Logistics service provider CB is opening a new container warehouse, or shuttle warehouse, this month. In a new building of 30 metres high, 30 metres wide and 100 metres long, 45 shuttles will soon pass 150,000 totes.
The new location in Culemborg has three aisles with fifteen shuttles in each aisle. The shuttles pick the totes, which are then transported via lifts to four workstations, where employees collect the products and move them further in the logistics process. The shuttles can carry two totes at a time and handle 700 movements per aisle per hour. Each workstation can handle 500 picks per hour and is exactly halfway up the height of the warehouse, minimising the distance the lifts have to travel.
The new building has room for additional lifts and expansion with another 150,000 totes.
Smaller order sizes and more orders
The warehouse - filled with books and healthcare products - is geared to changing market demand: smaller stocks, smaller order sizes and an increase in the number of orders. "We see more need for storage of smaller quantities," notes general manager Hans Willem Cortenraad. "Moreover, the number of different items held in stock at CB continues to increase. In practice, this means we need to replenish 'grab stocks' more often. On the other hand, the size of an order per customer is decreasing and the number of orders is actually increasing, partly due to the influence of the internet."
The official opening will take place on 6 April and stock will be built up in the warehouse. By autumn, the premises will be fully stocked and ready for the peak period.
