In comparison with the solution at Migros Aare in Schönbühl, the cooperative in Gossau requires a system that will automate manual activities such as palletizing containers. The important factor being the sequence of products on branch pallets which need to be placed higher from the outset. This requirement set particular demands for the automation. The Dematic specialists, who designed a plant that integrates proven partial solutions and which displays several innovative concepts.

The plant was designed for an average performance of 56,000 containers on a normal working day. The data was referenced (articles, inventory and order structures) and used in the offer stage for a detailed simulation. The result was a guaranteed performance of 74,000 containers in 20 hours.

Extensive preparations were required to ensure no interruption to business during detailed performance tests to define measurement points and measurement processes. It was important also to identify weight factors and take account of deviations between the entry conditions of the simulation and the actual data, especially the container mix, order structure and stacking factors.

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