The fine art of cold-chain logistics

A recent project for the Italian supermarket chain Tosano demonstrates just how well solutions from System Logistics are able to meet even the exacting demands of the cold chain.

The intralogistics and material handling specialist System Logistics has been part of the Krones Group since 2016. While Krones operates primarily in the beverage and liquid-food sectors, System Logistics’ clients include companies in the grocery business and other industries, each of which has its own very specific requirements when it comes to logistics. For fresh, refrigerated products, maintaining a continuous cold chain across the entire logistics process stands at the very top of that list.

Another particular challenge that is unique to the transport of fresh foods relates to pack shape: While beverage containers always come neatly packaged in stackable, easy-to-handle units such as six-packs or crates, fresh items like meats are simply loosely placed in crates or boxes. The advantage of this method is that it makes for quick unpacking and stocking into refrigerated display cases at the supermarket. However, it also presents a real logistical challenge. Since these cases are usually open at the top and product might stick out, depending on the size and shape of the contents, they may not always be easily stackable.

Article 26139 — Tosano’s high-bay warehouse can accommodate up to 40,000 cases.

It was with these challenges in mind that the Italian supermarket chain Tosano turned to System Logistics in 2016, when it was time to revamp their own logistics processes. Naturally, the Krones subsidiary immediately set to work on designing a concept to meet those challenges – and they did it quite successfully. It didn’t take long for System Logistics to implement a new logistics solution in the recently constructed warehouse at the customer’s site in Cerea, Italy.

About Tosano Group

Established in 1970 as a small, family-owned and operated company
Today, one of the largest grocery companies in northeastern Italy with over 40,000 stock keeping units (SKUs)
Besides food, the company’s portfolio includes:
- Fuel and car wash stations
- Health and wellness products
- Products for newsstands and tobacconists

The System Logistics solution in detail

Now, the automated Modular Order Picking System (MOPS) accompanies the cases of meat products along their entire path through the warehouse, where a consistent temperature of between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius is maintained from the receiving bay all the way through to the mixed-pallets shipping area. In all, the system is capable of handling 15,000 cases, inbound and outbound, per day.

The cases run through a number of stations along the way:

1. After they are unloaded from suppliers’ trucks, products are depalletized, either manually or by machine, depending on how they are packaged.
2. A scanner records the label information and weight of each individual case and stores them in the system.
3. Nine Miniload systems then sort the cases into the high-bay warehouse, which can accommodate up to 40,000 cases.
4. When products are needed for an order, the Miniload system selects the right cases from the warehouse and brings them to two palletizing stations – fully automatically, of course. Empty pallets are also fed fully automatically, by automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
5. What makes this logistics operation special is the palletizing process: Cases are stacked onto pallets one by one to precisely match the order placed with Tosano by the individual supermarket – with particular care given to ensuring that all parameters like weight, shape, and necessary air space are accounted for.
The software, designed in-house by System Logistics, composes the mixed pallets based on an algorithm that guarantees optimal use of space while also making certain that the products are stacked securely – despite the various shapes and sizes of the single cases. A label is applied to each case, with specifications so that it can be delivered to the right place in the right shipment.
6. Finally, the completed pallets are wrapped in plastic film to secure their contents for the journey and then passed on to the shipping area to await loading onto trucks.