The Satellite Review Magazine 2017 Satellite Review Magazine_pages hi res | Page 17

S
ince 1894, family found-
ed and owned Hershey
Creamery Company
(Hershey) has specialized in bulk
ice cream novelties. The company
distributes to more than 30,000
retail, educational and healthcare
accounts, such as grocery and con-
venience stores, but focuses mainly
on direct-store delivery. In 1997,
in order to optimize material flow,
reduce logistics costs and labor
requirements, Hershey Creamery
sought Westfalia Technologies, Inc.
to design and build a warehousing
system for their new ice cream dis-
tribution center located in Middle-
town, PA.
Westfalia designed and built a
10,000 pallet position, eight storage
level automated warehouse system
incorporating pick tunnel opera-
tions. The 2 aisle system has a combi-
nation of seven- and five-deep storage
lanes. Each aisle contains one storage
and retrieval machine (S/RM) capable
of handling approximately 70 pallets
per hour. At the time, Westfalia’s Ware-
house Management Software (WMS)
was installed.
CHALLENGE
Almost 20 years after the original
installation, the IT infrastructure run-
ning the distribution center became
outdated and unreliable. When the
company decided to upgrade its IT
infrastructure within its warehouse,
it came to Westfalia to find additional
ways to improve reliability and effi-
ciency throughout the facility.
SOLUTION
Westfalia’s solution was to upgrade
the facility’s legacy WMS to the latest
version of the Savanna.NET® Ware-
house Execution System (WES). The
Savanna.NET® WES combines a tightly
integrated WMS and warehouse con-
trol system (WCS) into a single appli-
cation to help Hershey direct, control
and optimize internal material flow
and order picking. The Savanna.NET®
WES simplifies and controls the entire
warehousing process, while reducing
the complexity of using several differ-
ent “function-specific” applications. As
a result, Hershey can more efficiently
utilize warehouse space and equip-
ment, increase order accuracy, improve
customer service, reduce the risk of
lost or damaged product, and raise
throughput and productivity. equipment,” said Dave Williams, direc-
tor of software and solutions delivery,
Westfalia Technologies, Inc.
In addition, Westfalia replaced Her-
shey Creamery’s old wireless com-
munications system on the facility’s
storage and retrieval machines
(S/RMs) with optical data couplers. •
•
•
RESULTS
The Savanna.NET® WES provides a
more robust processing system for the
facility’s operations and takes advan-
tage of the many features of the new
communications hardware. Moreover,
the infrared communications archi-
tecture performs at least twice as fast
and is more reliable than the previous,
wireless solution. As a result, the com-
pany has increased efficiency through-
out the operation.
“At Westfalia, we pride ourselves in
delivering quality automated ware-
house solutions that stand the test of
time. The system at Hershey Creamery
is a testament to this commitment.
After 20 years in existence they are
able to continue to increase efficiency
throughout the facility without major
changes to the existing automated
www.WestfaliaUSA.com
SYSTEM FEATURES:
Technology:
•
•
•
Savanna.NET® Warehouse
Execution System
2 Storage and Retrieval machines
2 aisles in freezer environment
Functionality:
•
•
•
10,000 pallet storage positions
8 levels rack structure
5-deep and 7-deep pallet storage
lanes
400 pick-lanes and 200 tray order
selection areas inside rack struc-
ture on 3 levels
2 Storage/ Retrieval machines
Up-to-date network and comput-
ing architecture (i.e hardware and
operating environment)
System Benefits:
•
•
•
•
•
Maximized overall efficiency and
productivity
Improved warehouse management
with robust reporting and product
tracking
Optimized order picking produc-
tivity and accuracy rates
Increased employee productivity
and safety
Positioned itself for future growth
and flexibility
The Satellite Review
17