At the end of December 2008, WITRON Logistik + Informatik was awarded the order for the design and realization of a distribution centre for the Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona at its location in Leon (North Spain). Leon is planning to supply up to 170 stores in the future. As with Mercadona’s three other WITRON-designed distribution centres, Leon will also be equipped with WITRON’s OPM (Order Picking Machinery) and DPS (Dynamic Picking System) modular picking systems.
Mercadona is considered the most expansive grocery retailer in Spain. It has 60,000 employees and operates 1,210 stores, with an annual turnover of approx. 14 billion Euros in 2007.
The system in Leon is composed of a 28-aisle tray warehouse with 176,500 locations. In the future, some 146,000 cases will be picked each day with 16 COM machines onto load carriers. Picking will be fully automated without human intervention, resulting in store-friendly order pallets free from any pick errors. A DPS system with 6,800 locations and 6 workstations will pick an additional 9,000 small volume trading units. The Leon DC also includes the unique ability to pick half pallets for certain stores using the same AS/RS cranes that handle standard sized pallets. All orders from the different picking areas are consolidated prior to shipping.
An 18-aisle pallet high bay warehouse with approx. 18,000 locations supplies the OPM and DPS system with articles. The HBW allows for the automated picking of full and half pallets at the same time. Leon’s entire article range covers some 5,900 different products from Mercadona’s dry goods assortment.
With this project, Mercadona and WITRON are continuing their successful partnership that started in 2004. WITRON has already realized two distribution centres for Mercadona’s dry goods assortment and temperature-controlled products in Ciempozuelos (near Madrid) working with the OPM and DPS solution. Another OPM system for frozen goods is up and running in Ribarroja (near Valencia).
When Leon is fully operational in mid 2010, Mercadona will have a total of 98 operating COM machines across 4 DCs handling dry, fresh, and frozen goods. The projects realized since 2004 are a clear message of Mercadona’s satisfaction with WITRON, and prove the efficiency, flexibility and high availability of the OPM and DPS systems.
WITRON Logistik + Informatik GmbH
Frau Cornelia Troglauer, Marketing
Tel. +49/(0)9602/600-227
Email: marketing@witron.de
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