{"id":681,"date":"2024-08-22T15:32:05","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T13:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elementlogic.net\/au\/?post_type=case&p=681"},"modified":"2025-11-03T16:23:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:23:27","slug":"football-kit-supplier-scores-big-with-warehouse-automation","status":"publish","type":"case","link":"https:\/\/www.elementlogic.net\/au\/cases\/football-kit-supplier-scores-big-with-warehouse-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"Football kit supplier scores big with warehouse automation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t
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Football kit supplier scores big with warehouse automation<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\n\t\t
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Fashion & Apparel<\/a>Sporting Goods<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t
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The UK’s leading football teamwear supplier saves over \u20ac 235,000 on floorspace, manpower and labor in its first year of using an AutoStore solution from Element Logic.<\/p>\n\n\n

A series of firsts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Based in Dundee, Scotland, Direct Soccer<\/a> is a family-run business and one of the UK\u2019s leading football teamwear suppliers that offers in-house personalized printing and embroidery. By switching to online trading as early as 2002, it became the first company in Britain to take fully personalized orders on mobile devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct Soccer achieved another first nearly 20 years later \u2013 it became the first AutoStore user in Scotland and the second in the UK, placing it at the forefront of advanced warehousing. In its first year of using AutoStore, the company has saved approximately \u20ac 235,000 in floor space, manpower and energy savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sportswear business\u2019 growing customer base prompted its owners, husband-and-wife team Bryce and Joyce Gibson, to triple the floor size of the company\u2019s warehouse in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t

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While our manual racking system worked well up to that time, we knew we had to find a warehouse solution to optimize the floor space fully and improve the overall efficiency of our operations,<\/p>\nBryce Gibson, Owner of Direct Soccer<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

Joyce continued: \u201cOur online business caters for both clubs and individuals, so when the taps got turned off on the club side during the initial Covid-19 lockdown, we shifted our marketing focus to the individual. Using the mantra \u2018stay safe, stay home, keep training\u2019, we started supplying more leisurewear to this market through Express Football Kits, the sister site of Direct Soccer. The site offers next-day delivery with limited personalization and grew quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryce added that they initially considered a mezzanine system for the additional warehouse space, \u201cbut the number of floors made it impractical for our needs at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road to automation via YouTube<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bryce and Joyce discovered Element Logic after searching for warehouse automation solutions on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe contacted the UK sales team, who came through the very next day,\u201d says Bryce. \u201cThey assessed our needs and setup, and a week or two later, we went to Norway to see the AutoStore solution they specialize in, in action. We were thoroughly impressed with how straightforward the system was and how it could integrate with our current warehouse management system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t

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We were thoroughly impressed with how straightforward the system was and how it could integrate with our current warehouse management system.<\/p>\nBryce Gibson, Owner of Direct Soccer<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

Element Logic\u2019s proposed solution appealed to Direct Soccer in several ways. The AutoStore system could utilize both height and floor space, and it would meet the company\u2019s objectives of reducing lead times and increasing throughput. The system design also allowed for easy scaling in terms of performance and capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct Soccer and Element Logic signed the contract in July 2020, and 16 weeks later, the system went live with seven robots and 8,000 bins, just in time for Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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