Currently, there are about 9,400 pallet spaces for mineral water and soft drinks. These are managed and controlled by a material flow and warehouse management software especially adapted and designed for the specific needs of Gerolsteiner Brunnen.
“The possibility to load up to 10 trucks simultaneously, above all, signifies an enormous increase in efficiency to the logistics processes in our company,” explains Ulrich Rust, technical director at Gerolsteiner.
The beverage manufacturer wants to differentiate between production, storage, and shipping of refundable and non-refundable products by means of specific processes in order to answer customer requests faster and much more flexible. In September 2012, upon completion of the second building phase, there are said to be about 20,000 pallet spaces available.
Already in 2012, Gerolsteiner opened up additional storage capacities for its refundable products by building a new hall. The refundable products cover 80% of the trading units.
“We were able to celebrate the inauguration of our new bottling plant already last year. With the completion of the compact warehouse we are finalizing another trend-setting investment at our headquarters in Gerolstein,” says Rust.
He officially launched production of the new compact warehouse on November 21st, 2011, together with Eveline Lemke, Secretary of Commerce of Rheinland-Pfalz.
Secretary of Commerce Lemke sees the construction of the new compact warehouse at Gerolsteiner as a combination of safeguarding employment and contributing to the protection of our environment.
“Compared to common storage techniques only one fourth of the production plant will have to be used for storage of non-refundable products in the future thanks to the high-rack technique. The built-up area is thus reduced by the size of three soccer fields.
Furthermore, there is a reduction of 20% CO2 per annum at in-house transports. Hence, the company not only improves its logistics and increases the speed of delivery, but likewise supports the protection of the environment. I think this is a wonderful combination. The Gerolstein headquarters and the mineral water industry in Rheinland-Pfalz will thus be strengthened for the future.”
The company Gerolsteiner Brunnen consciously invests in refundable and non-refundable packaging as well as glass and PET. Thus, they meet their customer requests with a broad product range.
“The product variety has to be synchronized with filling and storage. We are able to meet this challenge with the compact warehouse by SSI Schaefer. Our logistics enables multifaceted, highly efficient processes and guarantees the highest quality,” explains Rust. And he adds, “With the spatial concentration and state-of-the-art technology, we are able to offer our customers a faster and more flexible handling solution. As a result, Gerolsteiner continues to offer the highest delivery guarantee even at peek plant utilization.”
With this project SSI Schaefer highlights, once again, its leading position for complex system solutions in the beverage industry.
