Robots will race across a high-density storage grid at Yatala, dig through stacks of tightly packed bins and deliver industrial supplies to waiting workers.
For customers, the technology could mean the difference between a job grinding to a halt and the right part arriving when it is needed.
It may sound like science fiction, but a newly announced automation system is expected to become the daily rhythm inside the facility’s 10,080sqm warehouse from August 2027.
Würth Australia chief executive Serge Oppedisano said customers depended on the company to get every delivery right.
“The customer experience is incredibly important to us here at Würth, and a big part of that is ensuring our customers receive accurate and complete orders when they expect them,” Mr Oppedisano said.
Würth may not be a household name, but its products are found behind the scenes in workshops, construction sites and industrial businesses across Australia.
Its catalogue spans more than 22,000 products—including fasteners, tools, chemicals, personal protective equipment and other essentials used to build, repair and maintain machinery, vehicles and infrastructure.
The company says that it serves more than 56,000 active customers across the automotive, transport, earthworks, fabrication, maintenance, construction and mining sectors.
Its new AutoStore system will operate like a supersized vending machine.
Products will be stored in bins stacked closely together inside an aluminium grid.
Robots travelling along rails above the grid will retrieve the required bins and carry them to picking stations, bringing goods to workers instead of sending workers searching through warehouse aisles.
The system will support orders involving both individual products and full cartons.Products requiring different storage or handling will continue through dedicated manual-picking areas.
Orders will then move through automated conveyors, document insertion, carton optimisation and sealing, labelling and sorting for despatch.
Dematic business development manager Terry Jamieson said Würth’s enormous product range ruled out a one-size-fits-all system.
“Bringing together AutoStore with dedicated picking areas and downstream automation allows different products and orders to move through the most appropriate process,” Mr Jamieson said.
Dematic’s warehouse-control software will connect Würth’s existing management system with the automated equipment, coordinating picking tasks and the movement of goods throughout the facility.
Mr Oppedisano said the investment was intended to process orders faster and more efficiently while reducing the company’s reliance on manual processes.
“It gives us a stronger foundation to consistently deliver the speed and accuracy our customers rely on,” he said.
The Yatala system is expected to become operational in August 2027, followed by Würth’s larger Keysborough facility in Victoria that December.
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