AUTOMATED STORAGE/RETRIEVAL
specialreport
Goodbye,
milk runs
With space in short supply, Dutch
dairy company FrieslandCampina
was forced to shuttle milk
bottled at a Belgian plant off
site for storage. A sophisticated
automated warehouse brought
an end to all that.
The marketing slogan for FrieslandCampina is “Get more out of milk.” You might say the company has adopted the same attitude
toward the automated equipment used to handle
the dairy products produced at its facility in Aalter,
The material handling equipment in question is a
sophisticated storage and retrieval system used in the
distribution facility adjacent to the Aalter plant. The
facility was built in 2005 by the Dutch dairy company
Campina, which three years later merged with Friesland to
create FrieslandCampina. At the time, the company lacked a
distribution presence in the area, forcing it to either out-source warehousing or ship product off site to other company
facilities. But as business grew, that plan became increasingly
unworkable, largely because of the inefficiencies associated with
the added handling and rising transportation costs.
The biggest obstacle to constructing a new DC was a shortage
of available space. But after consulting with suppliers, the company realized there was a way around the problem. The solution
would be to build a fully automated facility that could store a high
volume of products in a small footprint. In the end, it contracted
with SSI Schaefer to install an 11-aisle high-bay automated storage
