Ceepackaging

Events

Logistics increasingly critical in beverage industry

With total sales of around 170 billion euros and over 2.5 million employees the logistics sector in Germany is one of the most important growth sectors in the country´s economy. Worldwide, too, the transport sector is booming. Although consumers can order goods now very easily at the click of a mouse, those goods still have to be brought physically to the purchaser. A greater volume of traffic on the roads, an extension of the distribution networks at national and international level, and the ever more diversified and individual wishes of the consumers do not exactly make this an easy job. The beverages industry is particularly affected by this, because of the significant quantities of beverages that are being transported.

No logistics without special software
The world of logistics is changing very fast. The products themselves, but also the container and pack styles are becoming ever more diverse. A parallel development that is taking place are the ever smaller batch sizes. The logistics experts in companies are having to handle more and more and increasingly different products. The ranges are changing faster and order sizes are smaller, but the orders are placed more frequently, in line with just-in-time delivery requirements. An added challenge is EU directive 178/2002, which requires manufacturers to ensure the traceability of their products. Also the customers are demanding labelling according to the EAN 128 barcode standard (European Article Numbering) or EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). Upwards of a certain volume, none of this is possible without automated processes and appropriate software for administration, control and planning – for example for warehouse management systems, stacking systems, or route planning for the delivery vehicles. The software and IT solutions to master these tasks will be on display at drinktec 2009 in Halls A3 and A4.

Today the majority of beverages companies operate block systems in their warehouses. However, the complexity of the products and the pressure on horizontal space in the block warehouses are prompting more and more beverages companies to switch to the vertical alternative, the high-bay warehouse. This enables automatic processing of the in-company flow of goods. Conveyors and automatic shelving equipment can then be used to stack the goods and to retrieve them efficiently. The aim of these systems is to reduce to a minimum the logistics costs per pallet, because space is expensive.

Different warehouses have different requirements in terms of how the products are delivered to them. Some are content with europallet delivery. Others require smaller pallet sizes, for example the ‘Düsseldorf pallet’, or half-sized pallet, even quarter- and eighth-sized models. Display pallets and trays are becoming more and more popular, preferably on moveable ‘dollys’. Of course to handle this variation, the appropriate equipment has to be available in the filling halls in the companies. Interest is also rising in order-picking systems, many of which will be exhibited at drinktec 2009.

Driverless transport systems – now well accepted
In the halls themselves we are seeing growing acceptance of something that a few years ago was considered a futuristic experiment – driverless vehicles putting empty containers into the filling equipment, transporting the beverages pallets from the palletisers to block warehouses or to order-picking stations, and moving them on from there to the truck-loading area. Driverless transport systems optimise intralogistics. These systems, which have been widespread in the automotive industry for some time, are now making inroads fast into the beverages industry. drinktec 2009 will be showcasing the benefits of these systems to an audience of beverage-industry professionals.

Electric monorail systems are also being used, in particular for transporting pallets to the warehouse. However, diesel- and battery-driven forklift trucks remain of great importance in pallet transport in the beverages industry.