Speed has always been high on the list of priorities at Aldi Nord. Only a few retailers have grown more swiftly than the German food discount chain. Few turn their goods over faster and few demand such a response capability from their IT service providers.

When Aldi Nord ordered reverse vending systems for its 2,500 German stores in November 2005, the company sought nothing less than ultimate performance. It faced a May 1, 2006 deadline to comply with a new German law requiring retailers to accept non-reusable bottles and cans.

Wincor Nixdorf rose to the challenge, installing 2,480 reverse vending systems in a mere 49 working days, with a top performance of up to 71 stores in a single day. In a follow-up step, the company installed infrared readers to scan security labels based on the new standard. Aldi Nord was one of the first retailers to deploy the cutting-edge technology at the beginning of October 2006.