow the management of a delivery volume reaching 5-6 million assembled watches per year, doubling the current capacity. The new warehouse facility has the look of a Rubik’s Cube with the brand’s colours, reaching a size of 7,500 cubic-metres. Within this volume, five robots facilitate the storage of up to 12 million components and watches simultaneously, resolving the lack of storage space. A journey inside the block is like being on an intergalactic space trip. Surrounded by 32’000 compartments «flying up and down», the visitor is awestruck by the incredible velocity of the robots, which can reach up to 5 metres per second.
This high-flyer project allows a remarkable synergy among all stages of watchmaking, and enables better costs and quality control of the components and assembled watches. The location of any item within the Cube and its 540 metres of conveying system can be pinpointed by a special software in a blink of an eye.
The arrival stage begins the smooth cycle with the unpacking and registration in the software of the components and watches, followed by automatic storage in the Cube. Any order can then simply be entered by the HQ Sales department and transmitted to the system. The box with the requested material will be ready to collect instantly at the picking station. The conveying system also runs through the Quality Control department, which enables Tissot professionals to ensure that everything conforms to the highest quality standards.
In case of fire, detectors will launch inert gas. This will result in a drop of oxygen in the air to avoid the spread of fire, ensuring that both workers and equipment are safe. Top-rated security detectors will also instantly detect any break-in into the cube’s watch and component storage.
January 12, 2012