SECTORS

Storage of frozen products: the Automha solution

Problem
FRUVECO S.A., started in 1986, is a company located in the prolific area of Murcia and Almería, also known as the “European garden” because of the huge amount of land suitable for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables. From a small fruit and vegetable company, FRUVECO in only a few years has become a huge international enterprise specializing in the production of high-quality frozen vegetable products. A staple in the company’s history is the great attention given to its products, carefully chosen and created to respect environmental protection policies, as well as the high technical standards required for any machine included in the production chain.
The attention paid to quality and technology led FRUVECO to Automha for the creation of their warehouse for storing finished frozen products. All the processes before the finished product are managed through a small internal warehouse and external logistics companies.

Solution
The new warehouse designed by Automha is in a different area than the old warehouse and covers an area of 156x65x44 m. The problem was the need to create a large storage area at low temperatures, usually poorly tolerated by mechanical and electronic systems.

However, unlike other systems on the market, all the Automha machines and systems can work from -35C ° to + 55C ° without their performance being affected.

The warehouse has a total capacity of 60,000 spots for pallets, and the loading units are of two dimensions: 1200x800x144 and 1200x1000x144 at a maximum weight of 1000 kg.

The warehouse is composed of:
– 26 AUTOSATMOVER on 13 levels and 2 modules
– 4 LIFTER, 2 for each module, used for pallet entrances and exits in the aisle
– 8 input/output bidirectional lines
– 12 shuttle Rushmover that connect the communications of the loading and unloading zone truck with the input lines of the warehouse
– 1 automatic truck unloading area, characterized by a trailer fitted with roller conveyors on board. These trucks come from domestic production.
– 1 manual unloading zone, for trucks coming from any external productions
– 5 bays for pallet outbound and order sorting, distinguished by gravity roller conveyors to twin-load management. From here, the products are brought into one of the 5 cargo areas, where the orders are loaded and shipped.

The loading and unloading zone, shipping, and Rushmover are at a temperature of -11 C °, while the effective storage area has a temperature of -30 ° C. This way, there is no air shaft created before the shelving entrance, seeing as how the progressive lowering of the temperature does not generate condensation.

Advantages

AUTOSATMOVER solutions optimizes the company’s spaces to the fullest and significantly decreases the time needed for the input and output management operations of the goods in stock. In addition, this solution almost eliminates the presence of operators in the refrigerated area, which can easily be handled from outside through the warehouse management software AWM.

An important advantage of this technology is the significant energy and cost savings compared to a system with AS / RS, respecting the environmental policy embraced by FRUVECO. The solution proposed by Automha also provides the ability to internally manage a greater quantity of products, ensuring traceability and high-quality at each stage of production and management, until the arrival at the distribution centers; this also creates considerable economic savings for the company, no longer having to rely on third parties.