With its continued business success, Gehl Foods Inc., of Germantown, WI, needed to find a way to meet its expanding order processing and warehouse storage needs within the confines of their existing 22' high building. The company selected Westfalia Technologies, Inc. to design, build and install a High Density Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) with Savanna.NET Warehouse Management System software (WMS) in the company's 300,000 square foot warehouse. The AS/RS and WMS nearly tripled Gehl Foods storage space and provide significant operational savings in labor costs, energy and more.
In general, within the beverage industry the trend to lighter weight bottling and packaging has altered their warehouse's storage capabilities. Where in the past 2 or possibly 3 pallets may have been stacked on each other on the floor, with the lighter weight packaging this isn't feasible. The need for a new storage model developed, where cubic space is optimized for maximum storage within the existing warehouse. Westfalia's high density AS/RS offers just such a model, whereby the benefits far outweigh the costs of automating an existing storage facility.
A new trend in renovating warehouses, automating existing facilities with a high density AS/RS maximizes available storage space at a fraction of the cost of building a new facility. The operational cost savings accrue over the life of the system, long after the payback period. Additionally, the accuracy and speed of order fulfillment means customers' satisfaction increases. And while not easily quantifiable, these benefits are of great significance to every business.
As Dan Labell, President of Westfalia Technologies, Inc. explains, "In general, people used to think AS/RS always meant high rise, but we are finding that with our high density AS/RS in low-rise conventional automated buildings are a great solution. It fit Gehl's needs perfectly."
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