The challenge: To develop an integrated automated warehouse and material handling system for an operation that manufactures and distributes over 900 different products, e.g. beer, mineral water, cider and alcoholic beverages. Hartwall supplies beverages to 5.2 million Finns, and also ships to other countries. A key requirement is being able to react anytime to trend-based or seasonal fluctuations.
That’s why it was important that the newly constructed logistics center in Lahti fully integrate the company’s production and warehousing processes on the same site. The challenges for Dematic included extremely short implementation time, trouble-free step-by-step automation, and no restrictions on production during new construction, testing and commissioning.
Our solution: We delivered an end-to-end logistical concept, implemented through an integrated hardware and software solution, to optimally coordinate production and distribution at Hartwall.
In this system, the produced beverages are conveyed by an overhead monorail and pallet transport system directly into the high-bay storage system for 36,000 pallets. The process is optimized by dual methods of order picking – robotic at the upper level, manual at the ground level. Also integrated into the solution is the management, handling and storage of products received from other production sites as well as the handling of empty, refillable containers. The material flow control system ensures the continuous, smooth flow of all processes.
Benefits for Hartwall:
- High overall efficiency through seamless integration of production and distribution
- Maximized productivity through fully automated container and product flow
- Maximized delivery quality through precisely controlled processes in all material flows
- Optimized order throughput cycle
- Minimized handling costs through automated processes from receiving to shipment
- Flexibility by taking seasonal fluctuations into account in the design of the system
