Automated logistics at a controlled temperature (-24ºC)

Requirements

Oblanca, the group from Castilla y León that specialises in the poultry sector, in which it can be said that it is one of the pioneering organisations in the whole of Spain, has been fully committed to innovating its production and commercial chain over the past few years.

Significant progress in its path toward the automation of its processes was made with the development of an automated system for its chain of products frozen at -24ºC, fully designed and developed by ULMA Handling Systems.

Proposed solution

Entrusting its automated logistics to ULMA guaranteed that the poultry company would be able to increase productivity, control traceability and control the quality of all its products, from the farm to the consumer’s table, whether the products come from its own farms or those of third parties. Likewise, traceability also extends to the products that the company buys from other suppliers, which it then brings into its distribution channel, such as frozen products, cured meats, rabbit, turkey and eggs.

There are two sub-warehouses within the central warehouse: one for frozen products and one for fresh. The Frozen Products Sub-warehouse has an automatic storage system developed by ULMA Handling Systems with capacity for 1,840 pallets and a conventional system with 144 emplacements. With regard to the fresh products Sub-warehouse (chicken, cuts, cured meats, eggs and finished products), the management system is the traditional one.

The solution provided by ULMA Handling Systems has a Pick to Light system designed for preparing unit orders and an automatic storage installation for products at -24º C. This system is a pioneer in the management of orders in frozen conditions, in the sense that by automatically extracting the materials, about 2,400 packages can be prepared daily for different types of orders.

Result

The automatic storage system means that the product can be tracked at all times, from its purchase or production, to the point of delivery, providing information on its location within the purchase-warehousing and distribution chain, the real stock and the traceability of the item, at all times. It also represents an enormous step forward in the working conditions, with minimal error rates and increased productivity, creating the ideal base from which the group can continue growing and being one of the most important distribution companies in Castilla y León.