Kaufland Germany chooses Vanderlande’s STOREPICK solution
German hypermarket chain Kaufland has selected Vanderlande to install a new robotised automated case picking (ACP) warehouse solution at its Geisenfeld distribution centre near Ingolstadt.
More than 100 Kaufland stores in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are supplied from Geisenfeld and the significant expansion is due for completion by 2023.
Vanderlande has already equipped four Kaufland distribution centres in Germany with advanced automation technology, as well as one in Poland. A sixth site in the Czech Republic is also under construction.
In Geisenfeld, Kaufland will use Vanderlande’s next-generation STOREPICK solution for the first time to handle both incoming and outgoing goods, and guarantee store-friendly deliveries across multiple store formats.
The increased levels of automation will support operators during some of the more physically demanding tasks. Robotised palletising in combination with Vanderlande’s load forming logic (LFL) software will allow pallets and roll cages to be created and filled with maximum efficiency, while ensuring that products are not damaged by having too much weight placed on top of them. This will also help facilitate the efficient transportation of goods.
Construction work has already begun at the Geisenfeld distribution centre for the new dry goods facility that will occupy more than 16,000 sqm of floor space over several levels. The facility will include an automated high-bay warehouse, where robot technology will support automated commissioning for fast-rotating items.
‘Slow-movers’ will be stored and commissioned semi-automatically by employees at ergonomically designed workstations. Here, Vanderlande’s unique 3D, shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system (ADAPTO) will be used, with more than 200 shuttles bringing the Kaufland distribution centre unrivalled flexibility and the ability to react to changing market dynamics.
By using STOREPICK, productivity and profitability in Geisenfeld will increase significantly, and allow Kaufland to keep up with an exponentially growing food retail market.
