Dynamic and efficient with META rack construction

After just one year of planning and construction, the extraordinary company headquarters in timber construction was inaugurated: in addition to the warehouse, the production and administration areas are also housed on over 4,000 square meters.

Croso is one of the leading suppliers of railing systems and components made of stainless steel and aluminum in combination with glass elements at the highest technical and quality level. At the Sophienhammer site in Arnsberg, LED-illuminated handrails, application-optimized posts and base profiles made of stainless steel and aluminium are manufactured to customer specifications. Spare parts and small parts for the customized railing systems are also stocked and picked to order. This wide range of stored goods resulted in a wide variety of requirements for the META storage system.

Ecological construction combined with an efficient storage solution

The META Clip boltless shelving system with over 2,500 shelves was installed for the storage of small parts. The warehouse planning made it possible to shorten walking distances during order picking.

The result is an extraordinary building that was designed as a timber construction in line with the concept of sustainability. The energy-efficient LED lighting and use of the existing combined heat and power plant of a neighboring company from the same Julius Cronenberg oH group underline the approach of ecological and sustainable construction.

The basic concept and the division of the individual work areas were carried out by operations manager Sandra Thurau in accordance with the planned production and order picking processes. Future order development was always kept in mind during planning, so that comprehensive expansion options in the warehouse area are planned and already prepared.

Further targeted detailed planning was carried out in close cooperation with the Arnsberg-based warehouse technology experts META-Regalbau. "The fact that we received everything from a single source at META was important to us. The overall package was just right. One outstanding point is their expertise in the field of dynamic warehouse equipment. We also rely on local suppliers within the group of companies, with whom we have been cooperating successfully and in a spirit of trust for years," says Sandra Thurau, Operations Manager at Croso, explaining the choice of warehouse provider. "The collaboration was excellent right from the start and was very creative - both with Mr. Dolle in the META field service and with the META office staff."

META Multibloc mobile racking was installed in the production area. These were fitted with heavy-duty cantilever racking to store 324 long goods racks.

Due to the different goods stored, the Arnsberg-based storage technology expert META used various system solutions for the respective areas. In the area of small parts storage and order picking, the META Clip boltless shelving system with over 2,500 shelves was installed to ensure the clear storage of a wide variety of products. By arranging the aisle in a U-shape and positioning the fast-moving items accordingly, short walking distances and therefore more efficient picking are achieved. The efficient result of the joint warehouse planning is particularly evident when comparing the walking distances in the small parts area, where the average picking distance was reduced by 50 percent to 35 meters. The planning in this area was carried out with foresight, as the entire META-Clip system can be extended, allowing the storage capacity to be doubled in a further construction phase if required.

Mobile shelving for the use of space resources

META installed the mobile META Multibloc mobile racking system, which was equipped with heavy-duty cantilever racking to store a total of 324 long goods racks, at the heart of the replenishment processes in production. Thanks to this storage variant, it is possible to increase storage capacity by up to 110 percent in the same space compared to a permanently installed shelving system. This means maximum space utilization with simultaneous access to every storage space. Thanks to the already prepared rail system, it is also possible to build a second mobile racking system in a further expansion stage if required.

META-Regalbau...

...develops, produces and sells stationary and dynamic shelving systems. Thanks to the company's successful development over the past 120 years, META is one of the leading manufacturers of professional storage technology in Germany and Europe. The product range includes shelving, wide span, pallet, cantilever and mobile racking as well as flow racks. Many components can be combined to create customized system solutions. From the initial idea and customer-oriented needs assessment to project planning, support and commissioning, META always offers its customers sophisticated complete solutions. Shelf inspections and maintenance contracts round off the range of services.

The META Multipal S pallet racking system was used as a replenishment or seasonal buffer warehouse and for storing other diverse goods, creating 376 pallet spaces. In addition, the innovative storage solutions META Multipal profile storage rack for upright storage of individual long goods and the META Speed-Rack packing table in the picking area contribute to the efficient processing of production and picking orders.

Contact:Croso International GmbH 59757 Arnsberg-Müschede Tel.: 0 29 32 / 4 77-1 62 E-mail:[email protected] www.croso-international.de

META-Regalbau GmbH & Co. KG 59759 Arnsberg Tel.: 0 29 32 / 9 57-0 E-Mail:[email protected] www.meta-online.com