Just south of central Stockholm, we have developed and built a large facility for Mathem, an online retailer of pre-packaged grocery bags. After excavating more than 200,000 cubic meters of rock, the main building of 36,000 square meters and a parking garage of 9,000 square meters were precisely fitted onto the site.
The facility features an advanced automation system. Grocery bags are transported on conveyor belts to various stations where employees add groceries. The system’s automation ensures that the bags are filled with heavy items first and that there are no queues for commonly ordered items, such as milk. A ”pick by light” system is part of the system, where a light-emitting diode illuminates the product to be packed, eliminating the need to read lists.
The facility is built to meet Mathem’s high sustainability standards, certified according to Miljöbyggnad level Gold. On the roof, a 2.4 MW solar power system is installed. Additionally, heat from the installations in the premises is utilized. Excess heat from the freezing facilities is used to warm the base plate under the frozen section to prevent permafrost. In the parking garage, a large number of charging stations have been installed to enable deliveries with electric vehicles.
Social sustainability and employee well-being have also been a priority. An interior designer has been specifically tasked with furnishing common areas to promote well-being. The facility includes a gym, a lunch room with prepared meals, and an employee store where close-to-expiry groceries are sold at a discounted price.
In 2023, Mathem’s facility won the Swedish Building of the Year award in the industrial/logistics/store category. The motivation was:
”The collaboration has been close between client, and contractor to achieve an ambitious end result. To increase the capacity of the operation, they have created a well-thought-out facility for the benefit of the staff, where food and deliveries are at the center.”