The Grupo Familia warehouse has a capacity to accommodate 19,000 pallets

Cajicà (Colombia) is the venue for one of Grupo Familias' logistics centres, a company dedicated to hygiene, lavatory, and personal care solutions through its seven brands sold throughout South America and the Caribbean.

In 2009, Mecalux built and installed a warehouse for Grupo Familia with three twin-mast stacker cranes, one of the first automated warehouses in Colombia.

A few years later, and without ever interrupting the production and logistics activities of the centre, the second part of the warehouse was built: with three additional stacker cranes that provided the project with a total capacity of 19,000

DIEGO LUIS SALDARRIAGA - OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS MANAGER
We chose Mecalux as our solution provider, precisely because of its reputation and experience. We visited many facilities, met with several suppliers and, in the end, opted for a provider that has multiple applications and installations worldwide. This gave us the confidence we needed to undertake a project of this scale in Colombia.

 

The clad-rack structure in the first phase is 31 metres high and 100 metres long. The second phase structure, 34 metres high and 115 metres long.

This extension had to be carried out with the warehouse in full operation, since the 7,400 pallets that the company had at that time could not be kept at a standstill.

The result has been a marked improvement in both the daily logistics and productivity of the installation.

JOSÉ YMHOTEP ROA - DIRECTOR OF LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT
The biggest challenge was to ensure that the current system would not be affected during the setup of the installation.

 

Currently, the Grupo Familia warehouse has a capacity to accommodate 19,000 pallets and a flow of 140 combined cycles per hour.

Being that products are highly flammable, Mecalux equipped the facility with a comprehensive fire safety system. All the installed sprinklers are capable of releasing 36,000 litres of water a minute.

The entry of pallets with the finished product, originating in the production centre building attached to the warehouse, is done by forklifts. At the other end, there is an additional entrance.

Both entrances have checkpoints with gauges to validate the weight and condition of the pallets entering the warehouse.

Since loads stick out from the pallet itself, their size had to be taken into account when they are palletised and stored.

Pallets are moved from the front the of the warehouse to the automated entry point in the warehouse via Mecalux conveyors.

Storage takes place using the FIFO method (First in, First out), which ensures constant replenishment of stock and traceability of each and every one of the issued goods.

Warehouse stock control is carried out through the Easy WMS system from Mecalux, connected to the warehouse ERP.

JOSÉ YMHOTEP ROA - DIRECTOR OF LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT
Easy WMS enables us to maintain total control over our stock and respond quickly to our customers.

 

The output of goods is done on a conveyor that runs lengthwise along one side of the warehouse. It is equipped with hydraulic lifts that allow the pallets to be picked up at ground level.

Operators, with electric pallet trucks, drive the goods to the dispatch area, where they are loaded in the corresponding dock and lorry.

DIEGO LUIS SALDARRIAGA, OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS MANAGER
This automation project has provided us with many advantages. We decided to implement the expansion of our distribution centre primarily to fulfil our objective, which is to ensure that our products are always available at points of purchase to ensure sustainable growth.

 

This project developed in Colombia has been the result of years of collaboration and the trust that Grupo Familia has placed in Mecalux.