Bausch + Lomb commissions TGW Logistics to automate its fulfillment center

(Marchtrenk, Austria, 30 September 2025) In the Dutch municipality of Aalsmeer, roughly 13 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam, TGW Logistics is erecting a highly-automated distribution center for Bausch + Lomb to be completed by the fall of 2027. Among other benefits, the high-performance Goods-to-Person solution will optimize the healthcare specialist's service level and reduce logistics costs, all while improving ergonomics for the employees.

In 1853, J. J. Bausch opened a small optician's shop in Rochester, New York. In doing so, he laid the cornerstone for one of the oldest still-active companies in the United States and kicked off a story of success in the medical technology sector. Today, Bausch + Lomb is among the leading manufacturers of technology-oriented eye products including contact lenses, surgical instruments and pharmaceuticals. The healthcare specialist is active in over 100 countries, employs roughly 13,500 people and generated a revenue of 4.8 billion US dollars in 2024.

Growth as a driver of automation

Since their current intralogistics system was being stretched to its limits with increasing regularity, Bausch + Lomb was on the lookout for a future-proof alternative. Only a system customized to their individual needs would be able to cope with the growth they have planned for the coming years. With a range of products intended for the medical technology sector, the quality standards for this project were particularly high.
 

Shuttle warehouse as the high-performance centerpiece

The core element of the solution in Aalsmeer is a shuttle system with more than 150,000 storage locations. Double-deep storage will allow efficient use of the available space; 300 robots will store and retrieve up to 8,700 totes per hour. Customer orders will be picked at ergonomic high-performance workstations.

In the packing area, robots will handle the automatic erecting and lidding of the cartons. In the next step, a sizing machine will reduce them to the necessary height, keeping the volume (and therefore also the shipping costs) to a minimum. The shuttle warehouse will serve as a buffer for orders until the cartons continue to the automatic palletizing area and finally to dispatch.