Initial situation
Scalable growth - without risk to the supply chain
Hela is not a start-up. For over 100 years, the family business has stood for quality, variety and taste. However, this has become a challenge.
At the Ahrensburg site, tens of thousands of article variants have to be moved every day - for retailers as well as for end customers in over 65 countries. At the same time, the B2C business is growing, the order structure is becoming more fragmented and delivery times are getting shorter.
The existing logistics system was simply no longer up to the task.
Limited storage capacity, an ageing high-bay warehouse and increasing manual effort put Hela under pressure. Standing still was not an option - operations had to continue in full during the conversion and new build.
In short:
More volume, more variants, more speed - but without risking the ability to deliver.
Solution
As general contractor, Unitechnik implemented a fully integrated intralogistics system for Borgmeier that is specially tailored to the high requirements of food logistics. The heart of the system is an automated shuttle warehouse with 31,200 container storage locations. Four aisles, each with 26 levels and a total of 104 shuttle vehicles, enable highly dynamic, sequenced storage and retrieval with up to 3,000 containers per hour.
The system is supplemented by a mobile racking system with 4,700 pallet spaces in the deep-freeze area. Pallets, crates and cartons are automatically transported from production to the logistics center via a steel bridge. To standardize the material flows, all containers are placed on trays - so the conveyor and storage technology works with a uniform load carrier.
Unitechnik's own warehouse management system UniWare controls all processes: Warehouse management, material flow and system visualization are combined in an integrated software platform. Operator dialogs and mobile terminals ensure clear instructions, transparency and efficiency.
Special attention was paid to availability: conveyor lines, lifters, strapping machines and workstations are designed redundantly. The system remains highly available and stable even during seasonal peaks - such as the Christmas business. The result is a high-performance overall system that increases process reliability, shortens picking times and creates the basis for further growth.
Technology and key figures
- Shuttle warehouse: 4 aisles with 26 levels, 31,200 container storage locations, 104 shuttle vehicles
- Throughput: approx. 3,000 containers per hour
- Deep-freeze warehouse: mobile racking system with 4,700 pallet spaces
- Conveyor technology: automatic bridge connection between production and logistics center
- Load carriers: trays for standardized material flows
- Order picking: ergonomic workstations with lowerable pallet stations
- Software: UniWare LVS with material flow control and system visualization
- Special feature: redundant design for maximum reliability and process stability