Potentials of automation for the food industry

Food and beverage manufacturers are increasingly reliant on customized automation solutions to tap into the enormous potential for efficiency and reducing costs, which is still largely unexplored.

• Storage density
• Saving energy
• Flexibility
• Safety
• Compliance

This also allows companies to clearly differentiate themselves from their market competitors. Our SCIO Group experts in Advanced Intralogistics are currently demonstrating the innovative solutions that Industry 4.0 has in store for clients.
The team at SCIO Group company MFI Innovations has been commissioned to implement a deep-freeze high-bay warehouse to create greater storage capacities to enable Coppenrath & Wiese to expand their production facilities.

What are the specific challenges of deep-freeze installations?

Deep-freeze environments generally require special materials, panels, and installation techniques. However, the most significant requirements for the plant include the following:

• Ensuring the highest possible storage density despite limited space and the building structure available on site

• Exceptional storage performance, which in this case amounts to a total of 200 storage and retrieval operations per hour

• high availability

This high-end storage performance and capacity cannot be achieved by a conventional high-bay warehouse with storage and retrieval machines that have been used previously. Customized intralogistics solutions must be developed to meet production requirements and to facilitate the transition to a smart factory.

What expertise is particularly in demand for project implementation?

1. Contact throughout the entire project

It's essential to be on hand as a single, reliable contact across the entire value chain to ensure that intra-logistics systems are smoothly implemented. This is where MFI GmbH comes in, the team offers their clients a full service package, from design to production and commissioning, to an outstanding after-sales service. The group company also provides support via its own production system, including exceptional stainless steel expertise for the food industry, which effectively complements their extensive range of services.

2. Acting as an innovator and integrator

You need to have the appropriate innovative implementation processes in place to be able to meet and exceed client requirements. With its 25 years of experience, the group company has the expertise needed to get the job done by using state-of-the-art installation techniques and solutions. In other words, as an innovator, our expert team supports the client’s company on its journey to a Smart Factory. Their own standard products can also be adapted to the deep-freeze environment with ease. However, it’s not just the hardware that makes a real difference, our powerful in-house EDY software with integrated warehouse management tools and a material flow system meets numerous industry-specific requirements. EDY can also be connected to any ERP system with its flexible range of interfaces, so it's a solution that can be integrated into existing systems on the client side. As an experienced system integrator, colleagues at MFI are able to tackle challenges faced during the project head-on, utilizing their great skill and expert knowledge to overcome them in the most effective way.

Clients usually consult several specialists for large and complex projects. In this respect, it's essential for the implementation partners to collaborate in an extremely professional way to guarantee the best possible result. In addition to our colleagues in Benningen delivering intra-logistics systems, Dambach Lagersysteme provides the required shuttle system and the warehouse lifts, including assembling them on site. It’s crucial to work together as a partnership to properly coordinate and integrate the system’s various components. The two partners collaborated in an efficient, professional way whilst being focused on solving the issues at hand. This arrangement allowed them to face any challengs along the way and make the required adjustments, which made it possible to implement the system within a tight window of only 13 months.

The result is pretty impressive: In July 2021, the first multiflex warehouse in Germany was put into operation in the deep-freeze area at -25°C, providing a total of 20,000 pallet spaces.

Find out more about MFI’s services in SCIO’s Advanced Intralogistics division.