Robust hardware for soft baked goods

BÄKO West has been supplying the bakery and confectionery trade with raw materials, baking ingredients, fresh produce and merchandise for over 100 years. The Bochum site is an important hub in the cooperative company's supply network. Around 10,000 square meters of space are available here for handling the extensive range of products. The integrated high-bay warehouse offers space for 9,943 pallets.

The IT partner for warehouse management and control is proLogistik. At the beginning of 2012, the intralogistics system house from Dortmund introduced a new warehouse management system (WMS). The Foodline industry solution, which is based on the standard pL-Store software, is specially designed to meet the requirements of the food industry and retail. In addition to the regular range of functions, it also offers applications for monitoring best-before dates and batch tracing. Temperatures and weights are also recorded via the system.

Mobile or stationary: always "on the ball"

"We were also convinced by the fact that proLogistik offers hardware developed in-house, which is necessary for paperless picking," says Torsten Osburg, responsible for warehouse IT at the Bochum site. Since then, the number of mobile and stationary devices from the pro-V-ware series used by the more than 25 warehouse employees has steadily increased. In addition to scanners, which have also been designed for use in deep-freeze warehouses, robust on-board computers with versatile multi-touch technology are used, for example. These industrial PCs can be used either as mobile forklift terminals or stationary for process visualization and system control.

"Thanks to the implemented hardware and software, we have succeeded in reducing the error rate during order processing to 0.8 percent."Torsten Osburg, responsible for warehouse IT at the Bochum site, BÄKO West

The pro-V-pad Smart is particularly impressive when it comes to picking. "The picking process is faster and more accurate and the error rate tends towards zero. Batch tracking is seamless and there are no more goods that have exceeded their best-before date," emphasizes Osburg. The device is characterized by a powerful 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, four freely assignable function keys and a total weight of less than three kilograms. In a new version of the pro-V-pad series, the performance can even be expanded many times over.

Picking on command

There are no goods in the BÄKO West warehouse that are past their best-before date and the picking process is more accurate. Photo: proLogistik

BÄKO West also relies on voice-supported picking. Here, all information about the location and the number of items to be picked is automatically transmitted to the employee via a voice client, which is connected to the warehouse management software via WLAN. The order picker has his hands free and can concentrate on his work without any restrictions.

For improved wearing comfort, proLogistik has reduced the weight of the latest generation of the speaker-independent dialog system. Including the standard rechargeable battery, it weighs just 265 grams. The focus was also on mobility and flexibility. Wireless Bluetooth communication, for example, is an advantage here. This is because classic plug contacts are no longer required when connecting peripherals.

Sticks: even at the lowest temperatures

The intralogistics managers in Bochum have also compiled the necessary consumables from the label catalog developed for the entire BÄKO Group. These include so-called PID labels (PID = pallet identification number) for labeling loading aids, which can be identified in the pL-Store warehouse management system. In addition, labels for attaching to the picking and reserve stations, barcode labels and magnets are also used.

"Low temperatures are a particular challenge. Not only are data collection devices required here that function perfectly even at ambient temperatures as low as -28 °C, but labels and magnets must also adhere to the pallets and shelves," says Torsten Osburg. To be prepared for these conditions, labels made of a special, extremely robust paper or a cold-resistant polyethylene adhesive are recommended. This provides the necessary hold. A minimum thickness of one millimeter prevents the applied magnets from falling off.

"We are more than satisfied with the all-round carefree package from proLogistik to date," summarizes Torsten Osburg. Thanks to the hardware and software implemented, the error rate in order processing has been reduced to 0.8 percent. "And the stock is secured at all times thanks to the permanent inventory."

Caroline Pitzer