The Flowpicker®

The retail chain Kaufland was looking for a solution to be able to supply approximately 650 German branches faster and more efficiently with fresh fruit and vegetables. In return, the material flow experts from BSS and other partners of the ROFA Group jointly developed a patented system.

Every day, Kaufland is faced with the task of supplying its stores all over Germany with fresh fruit and vegetables on a just-in-time basis. Time is the critical factor: the goods must reach the shops fresh and crisp in the desired quantity in order to encourage customers to buy. The boxes and crates reach the regional distribution centers, homogenized on pallets, and have to be quickly depalletized, sorted, and palletized according to branch order, in a very short time. The Flowpicker® high-performance order picking system can handle a unique amount of “boxes” (plastic containers or cartons) per hour in the competitive environment. Up to 7,500 units are possible. The new system scores not only in terms of performance. It also provides significant improvements in terms of ergonomics and thus comfort for the employees. Where previously incoming goods were depalletized manually, now it’s sufficient to simply move the incoming pallets on the cross-belt sorter. No more lifting, carrying, and tedious stooping, which constitutes an enormous burden for the warehouse staff in the long run.