Always fresh thanks to tailored automation
In EDEKA’s NORDfrische Center in Lüttow-Valluhn, Germany, meat and meat products are packed for delivery to a total of 650 EDEKA stores. EDEKA stores can order from a wide range of goods – from 2,500 different kinds of meat products, cold cuts and sausages to be exact. Some of the goods are produced and processed at the Lüttow-Valluhn location, and some of them by external partners.
Supported by cutting-edge technology, the distribution center delivers fresh goods to EDEKA stores three to six times a week. The orders are store-specific: Each store has different requirements, orders and delivery intervals. Thanks to smooth logistics processes in the DC, timely store-friendly delivery is ensured in the right sequence.
8.000 m² system size
Retrieval of up to 40,000 containers per day
2,500 different kinds of meat products
The trend
Today, customers tend to prefer small quantities of packaged meat and meat products. This change in customer behavior is posing new logistical challenges to the meat industry and food retailers, since smaller pack sizes require higher storage capacity in distribution centers as well as shorter delivery and response times.
Consequently, the EDEKA NORDfrische Center is expecting that stores in urban areas will have to be supplied with fresh meat and meat products twice a day. To make this happen, the company has chosen to implement a tailored automation solution at their Lüttow-Valluhn location.
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More InformationThe partnership with KNAPP is based on solution finding. We had to overcome many challenges during the project due to the many specific requirements we had. But KNAPP was prepared to deviate from the standard, creating the ideal solution for us.
Matthias Biermann
Manager Meat Production Facility, EDEKA Nord
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Benefits of the solution
Shop-Friendly Delivery
Short training times for employees
Fully automatic loading of different load carriers
Tailored degree of automation
Space-effective design allowing maximum throughput
Short transit times thanks to intelligent software solutions
Different types of goods are kept separate
Future expansion and possibilities for adaptation
Efficient processes for store-friendly delivery
How goods enter the storage system
The distribution center in Lüttow-Valluhn is located right next to one of EDEKA’s production facilities. Processed and packed goods from the production facility are conveyed to the picking and shipping area of the distribution center where they are temporarily stored in the Evo Shuttle.
Goods coming from external producers are registered in the goods-in area, where they are prepared for storage in the system either by six employees at manual work stations or by an automatic depalletizing and destacking machine.
The machine destacks the handling units that arrive on pallets. This process is efficient, since two containers can be separated from the stack at the same time. As for cartons and containers, they are automatically conveyed on the Streamline conveyor system to the Evo Shuttle.
Orders are filled according to store requirements
Every EDEKA store can order the quantities they need from the assortment. Depending on the inventory turnover rate, these orders are filled in different areas of the warehouse.
The heart of the solution is the storage and picking system, the Evo Shuttle. The system takes care of goods storage and picking, and conveys filled orders to the goods-out area. In ten rack line systems on 24 levels, 70,000 storage locations are available for space-efficient storage and order processing.
Fast-moving goods are manually picked from flow racks, with KiSoft Pick-to-Light guiding employees through the picking process. These work stations use light signals to show the employees which item goes into which container. The Evo Shuttle makes sure that the flow racks are supplied with source containers.
Medium- and slow-moving goods are processed at the ergonomically designed goods-to-person work stations of the Pick-it-Easy series. There, the containers automatically retrieved from the Evo Shuttle are provided to employees at the ideal height.
Orders are prepared for store delivery
Once all containers are ready, whether they contain the full quantity or less, they leave the Evo Shuttle in the ideal sequence. For the retrieval, criteria such as store-friendly sequence, stable stacking and high density on the load carrier are taken into account.
At six fully automatic stackers, the containers are placed onto different load carriers. On peak days, up to 40,000 containers are prepared for delivery to the EDEKA stores. Depending on the requirements, the containers are palletized on roll containers or pallets, or are loaded into insulated containers. Insulated containers are commonly used for long-distance transport, as they ensure that the cold chain is maintained.
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Tailored software makes timely delivery possible
The software running in the background serves as the master mind, ensuring that the different components and processes mesh harmoniously with each other. In the distribution center, the tailored software solution KiSoft efficiently controls the goods flow, making sure that the shelves in EDEKA stores are always full of fresh goods.
Always on top of things – optimal communication with all systems
The KiSoft AppSuite warehouse management system keeps track of the order once it has been communicated by the higher-level SAP system. KiSoft AppSuite also coordinates all process steps in order planning. As early as during container storage, the software records all relevant information to devise intelligent strategies for storage.
With regard to single items, KiSoft AppSuite calculates which item goes into which container. In the process, the software factors in container volumes as well as criteria for item separation to use space to the maximum.
The EDEKA NORDfrische Center benefits from KiSoft AppSuite in a number of ways, as the software knows how many goods are on hand in all areas at any given time. This ensures that customer orders are well coordinated and delivery routes are optimal.
Efficient order processing and store-friendly delivery
Efficient order processing and store-friendly delivery
The KiSoft warehouse control system (WCS) checks the availability and workload of every picking area and stacker. To guarantee short transit times, orders are distributed efficiently to the right areas, making goods available for delivery at the right time.
KiSoft WCS also controls the palletizing process. While making sure that orders are palletized in the ideal sequence and are prepared according to store, the software uses space on the load carriers effectively. This way, walking distances for employees working in the stores are minimized.
