As Central Europe’s largest online retailer, Alza.cz handles an enormous volume of orders across one of the market’s most extensive SKU portfolios. To maintain fast delivery times and support ambitious growth plans, Alza needed a high-performance automation solution that could increase throughput, maximize storage efficiency, and scale in step with demand.

They chose Element Logic to design, integrate, and expand one of Europe’s largest AutoStore installations.

A partnership built for scale 

Element Logic Czech Republic has played a strategic role in Alza’s automation journey from the very beginning, acting as the primary solution partner for both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. From early concept development to full deployment and multiple system expansions, the collaboration has evolved into a long-term partnership built on engineering expertise, tailored system design, and continuous improvement. 

The challenge: high-speed fulfillment across 180,000 SKUs 

Alza’s rapid growth brought significant operational pressures. The business manages a massive and constantly expanding SKU range while handling a daily capacity of 120,000–130,000 orders, with peaks reaching up to 260,000 orders. At the same time, space limitations in existing facilities and increasing labor shortages made traditional warehousing models unsustainable. 

Conventional solutions could no longer keep pace with Alza’s requirements. They needed a future-proof system capable of delivering exceptional speed, accuracy, and storage density, without expanding its physical footprint.

We have a daily capacity of around 120,000 to 130,000 orders per day, and in peak season it could be double.

Ondřej Daneš, Head of Logistics, Alza

One of Europe’s largest installations

Element Logic designed a highly customized AutoStore solution for Alza’s logistics center near Prague, which today stands as one of Europe’s largest installations. The system is built around an 8,000 m² AutoStore grid containing 300,000 bins, with a layout and grid architecture carefully engineered to maximize performance.

Extensive dimensioning and simulations were carried out to ensure the system could meet peak throughput demands, while a tailored port configuration supports inbound, picking, packing, and e-commerce flows. Robot fleet planning enables continuous high-speed operations, supported by 580 robots working simultaneously to deliver to 45 conveyor ports and 39 carousel ports.

Element Logic delivered the complete AutoStore hardware scope, including bins, robots, ports, and chargers, and integrated a 2.5-kilometer conveyor system into the overall solution. The installation also includes deployment and configuration of Element Logic’s software ecosystem.  

Project execution was supported by comprehensive planning, documentation, and regulatory compliance throughout the process. Element Logic worked closely with Alza’s engineering team on continuous design refinements and managed change from pre-installation through to go-live, ensuring a smooth and controlled transition. 

Since the initial installation, Element Logic has continued to support Alza with ongoing system expansions. These have included the addition of new ports, robots, chargers, and layout modifications, further increasing capacity across operations in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 

Before, it was more about people management. Now, it is about IT and system settings, and peak times are handled more easily.

Ondřej Daneš, Head of Logistics, Alza 

The result as a new benchmark for European e-commerce

The partnership has delivered substantial operational improvements. Picking is now 75 percent faster, with a 600 percent increase in picking efficiency and order accuracy reaching 99.7 percent. Space utilization has quadrupled, and the investment achieved return on investment within four to five years. 

Alza is now able to handle massive order volumes efficiently, even during extreme peak seasons. 

Technology powered by people

While the solution is highly automated, both Alza and Element Logic emphasize that its success is driven by close collaboration between people. The combined efforts of Alza’s logistics specialists and Element Logic’s engineering and project teams ensure that every element of the system, from grid configuration to software tuning, is optimized to match Alza’s unique operational profile.

A scalable foundation for future growth 

Alza’s AutoStore installation is not only one of the largest in Europe, but also among the fastest and most advanced. Designed as a scalable foundation for future growth, the solution is continuously extended with the support of Element Logic Czech Republic, enabling Alza to expand seamlessly as volumes and ambitions increase. Building on the success of its Prague operation, Alza is now extending its automation footprint with a new logistics center in Slovakia.  This investment reinforces Alza’s long-term commitment to high-speed, SKU-dense automation across Central Europe.

Element Logic remains Alza’s long-term automation partner, supporting both day-to-day performance and the strategic development of future sites.