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Intelligent intralogistics for Ausnutria
Ausnutria and Heerenveen: Integration of a partner company via tunnel.

Intelligent intralogistics for Ausnutria

To ensure that production and storage capacities also have the necessary adaptability, systems must be designed intelligently, modularly and flexibly from the outset. With Stöcklin Logistik AG, Ausnutria brings intelligent automation and new flexibility to its production site in Heerenveen.

As an international company, Ausnutria is constantly on the move. The global market leader for baby and infant nutrition based on goat's milk has once again set a new course. An ultra-modern plant was built at the production site in Heerenveen that creates short distances in the process chain and enables scalable, future-oriented automation of intralogistics.  

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Rik Tasma, Manager of Warehousing (li), and Jesper Tichelaar, EPC Project Manager at Ausnutria (re)

Starting point: a fully automated high bay warehouse

"The start of our intralogistics reorganization was a fully automated high-bay warehouse for raw materials, packaging materials and filled products, which we commissioned in 2017 together with Stöcklin Logistik AG.   

It allows us to supply 'just in time' production within our milk powder production and filling plant, which fluctuates from day to day with the order situation, and to temporarily store goods ready for shipment within easy reach," said Rik Tasma, Manager of Warehousing. 

"A challenge here was that we move and store many different handling units with different requirements. Heavy big bags, general cargo, as well as empty boxes and cans, which must be stored dry and hygienically, separated from the big bags and general cargo." This made the organization of the high bay warehouse - the division into different zones with partitions, air locks and cleaning equipment, as well as the sizing of the racking and transport systems - a challenge in itself.

Initially, Stöcklin designed and built a customized storage and transport solution to meet the diverse requirements. The 34-meter-high steel rack structure with 11,500 pallet spaces consists of four aisles, with the possibility of expanding to six aisles. One of these aisles was equipped with two pallet cranes to serve as an infeed conveyor to supply production. The result is a loading and unloading capacity of up to 188 movements per hour and durable conveyor systems with adjustable transport speeds that connect all relevant process points.

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Transportation between the high-rise warehouse and the drying tower is provided by two Stöcklin's EAGLE-ANT1 AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles).

Advancing insight: Setting up scalable system controls

There were early plans to integrate suppliers into the automated material flow: a partner company was connected in 2021 to produce the required cans for various customers. A bridge was built between the two buildings to connect the systems. 

As a next step, Stöcklin replaced the initially implemented third-party software with its own material flow control system Stöcklin logOS MFS. The goal was to improve the interfaces with the ERP system, to increase the performance of the pallet cranes and conveyors, and to create the conditions for the flexible integration of additional components that talk to each other. "This was done in phases, during ongoing operations," Rik explains. "We had to schedule whole weekends for test work. We switched over to the new system on Friday and back again on Sunday if necessary - so that it could be worked normally throughout the week. We had to communicate intensively with the factory, the technical team and Stöcklin to make sure everything went smoothly." 

Since then, the new IT layer translates and manages all transport orders initiated from the SAP system based on criteria stored there - including the transfer car that was provided in the tunnel. Harmonized communication with the Stöcklin components and various third-party products has significantly streamlined intralogistics at Ausnutria. 

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The 34-meter-high steel rack structure with 11,500 pallet spaces consists of four aisles, with the possibility of expanding to six aisles.

Next stage: simplify work

Four years later, it was the next phase of automation. With a new drying tower, production of various preparatory products moved to the Heerenveen site earlier this year. Transport between the high bay warehouse and the drying tower is provided by two Stöcklin's EAGLE-ANT1 AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). 

"Every phase of automation changes our processes quite a bit," says Jesper Tichelaar, EPC Project Manager at Ausnutria. After the high bay warehouse and the integration of the production process for the production of cans and packaging, the introduction of AGVs is yet another new challenge. Still, Jesper is convinced of the consistent automation: "In the past, we did a lot with forklifts. There was skepticism about heavy loads at high altitudes. Today, our processes and the work of a warehouse worker are completely different. And that is exactly one of our goals. As a food producer, we naturally need to be able to respond as flexibly as possible to changes in the market and demand. In Heerenveen, we create solutions that allow us to quickly and easily buffer, reorganize and expand our material and goods flows today and tomorrow. But above all, we want to make work as easy as possible for everyone. The systems are designed to minimize the workload of the people in our company - and to help us all seamlessly meet the high quality standards for infant formula despite increasing intensity."

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One aisle was equipped with two pallet cranes, creating an inbound and outbound capacity of up to 188 movements per hour here.

The basics: strong partnership at eye level 

The high speed of innovation and automation repeatedly created special situations during the course of the project. The intralogistics had to be modular from the beginning in order to move flexibly with market demand. "You need a partner who helps you along the way, even if we initially decide to take an intermediate step to move forward. And who ultimately delivers something that works, even if we step on the gas pedal," Jesper says.
Stöcklin has proven itself in this regard. "When installing an elevator, we helped them with parts from our stock when they were not available on the market because of Covid to meet the schedule. That works when you know each other well and know you can rely on each other." A long-term cooperation based on equality was deliberately chosen. In this spirit, Stöcklin and Ausnutria intend to continue working together in the future.   

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