As a wholesale food delivery and cash-and-carry supplier of frozen, fresh and dry goods, Rügen C&C supplies the catering, hospitality and institutional catering sectors on the island of Rügen. With this new facility, the company is responding to growing demands in terms of storage capacity, process reliability, flexibility and speed. At the heart of the new facility is a two-aisle, automated frozen goods tray storage system, which supplies a picking station and a goods-in station via a conveyor loop with integrated buffer sections. The order picker receives the goods in exactly the order in which they can be optimally packed onto the roll container. This ensures that goods are correctly allocated to the customer, and fragile items can be placed on top to prevent damage.
During the planning phase, particular attention was paid to the physical separation of storage and order picking. Whilst the goods are stored in the deep-freeze area, order picking will in future take place in a temperature-controlled zone at 2 to 7 °C, rather than at around -22 °C as was previously the case. This will significantly improve working conditions whilst also enhancing process quality. Thanks to the seamless integration of the new warehouse into the existing facility, the existing deep-freeze warehouse can continue to be used as a storage area for pallets.
Each picking zone has upstream buffer stations. These prevent bottlenecks on the main conveyor line and ensure an uninterrupted picking process. The sequenced delivery of the trays enables roll containers to be assembled in accordance with orders and delivery routes. This virtually eliminates picking errors and significantly simplifies the downstream dispatch processes.
In addition to optimising order picking, the new logistics concept pursues further technical objectives. Automated storage enables a high degree of space utilisation and creates additional storage capacity for the frozen food range, which currently comprises over 1,000 items. In contrast to traditional storage in a pallet warehouse, even smaller quantities of an item can be efficiently stored and picked from the shelves. This gives the customer access to a significantly wider range of items. Larger stock levels also open up opportunities for more cost-effective procurement processes. Furthermore, the facility was designed from the outset to allow for expansion on the existing site to accommodate future growth. With this new building, the company is laying the foundations for efficient frozen food logistics and a sustainable supply chain for its customers.
“A key factor for us was an overall concept for the fast, error-free and targeted delivery of goods to the catering sector,” explains Tom Bodderas, Managing Director at Rügen C&C. “The sequenced provision of trays and order picking at above-freezing temperatures not only enhance process quality and speed, but also improve working conditions for our staff.”
