Founded in 1969, this family-owned company has been supplying restaurants and hotels with fresh food for over five decades – from meat and fish to fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. Following manufacturer- and technology-neutral logistics planning, Neurauter frisch decided to have the highly automated and future-proof overall concept implemented by fresh food specialist Klinkhammer.
The new four-aisle automatic small parts warehouse consists of two aisles for the fresh food area and two aisles for the deep-freeze area. A special feature here is that the temperature can be changed from fresh to deep-freeze even retrospectively and while the system is partially in operation. In total, over 32,000 storage spaces for trays as loading units are being built. The storage and retrieval cranes are equipped with integrated camera systems to increase process reliability and traceability.
Automation has several key objectives: it aims to simplify processes, improve working conditions, reduce error rates, and future-proof Neurauter with high-performance, sequenced picking. Three ergonomically designed picking stations are supplied via conveyor technology and buffer sections. These ensure that the goods are assigned to customers on trolleys in the correct order – i.e., according to the route planning and purchase requisition – and are sorted from heavy to light, for example. The workstations are located at an ambient temperature of approximately five degrees Celsius, which makes working conditions considerably easier compared to a manual deep-freeze warehouse with forklift operation. Employees at the workstation are guided by their own feed and return conveyors and a graphical display directly at the workstation. This significantly reduces both the error rate and the training time.
The KlinkWARE warehouse management software plays a central role in order picking and processes. Complex selection criteria for order and route planning are taken into account. These include product groups, weight classes, batch management, and shipping trolley assignments, as well as the synchronization of whole batch removals and partial quantities. This ensures efficient, error-free picking that is tailored to the route – a decisive factor in fresh logistics. With the new automation solution, Neurauter frisch is sending a clear signal for technological progress and sustainability in food logistics.
