Maheso renovates its freezer chamber for pre-cooked dishes

Maheso renovates its freezer chamber for pre-cooked dishes

Company stores frozen pre-cooked food on racks with Pallet Shuttle system

Maheso logo

The Pallet Shuttle system is an ideal solution for frozen-storage chambers as it is a compact racking system that optimises the distribution of cold between pallets and, as a consequence, reduces energy consumption. Moreover, having a shuttle carry out the movement of goods autonomously reduces loading and unloading times. With all these advantages, prepared meal manufacturer Maheso has renovated its frozen storage in Dos Hermanas (Seville, Spain) and has now implemented a system that offers capacity for 744 pallets.

Frozen foods giant

Founded in Spain in 1978, Maheso is one of the largest manufacturers of frozen and pre-cooked meals in the country. Initially, it marketed fresh produce to small shops and restaurants, mainly croquettes and cannelloni. Over the years, it has reworked both its processes and products.

In 1986, the company became the leading exporter of ready-made dishes in Spain and is currently present in more than 15 European Union countries. Thanks to its innovative approach, it has expanded its product range to include lasagne, nuggets, gluten-free products, etc.

Maheso has a 20,000 m2 production centre (the largest in Spain dedicated to frozen food making) in the town of Montcada i Reixac (near Barcelona) and distribution centres in Barcelona city, Madrid and Seville.

Freezer rearrangement

The company has a 1,500 m2 frozen-storage installation in the town of Dos Hermanas (Seville) “from where we cater to our customer base in southern Spain,” explains Francisco Echegoyan, head of the Maheso warehouse. The company distributes its wide range of products through large hypermarket and supermarket chains, frozen food wholesalers and speciality shops.

In recent months, Maheso has decided to renovate these premises because, in the words of Francisco Echegoyan, “we wanted to increase the storage capacity to hold around 700 pallets of different SKUs.”

Mecalux proposed the installation of a block of compact racks served by the Pallet Shuttle system for three reasons:

  • The entire warehouse area has been set up to provide the largest possible storage capacity.
  • Agility in the flow of goods.
  • It saves energy consumption to produce cold by distributing that chilled air over a larger number of stored pallets.

The freezer chamber, which operates at a controlled temperature of -21 ºC, has been equipped with a block of 7 m high compact racks, divided into three levels and deep enough to hold up to eight pallets. Overall, there is room for 744 pallets of 800 x 1,200 mm.

“It was very clear that we needed a space-saving warehousing system and the Mecalux technical team advised us to use the Pallet Shuttle because it is much faster, more flexible and safer,” , says Francisco Echegoyan.

This solution involves a motor driven shuttle that circulates inside the storage channels and is used to insert the pallets in their locations and remove them when required.

Operators have a tablet connected to Wi-Fi to issue movement commands to the Pallet Shuttle. Using the tablet, they can select how many pallets to extract, take inventory and organise users and authorised personnel.

Francisco Echegoyan - Warehouse manager at Maheso
“We are very satisfied with this installation, both in terms of the planning and execution of the work, as well as the results it has brought to our business. Compared to other compaction storage solutions, the Pallet Shuttle is a faster, more flexible and safer system.”

Advantages for Maheso

  • Storage capacity expansion: by commissioning this new freezer installation, Maheso has acquired a storage capacity for 744 pallets of products distributed in the south of Spain.
  • Greater product diversity: each channel can accommodate a different SKU, allowing Maheso to efficiently manage several SKUs.
  • Maximum productivity: the Pallet Shuttle system minimises handling by operators, which translates into higher warehousing productivity.
Frozen-storage chamber of Maheso
Storage capacity: 744 pallets
Pallet size: 800 x 1,200 mm
Max. pallet weight: 800 kg
Racking height: 7 m
Racking depth: 7 m

Products used in this project

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