Kaufland’s new automated warehouse will handle the automated picking of other 200,000 packages daily.
Distributed at a height of 30 meters, small shuttle vehicles glide fully automatically along their long tracks and store and retrieve goods. In a constantly changing rhythm, robot arms pack pallets as needed for around 125 Kaufland branches in southern Germany. As if controlled by an invisible hand, autonomous transport units, which resemble mobile telephone booths, bring ready-picked pallets to the goods dispatch area.
What the logistics world of tomorrow will look like can already be seen today in Geisenfeld, Bavaria. After more than three years of extensive expansion and a successful ramp-up phase, the warehouse processes in Kaufland’s logistics center have been largely automated since September. The newly commissioned high-bay warehouse allows capacities to be increased without using up additional space, which often no longer exists. At the same time, delivery reliability is increased.
Kaufland is a large German hypermarket chain operated by the Schwarz Group, which also owns Lidl. It offers a wide range of products, including groceries, household goods, electronics, clothing, and more, positioning itself as a one-stop-shop for consumers.
“You can’t transform a logistics location overnight,” said Konrad Ott, Automation Project Manager Geisenfeld. “That’s why we made the conscious decision years ago to convert our location in Geisenfeld into an almost fully automated high-tech warehouse. The technology and robotics were developed and integrated specifically for each location. We have gradually introduced the new technologies into the individual warehouse sections over the past few years. Geisenfeld is now home to one of the most modern logistics centers in the German food retail sector.”
Vanderlande’s next-generation STOREPICK solution was selected for the site. According to Vanderlande, it is the first installation to handle incoming and outgoing goods and guarantee store-friendly deliveries across multiple store formats. Vanderlande had previously equipped four Kaufland DCs in Germany with advanced automation technology. Kaufland did not respond to a request for information about pallet selection.
The increased levels of automation will support operators during some of the more physically demanding tasks. Robotized palletizing, 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.
Automated picking of over 200,000 packages daily
In the food sector, up to 185,000 packages are picked automatically. This means that after delivery, the pallets are automatically placed in the high-bay warehouse by storage and retrieval machines and stored there until the goods are needed. Depalletizing is also largely automatic. Twelve robot grippers then assemble the pallets for each store. They arrange the goods so that the store employees can put them away in the correct order.
The autonomously and manually packed pallets are packed and wrapped fully automatically and then transported in the correct order towards the goods exit via autonomous transport vehicles. Transport robots have the latest sensors, cameras, and motor technologies that help them follow optimal routes and navigate safely around people and objects.
In addition to the high-bay warehouse, Geisenfeld has an automatic order picking system (AKA) for fruit and vegetables. The system handles up to 50,000 packages per day and can process different combinations of different transport boxes. All freshly delivered fruit and vegetables only need to be put into the machine and then boxes of lettuce or bananas are cleared from the pallet and individually assembled for the branches via the AKA.
Kaufland employees trained for the new technology
Automation makes everyday work much easier for employees on site. For example, using robots and mobile shelves eliminates walking and strenuous work. Robots offer ideal support, especially for heavy goods. This allows order pickers to devote more time to checking goods and loading sensitive items.
New, exciting tasks are also involved. Geisenfeld uses the latest technology, so digital minds are also needed in logistics. Further training order pickers filled 90 percent of the employees required for control, maintenance and repair positions.
Sources: Kaufland and Vanderlande
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Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
