Business is going well at Rapunzel Naturkost, manufacturer and distributor of vegetarian organic food. "Consumers are increasingly opting for organically grown products that are produced under fair conditions," says Stefan Schmaus, Head of Logistics at Rapunzel, and continues, "this has brought us a pleasing ten percent annual increase in sales over the last three years."

The company has been growing for some time now and has built up and expanded its production and logistics structures accordingly in recent years. Now an extension is being added: at the Rapunzel headquarters in Legau, Bavaria, a new automated high-bay warehouse for pallets of raw materials and packaging material is being built with conveyor technology and a fleet of automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

The logistics provider is once again Swisslog. The facility is scheduled to go into productive use in the first quarter of 2023. "We are delighted that Rapunzel has once again placed its trust in us," says Jens Schmale, Head of Region EMEA at Swisslog, underlining his company's experience, "we are familiar with the highly dynamic nature of the food industry and the resulting special demands on logistics, whether in production or in multi-channel distribution."

Swisslog was the first choice for us," says Stefan Schmaus, Head of Logistics at Rapunzel, "because the company not only has a lot of experience in the field of food logistics. Joint projects from the past have also shown that we can rely on Swisslog in every respect: on planning know-how, on verbal commitments and precise and punctual execution of the trades - even in times of Corona - and on reliable service after the implementation phase. The interpersonal component is also important to us, it simply has to be right when you implement such projects," says Stefan Schmaus, adding: "You may not win any new customers with a good logistics system, but with a poor logistics performance, you are very likely to lose the new customer you have just won."

As with previous orders, the collaboration with Rapunzel began with a concept study. The inventory data was first analyzed by Swisslog and the on-site situation was recorded in a joint workshop.

The proposed solution was developed step by step with the customer until it was finalized. Rapunzel's current storage volume is around 9,000 pallet spaces on a total logistics area of 7,500 square meters. "95 percent of this is already fully utilized," says Logistics Manager Schmaus, adding with optimism: "The current expansion equips us for the future, as the automated operation provides the required raw materials in full and on time."