Interview with Iñaki Frías, Logistics Manager at Clavo Food Factory

About Clavo Food Factory

Clavo Food Factory has become one of Spain’s leading manufacturers of prepared foods. It operates three production plants in the Galicia, Castile and León, and Cantabria regions, with 47,000 m³ of cold storage space to preserve its products. The 3D Automated Pallet Shuttle and Easy WMS warehouse management system have transformed the company’s operations.

Mecalux spoke with Iñaki Frías, Logistics Manager at Clavo Food Factory, to learn how the 3D Automated Pallet Shuttle and Easy WMS warehouse management system have transformed the company’s operations.

• What were warehouse processes like at the Tordesillas plant before implementing the 3D Automated Pallet Shuttle?

  After unloading and identifying the products we received from outside suppliers, operations were largely manual. Staff had to enter the warehouse, find available storage locations and put away the items. We’ve moved from a manual system to one that’s more automated, logical and streamlined.

• What happens now from the time pallets arrive until they’re shipped?

  With Mecalux’s 3D Automated Pallet Shuttle, the process begins by reserving space for incoming products in the warehouse, which operates at -24 °C. Raw materials from external suppliers and finished goods from our factory are taken to the entrance of the automated storage system. There, 10 motorised shuttles collect the items and place them in the most suitable location. The electric shuttles travel through the aisles in multiple directions and move between levels to handle each pallet as required. The Mecalux software automatically manages receiving and putaway. In addition, the automated warehouse reorganises inventory during off-peak periods to optimise travel paths and outbound order processing.

  The automated warehouse reorganises inventory during off-peak periods to optimise travel paths and outbound order processing

• What impact has automation had on order fulfilment?

  The 3D Automated Pallet Shuttle has improved accuracy and sped up the fulfilment process. For example, when we have a 30-pallet shipment and some units require prior picking, we can link and organise the necessary materials in advance. The automated warehouse then automatically retrieves the remaining pallets for dispatch. This saves us a great deal of time.

• What benefits has Easy WMS brought to Clavo Food Factory?

  

  Besides helping us fulfil and ship orders, the Easy WMS warehouse management system anticipates the products and quantities we expect to receive and assigns them to storage locations in advance. Its integration with our ERP system is also critical. The collaboration between Mecalux’s development team and Clavo Food Factory personnel made it possible to tailor the system to our specific operational needs. Mecalux’s software gives us complete visibility into each pallet and helps us forecast demand. This allows us to work with greater accuracy, confidence and peace of mind.

• How have key performance metrics improved since automating the facility?

  We’ve boosted our receiving throughput and expanded storage capacity by 50% without increasing the facility’s footprint. Our staff now has more time to focus on other inventory monitoring and tracking tasks. We’ve also seen an improvement of around 20% in putaway, order fulfilment and shipping times. We were already operating efficiently, but automation has enabled us to achieve an even higher level of performance.