Sort™ | ASKO Midt-Norge

ASKO Midt-Norge sets a new standard with human-free pallet logistics

ASKO MIDT-NORGE is one of the 13 regional warehouses of ASKO, Norway’s leading grocery wholesalers. With a turnover of 7 billion NOK and serving more than 2,000 customers with quality, efficiency, and a strong focus on environmental responsibility, the company handles massive volumes daily — between 50,000 and 60,000 packages and approximately 1,000 pallets.

Challenges

ASKO MIDT-NORGE experienced a period of rapid growth, and as volumes increased quickly, new needs and challenges emerged in warehouse operations. The increased flow of goods meant that unsorted pallets delayed work processes and required extensive manual sorting. At the same time, limited space and time pressure created a need for fast and precise handling, so pallets could be sorted and returned without slowing down picking operations. Additionally, it was important to find solutions that ensured safety and reduced heavy, repetitive lifting.

After careful consideration, ASKO chose a complete and integrated solution based on Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) from Toyota Material Handling Norway and Sort™, our automated pallet sorting robot, which consistently sort pallets on type and quality, maximizes space utilization, and maintains production quality.

Solution

1 pallet sorting robot sorting 300 pallets on quality and type per hour
2 AGVs from Toyota transporting unsorted pallet from inbound area to Sort and sorted pallet from Sort to picking area
2 infeed's and 7 outfeed's points on Sort fully managed by AGVs

Benefits

The Toyota–Solwr solution implemented at ASKO MIDT-NORGE delivers measurable improvements enhancing both operational efficiency and employees well-being.

By automating pallet flow and removing repetitive tasks, the solution reduces the physical strain on staff, allowing them to focus on more value-adding activities .

Advanced Sort 3D vision technology ensures precise and consistent sorting, while AGVs enable fast and efficient pallet movement. Together, these innovations reduce the spatial footprint of the sorting process and optimize warehouse flow.

Designed with growth in mind, the scalable setup ensures ASKO MIDT-NORGE can expand confidently without compromising performance or reliability.

Stability

99,8%

Pallets sorted per week

10000

Surface

90 m2

“With many repetitive tasks and a strong focus on health, safety, and the working environment, the AGV solution from Toyota and the automated pallet sorting system from Solwr became a natural choice for us. The goal was to reduce manual, low-value work. Now, the AGV automatically handles the emptying of the sorting system—a task that previously required a forklift and an operator for the entire shift.”