PepsiCo’s ASRS, designed by Mecalux, at its Belgian chip factory. | Source: Mecalux
PepsiCo today announced that it will install Mecalux SA’s Automated Pallet Shuttle System with transfer cars into its plant in Veurne, Belgium. The compact pallet storage system uses an electric shuttle and automated handling systems to boost capacity and productivity in the warehouse.
The Belgian entity of PepsiCo decided to overhaul its logistics operations by building a fully automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) to house the daily production of 2 million bags of chips and other snacks.
“The Mecalux solution will help us absorb the high production pace at our Veurne factory and unlock our further growth plans,” stated a project manager at the global food and beverage company.
PepsiCo acquired the Veurne factory 25 years ago. Since then, it has become one of the largest chip and snack production plants in Europe. The facility spans more than 40,000 sq. m (430556.5 sq. ft.), the size of eight soccer pitches. It produces chip and snack brands that include Lay’s, Doritos, Bugles, and Cheetos.
PepsiCo to connect ASRS to conveyors, WMS
The Automated Pallet Shuttle is a high-density storage system that ensures high product inflows and outflows, Mecalux explained. To streamline internal goods movement at the Belgian plant, PepsiCo’s ASRS will be connected to its production lines using conveyor systems extending over 100 m (328 ft.) in length.
The ASRS will be made up of four aisles with two blocks of racking on each side. Twelve transfer cars, one of each storage level, will move goods to the corresponding storage channel. Once there, a motorized shuttle car will automatically transport pallets to their locations.
PepsiCo will also implement Mecalux’s Easy WMS for real-time stock control. Mecalux will integrate this warehouse management system (WMS) with PepsiCo’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to ensure operations run smoothly.
Easy WMS will coordinate the flow of products, managing their journey from production to the ASRS, as well as their preparation for distribution clients, said Mecalux.
The Barcelona, Spain-based company added that its Automated Pallet Shuttle system combines automatic handling equipment with compact storage systems. It enables companies to cut costs and enhance supply-chain performance, Mecalux asserted.
More about Mecalux
Mecalux said it specializes in the design, manufacturing, sale, and service of metal racking, automated warehouses, and other storage systems. The company has an extensive distribution network in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, Holland, the U.K., Czech Republic, Poland, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, and the U.S.
The group also has 1 production centers, three in Spain and the U.S., two in Mexico, and one each in Poland, Brazil, and Argentina. Mecalux said its production centers are strategically located to offer fast, flexible service in current and potential markets.
Last month, Orbico Group, a European consumer goods distributor, announced that it will install a Mecalux storage system with a capacity for nearly 50,000 pallets in its new Croatian facility. The companies said Mecalux’s conventional pallet-racking system will allow Orbico to manage a multitude of SKUs of various weights and volumes.