Perfect automated warehouse for a new Tchibo world every week
Tchibo combines the distribution of roasted coffee and the gastronomy sector with a range of household and lifestyle products which changes on a weekly basis. Large product quantities require a highly modern supply chain with its own distribution centres and warehouses.
Vanderlande Industries provided the highly automated material handling systems for the Tchibo warehouses in Gernsheim and Neumarkt (Germany). Tchibo makes deliveries from Gernsheim several times each week to 4,000 grocery retail outlets as well as to 150 Tchibo stores in southwest Germany. Warehouse floor space in excess of 15,000 m2 provides the capacity for 4,600 pallet storage locations. In peak times staff working in two shifts can pick 500,000 items every day. In the Neumarkt warehouse, items are picked from the 18,000 m2 of storage space for stores, bakeries and supermarkets in southeast Germany.
The challenge for Tchibo was that very delicate products often need to be transported loose in totes at high speeds and over long distances. A conventional roller conveyor system is thus unsuitable for the long transport and buffer distances. In order to make optimal use of space, the entire sortation and buffer area (three levels), together with ten quality assurance stations, were built on a platform. This means the floor area below is also available.
Central component in both warehouses is the up to 3 km long conveyor system. This system enables optimum, cost effective transport, automated sortation and handling of totes and trays. A key feature of the highly integrated conveyor system is its modular construction: six base modules cover all system functions.
