Book a tour of our warehouse
Galaxus is opening its logistics centre in Wohlen to the public, with two-hour tours now available for booking. On the tour, you’ll follow the journey a product makes as it passes its way through the warehouse. Along the way, you’ll see how robots, conveyor belts and hundreds of people work together to make sure your parcel arrives on time.
Once you’re through the security check, the noise level will rise. Hundreds of people will be bustling around the Galaxus warehouse, pouches stuffed with products flitting over their heads. You’ll see boxes zipping through the warehouse on conveyor belts, while robots scale the shelves. It’ll feel like all 120,000 square metres of the logistics centre are in motion – and amidst it all, you’ll be standing still, taking it all in.
This is what’s in store for you if you book a tour of our logistics centre in Wohlen, Aargau. To secure your spot, go to galaxus.ch/s/visit.
From trucks to small parcels
Each tour follows a product making its way through the warehouse. You’ll start at the loading docks, where trucks pull up and products are brought in. Next, you’ll head to the pick tower, a multi-story storage facility where employees grab products from the shelves by hand. In the Skypod warehouse, you’ll see more than 300 robots navigating 12-metre-high shelves and bringing products to employees. Finally, you’ll watch orders being packed and loaded onto our shipping partners’ trucks.
The warehouse tours were created by Michaela Bossard and Manuel Fritz from the Visitor Experience Team, who offer a unique glimpse behind the scenes at Galaxus. As they’re taking tour groups through the logistics centre, they share stats, background information and interesting anecdotes. Here are some of the factual tidbits you might hear on your tour: There are currently 3.7 million products belonging to 250,000 different product types in Wohlen, the various warehouse sections are connected by 30 kilometres of conveyor systems and there are 50 loading docks serving the delivery trucks. Plus, about ten tonnes of used cardboard are generated every day.
«We’ve been writing behind-the-scenes reports about our logistics centre for years. Now, anyone who’s curious about it can see it for themselves,» says Oliver Herren, founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Digitec Galaxus. «If people get to witness everything that happens between their clicking a button and their doorbell ringing, they’ll understand the context and scope of our logistics operations much better. They’ll realise that behind every on-time delivery, there are people whose contributions to e-commerce are often overlooked.»
Two hours, 15 people, no mobile phones
Tours last approximately two hours and are conducted in either German or English. Time slots are available in the morning, afternoon, evening and on Saturdays. Each group can accommodate between five and 15 people. The participation fee covers the costs of organising the tour, the guide’s time and the safety equipment provided. There are discounts available for visitors from educational institutions.
To book a tour, visitors have to meet two conditions. Firstly, they need to be at least 12 years old and comfortable with walking. The tour lasts two hours, spanning several floors and huge storage areas – and it isn’t wheelchair-accessible. Secondly, all bags, jackets and electronic devices have to be stowed in a locker for the duration of the tour. Digitec Galaxus provides safety shoes and vests.
The simple reason behind the second condition? There’s a lot of traffic within the warehouse, so getting distracted by a mobile phone or camera is dangerous. Without jackets or bags at their disposal, people are also less tempted to smuggle products off the shelves. «Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to take a group photo at the end of the tour,» Manuel says.
More people than expected
«After the two-hour tour, the most common reaction we get isn’t fascination with the robots – it’s amazement at how many people work here,» says Michaela. «Rather than replacing human beings, automation shifts some of their tasks elsewhere. You don’t quite realise that until you see it with your own eyes.»
Manuel’s anticipating a diverse mix of visitors: «I’m expecting school groups, clubs, people with an interest in logistics and just regular people who want to know where their parcels come from.» He and Michaela tailor the focus and content of each tour to the group at hand.
By the way, there’s nothing salesy about these tours. There’s no promotional merch, no post-tour networking event with nibbles and no product showcases. «And if someone asks a question we can’t answer on the spot, we’ll find out and get back to them at a later date,» Manuel and Michaela promise.
To book a tour or find more information, go to galaxus.ch/s/visit.
As a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
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