Part of Germany’s largest supermarket chain, the regional company Edeka Minden-Hannover, is automating its fresh produce logistics in the fruit and vegetable sector with an intralogistics solution from Cimcorp, which has specialized in this automation for over 40 years. Together with other EDEKA regions and the Netto Marken-Discount chain, the regional company Edeka Minden-Hannover is one of the first German grocery retailers to use this solution.
Cimcorp has already provided similar automation for the fruit and vegetable sector in other European countries. Jarno Honkanen, Director of Solution Development at Cimcorp, says: “We’ve provided reliable solutions for rapid order fulfillment for many years, thereby optimizing the shelf life of perishable products. The advantage for customers is that they receive their fresh products faster and that they stay fresh longer in the household.”
Reliable automation ensures freshness
“The Edeka slogan is We love food," explains Arnd Wilde, Logistics manager at Edeka Minden-Hannover, "which is why our regional company offers a comprehensive range of products in its Edeka stores, secured by professional quality management: from inexpensive basic items to branded items and selected specialties. Supported by our cooperative guiding principle, we rely on our independent Edeka merchants and store managers to have a high level of commitment in the joint business venture. Our daily challenge is to bring fresh fruit and vegetables from the producer to our markets promptly. This is often a race against time, because it usually takes only a few hours between delivery to our warehouse and delivery to our stores. In Cimcorp, we have found a partner who can provide us with a solution for fully automated order picking of ergonomically packed fruit and vegetable pallets that meet the requirements of our markets – quickly, reliably and cost-effectively. This automation does not mean that jobs are lost; we need our full team to continue to provide the desired logistics service for our salespeople in the future.”
Cimcorp secures supply for more than 1,000 supermarkets
Quality and freshness are critical for customers when buying groceries in-store. This means that speed and accuracy in picking are crucial for product quality. Edeka Minden-Hannover is constantly working to optimize its logistics processes and is thus continuing its sustainability strategy with a view to reducing CO2 emissions, among other things. In order to meet these challenges, Edeka Minden-Hannover continuously invests in the modernization of its logistics.
Around 1,200 fruit and vegetable items for the 1,488 supermarkets in the region are freshly picked and delivered daily to the four logistics centers located in Lauenau, Freienbrink, Wiefelstede and Landsberg. The aim is to modernize two of the existing logistics centers – Lauenau and Freienbrink – with minimal disruption to daily operations and without risking food safety. These two logistics centers will supply fresh fruit and vegetables to more than 1,000 stores every day.
For more information:
Maarit Leppäaho
Cimcorp
Tel: +358 102772 000
www.cimcorp.com