Eurofred: logistics with an air of productivity

Over 750 employees in eight countries

Eurofred is a leader in the distribution of air conditioning equipment in the household, commercial and industrial sectors.

Efficiency is the hallmark of this business, which strives to produce eco-efficient solutions adapted to the needs of each customer, from individuals to companies in any sector (primarily the hospitality industry). Eurofred boasts 130,000 m² of warehousing space in Chile, France, Italy, Ireland, Morocco, Portugal and the UK. All its logistics facilities are outfitted with the latest technology, reducing the consumption of natural resources and generating a smaller environmental footprint.

Increased storage capacity

Since it was founded in 1966, Eurofred has constantly transformed its business with the aim of expanding its market and serving a growing number of customers. In recent years, it has not only extended its product range, but also opened an online shop where it sells spare parts and accessories.

As logistics is the cornerstone for Eurofred, the company requires a supply chain that is agile, error-free and close to its customers.

Along these lines, it has just opened a 10,000 m² warehouse in Seville to supply its customers in southern Spain.

Santiago Castillero, Warehouse and Logistics Project Manager at Eurofred, describes the operations in this facility and the company’s needs: “Every day, we receive many pallets sent mainly by our suppliers in Asia. We wanted this warehouse to be capable of absorbing such a high level of pallet movements, with continuous goods inflows and outflows.”

In the end, Eurofred needed a warehousing system that would make the most of the space to provide the greatest possible storage capacity. At the same time, it had to facilitate storage tasks and ensure effective organisation of the goods. The company contacted Mecalux because, says Castillero, “we’ve worked with them before. We installed their storage systems in our warehouses in Barcelona and Tarragona, so we were already familiar with them.”

Two storage systems

After analysing Eurofred’s needs and workflows, Mecalux proposed implementing two different yet compatible storage systems: pallet racking and racks with the semi-automated Pallet Shuttle system.

The advantage of having two storage systems in the same warehouse is that they facilitate the organisation of SKUs by taking into account their characteristics, size and turnover. Eurofred can store a total of 10,280 pallets.

Racks with the Pallet Shuttle system

Two blocks of racking have been set up with the semi-automated Pallet Shuttle system. Castillero says: “We’ve allocated them to high-turnover products.”

One of the most notable benefits of these racks is that they leverage all the available surface area to accommodate 2,340 pallets. The racks stand 11 m tall by 33 m and have four levels. Easy location can hold up to 13 pallets deep of the same SKU.

Of all the high-density racking systems, the Pallet Shuttle ensures the fastest goods movements. “It’s improved safety as well as productivity in goods entries and exits,” says Castillero.

This is because the operators do not enter the storage lanes to handle the merchandise; that is, the motorised shuttle carries out these movements automatically. While the shuttle places a pallet in its location, the operator goes to get another pallet and places it in the first position of the corresponding channel. When the shuttle returns to the beginning of the channel, it repeats the same action.

Pallet racking

The majority of the warehouse is equipped with 8.5-metre-tall pallet racks with capacity for 7,940 pallets.

These racks hold a large quantity of pallets with many different SKUs. Castillero says: “It’s a very versatile system that we can use to store any kind of product.”

Plus, it provides direct access to the goods, ensuring great agility when managing goods and preparing orders. “We use the lower levels for picking and deposit the reserve products on the upper levels. This means we always have the goods we need to prepare orders without interruption,” says Castillero.

Productive warehouse

Air conditioning company Eurofred has a logistics facility in Seville with streamlined operations. It receives pallets sent by suppliers and dispatches orders to its customers (primarily in southern Spain).

To perform these operations effectively, the company has two different storage systems that share a common advantage: they foster optimal goods management. The products are distributed on the racks according to their characteristics and turnover.

We’re accustomed to Mecalux racking, so for this new warehouse, we knew exactly which storage solutions we wanted. We’re very happy with the result, especially with the racking with the Pallet Shuttle because it’s increased our productivity. It’s a very safe solution that speeds up goods inflows and outflows.

Advantages for Eurofred

• Maximum storage capacity: Eurofred has opened a new warehouse in Seville to house 10,280 pallets.
• Versatile system: the pallet racks store many SKUs of various sizes and turnover.
• Mass storage: the racking with the Pallet Shuttle facilitates and optimises the storage of a large number of pallets of the same SKU in a small space.