Simulation of a meat warehouse for EDEKA Südwest Fleisch GmbH
In Rheinstetten (Baden-Württemberg), EDEKA Südwest Fleisch GmbH has built a new, highly efficient meat processing plant. Since mid-2011, top-quality sausage and meat products have been produced there and delivered to more than 1,250 EDEKA Südwest branches.
Initial situation: Highly dynamic shuttle system as a replenishment and buffer warehouse
As the system supplier, Vanderlande Industries GmbH from Mönchengladbach was commissioned to implement the logistics system between production and dispatch. To validate the planning and investment, EDEKA Südwest Fleisch commissioned SimPlan Integrations GmbH in Witten in 2009 to map the entire material flow in a simulation model:
- Highly dynamic 20-lane shuttle system serving as a replenishment and buffer store
- Sequence-accurate retrieval of over 7,000 loading units per hour
- Sequence compliance for E1/E2 containers and cartons
- Objective: To model the material flow in detail
The aim was to model all the plant’s operational areas in technical and strategic detail in order to validate the planning and investment prior to implementation.
Solution: Simulation of all system components using AutoMod
Using the AutoMod simulation tool, SimPlan modelled the following areas:
- High-bay pallet warehouse with a pre-zone and 10 depalletising stations
- 20-aisle shuttle system with a double-lift principle and 140 shuttles
- Interconnecting conveyor system spanning more than 3,000 metres
- Picking area with 19 manual and 2 automatic ‘goods-to-man’ stations
- Empty container circulation and dispatch system with sorter, sequencing buffers and trolley loading stations
Based on projected order data (2009 baseline) and initial stock levels in the shuttle block, the model simulated all logistical processes:
- Production, put-away, stock management
- Reservation, picking, dispatch
- Replenishment movements from the high-bay warehouse via the shuttle block to the picking stations
Item-by-item tracking of each unit ensured realistic evaluations and reliable recommendations.
Results: Strategies implemented directly in practice
The simulation delivered:
- Optimal distribution strategies for product and customer load units on the shuttles
- Performance profiles to avoid under- or over-dimensioning
- Sequencing strategies for reliable trolley loading
All the strategies developed were documented and implemented directly into practice. Since commissioning, the system has been operating precisely in line with the simulation results.
Simulation as a blueprint for real-world operation
The case study demonstrates how a detailed simulation of all operational areas – from the high-bay warehouse to the dispatch station – can be directly translated into documented operational strategies that continue to shape the actual operation of the facility to this day.
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