Westhof BIO revolutionises vegetable freezing with Movu atlas pallet shuttles

Germans leading organic vegetable freezing company Westhof BIO has significantly enhanced its storage capacity and operational efficiency with the implementation of Movu atlas pallet shuttles and a stow Racking silo. They combine to provide an automated system that can handle over 5,000 pallets of organic vegetables at -11.2°F, ensuring reliable and efficient storage and retrieval processes year-round.

The system achieves a throughput of 60 storage and retrieval operations per hour, meeting the Westhof BIO’s goal of optimizing production and warehouse processes and delivering high-quality organic vegetables while making the best use of resources and reducing environmental impact.

BIO-FROST Westhof GmbH is a family-owned business founded in 1998. It stands out as Germany's sole freezer dedicated to processing exclusively certified organic vegetables, in line with all Westhof companies. Renowned as a Bioland, Demeter, and Naturland processor, the company ensures vegetables are processed immediately after harvest and shock-frozen at -40°F to preserve freshness. Its diverse organic frozen range includes carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, potatoes, leeks, beetroot, white cabbage, peas, zucchini, pink banana pumpkin, fennel, and celery, all available in various cutting techniques and delivered by pallet.

Europe's largest organic freezer embarked on a strategic initiative to enhance its storage capabilities to meet growing demand for organic produce. The project aimed to implement a state-of-the-art deep-freeze storage solution, integrating advanced automation technologies to optimize efficiency and sustainability in vegetable preservation. This facility aimed to accommodate Westhof BIO's annual processing of 10,000 tonnes of organic vegetables, ensuring year-round availability and freshness for their diverse product range.

The project involved the construction and implementation of a high-density deep-freeze storage facility featuring Movu atlas pallet shuttles within a stow Racking silo. The installation was carried out in partnership with Körber, which was responsible for the end to end integration.

The tailor-made solution ensures all components and systems were seamlessly integrated and optimized. The design features roof and wall cladding fixed directly to the rack structure, reinforced with longitudinal and horizontal bracings to guarantee stability. This integrated approach facilitated seamless project management, adhering to consistent high engineering standards and reliable project lead times, delivering a robust and efficient storage solution.

Robotic operations

To meet Westhof BIO's high-quality standards, the new facility demanded efficient, closely synchronized processes in production and logistics. Freshly harvested organic vegetables are processed immediately after harvesting, frozen and then fully automatically filled into octabins provided by the logistics system.

These octabins are stored in the deep-freeze warehouse for further processing. Organic vegetables requested for further processing are retrieved from storage and delivered to the appropriate production machines. Finished, packaged, and palletized organic vegetables are then stored in the deep-freeze warehouse until delivery to customers. Additionally, the quality of the organic vegetables is monitored at ergonomic workstations integrated into the logistics system, ensuring consistent quality and operational efficiency.

The six Movu atlas pallet shuttles operate across six levels within the 197 ft x 105 ft x 56 ft silo, which facilitates high-density storage for the pallets by minimising the number and width of driving aisles – this installation has just one. The shuttles take pallets to, or retrieve them from, designated channel storage locations in the deep, multi-position lanes of the silo.

This scalable system enables seamless expansion during peak seasons, accommodating fluctuations in demand while maintaining optimal storage conditions. The plug and play automation facilitates swift setup and maintenance, ensuring minimal downtime and operational disruptions.

The project was meticulously planned to go live by June 2024. It involved phases of design, installation, and testing to ensure the seamless integration of the deep-freeze storage system with Westhof BIO's existing production and logistics operations.

Ensuring uninterrupted operations at –11.2°F and managing high-density storage efficiently were among the challenges. The solution implemented oxygen reduction fire protection systems to safeguard stored inventory, ergonomic workstations for efficient quality control and a robust maintenance schedule to uphold system reliability and performance standards.

Positive impact

The new storage solution had a profound impact on Westhof BIO's performance, enhancing its ability to meet customer demand for high-quality organic vegetables year-round. It improved overall operational efficiency and contributed to increased customer satisfaction.

By adopting advanced automation and energy-efficient technologies, Westhof BIO demonstrated its commitment to sustainable development. The system minimizes energy consumption and reduces environmental footprint, aligning with the company's eco-friendly practices.

Looking ahead, Westhof BIO plans to further optimize its deep-freeze storage capabilities. Future initiatives include expanding storage capacity, integrating additional automation technologies, and exploring opportunities for enhancing product traceability and quality assurance measures. These initiatives aim to solidify Westhof BIO's position as a leader in organic vegetable freezing while continuing to uphold its commitment to sustainability and innovation.

Stefan Pieters, CTO of Movu said: “This Movu atlas installation for BIO-FROST is a true example of simple and easily accessible plug and play automation that delivers efficient, flexible, reliable goods flow. Its scalability provides BIO-FROST with automation that handles peaks and adapts easily to future requirements.”

An essential part of Movu Robotics is standardization and simplification. Nate Richter, President of Movu US, adds: “To maximize flexibility, Movu Robotics systems are modular in design, acting as a set of building blocks to minimize complexity and cost of upgrading. This makes the systems highly scalable – installations can start small and then expand or, if needed, they can downsize just as easily. Modularity also enables a fast roll out for projects.”

Movu Robotics was created to bring easier automation with simple and standardized plug and play robotic automation solutions, which not only require less engineering and grant short execution lead times, but they also make automation and robotics more accessible and scalable, allowing any warehouse to become more productive, efficient and successful.