Order picking with Swiss precision at Micarna meat distribution centre
Keeping all Swiss Migros stores supplied with fresh meat is the task of the Micarna factory in Bazenheid. Micarna is the largest player in the Swiss retail meat market. Vanderlande realised an automated storage and order picking system for Micarna in Bazenheid based on a Compact Picking ‘goods-to-man’ concept. The main advantages of the system are:
- Efficient space utilization
- 35% reduction in manual labor
- More pleasant working conditions for operators
Challenge was to keep the cold storage as small as possible in combination with high throughput volumes. Key of the concept is therefore that automated transportation and storage takes place in stacks of four totes. Unique is the use of a QUICKSTORE miniload system (AS/RS) with an integrated stacker and destacker (rack-stack system). This makes it possible to automatically pick full totes and arrange store orders. The following processes take place:
- Put meat in totes in the production department and make stacks of four totes
- Internal transport of stack to storage by a conveyor system
- Storage in 8 QUICKSTORE miniloads (AS/RS) with rack-stack system
- Full automated order picking of full totes
- Manual goods-to-man order picking of broken totes
- Automated stacking of totes
- Sequencing
- Automated palletizing
The logistics system is managed by the VISION Warehouse Management System with an interface to SAP.
