This Dematic solution was developed specifically for the protein industry supply chain. It can handle both chilled and frozen protein products (fish, poultry and meat) in a single system. "Increasing demands in the protein industry have meant that manufacturers can no longer rely on manual order fulfillment systems. With our solution, all order fulfillment processes can be fully automated while significantly increasing speed, storage density, freshness, accuracy and availability," says Jessica Heinz, Head of Marketing and Business Development Dematic Central Europe. The solution is specifically tailored to increasingly complex customer orders in terms of pack sizes and types as well as short delivery times.

Typical cartons in the protein industry in a Dematic conveyor system. © Dematic

At the center of the system is a Dematic Multishuttle, which is capable of picking multiple Stock Keeping Units (SKU) from the same aisle simultaneously, significantly increasing system throughput. The gripper fingers of the shuttle telescopic arms can process a wider range of container types and conditions in different temperature environments from chilled to frozen. Multi-deep storage and the patented inter-aisle transfer ensure the smooth exchange of goods across different shuttle aisles, enabling a very high storage density. "This allows the system to make better use of the available space and save energy and cooling costs," says Heinz.

Depending on the configuration of the solution with Multishuttle, conveyors and robotics, a fully automated system can be created. © Dematic

The automated order fulfillment solution for the protein industry is modular and scalable. It can be expanded to meet individual requirements or supplemented with additional Dematic systems. For example, conveyors, picking and palletizing robots and automated guided vehicles can be integrated into the solution. Automation also improves the safety and ergonomics of workstations in the warehouse, as manual handling of heavy cartons in a cold working environment is no longer necessary. The processes are controlled via the Dematic iQ software. This also ensures that all items can be found in real time and offers complete track and trace functions. It also provides algorithms for a variety of retrieval scenarios. "Our solution therefore ensures more efficient order processing and helps companies to gain a competitive advantage with the help of automation technology," summarizes Heinz. as