The grocery chain SPAR International and the Norwegian robotics company Solwr have signed a strategic partnership agreement to modernize warehouse operations in the SPAR network worldwide. The partnership is already underway at SPAR in Norway and the United Kingdom and reflects a shared ambition to streamline daily operations and improve the work environment in the warehouse.
“An important goal for us is to support SPAR’s national organizations through partnerships with suppliers who can contribute to the ongoing modernization of warehouses, improve employees’ work processes, and alleviate the challenges resulting from the labor shortage,” says Tom Rose of SPAR International.
The agreement between SPAR International and Solwr covers the entire range of products and services, including Solwr’s mobile picking robot, Grab, which is essentially a plug-and-play solution and is therefore well-suited for automating warehouse operations that are currently handled manually. The robot works side by side with operators and picks items autonomously—even heavy packages weighing up to 30 kg. The result is said to be fewer heavy lifts, fewer strain injuries, and more efficient and reliable operations. The collaboration is based on extensive experience within the SPAR network, where Solwr and the Grab picking robot are already in operation at four distribution centers: three at ASKO, SPAR Norway’s distribution partner, and one at James Hall & Co. Ltd., SPAR UK’s regional wholesaler in northern England.
Fewer strain injuries
ASKO Rogaland operates a semi-automated regional warehouse in Norway and distributes from there to approximately 1,260 stores. A sharp increase in work-related injuries caused by picking heavy beverage products prompted the warehouse to seek new solutions. A fleet of Grab robots was deployed, and the results exceeded expectations. With the robots in place, the daily lifting load per employee decreased by over one metric ton, sick leave fell by 50 percent, and manual capacity increased by 10 percent.
“The Grab robot is crucial to our success in achieving our goal of reducing the weight operators handle. “Solwr is the only company that offers a reliable mobile picking robot, and we’ve already achieved a great deal—further expansions are also planned,” says Svein Kåre Aakre, Head of Automation at ASKO Rogaland.
Modernizing warehouse operations across Europe
The global agreement between SPAR International and Solwr will initially focus on European markets, where labor shortages, high costs, and physically demanding warehouse work make the need for automation particularly acute.
– Launching a partnership with SPAR International is an important milestone for Solwr. The distribution network of SPAR’s national organizations is exactly the kind of environment Grab was built for: high-volume operations where employee well-being and warehouse efficiency go hand in hand. The results achieved by SPAR partners in Norway and the United Kingdom demonstrate what we can accomplish together, and we look forward to creating the same impact at other distribution centers throughout Europe,” says Torbjørn Krogen, CEO of Solwr Robotics.
SPAR International, the world's largest voluntary retail chain, with over 13,500 stores worldwide, unites and collaborates with independent retailers, with the goal of sharing global strength and expertise to enhance the competitiveness of its retail partners worldwide and build the SPAR brand internationally.
Solwr is a Norwegian company that helps wholesalers operate more efficient and secure warehouses through a portfolio of robots and logistics software: Grab™, Sort™, and Trace™. The company is already a trusted partner to some of the Nordic region’s largest wholesalers and combines world-class automation with deep industry knowledge to modernize warehouse operations. Solwr has its own teams in Norway and Sweden.
