Fully Automated and Energy-Neutral Warehouse

NO REVOLUTION WITHOUT AUTOMATION

The next time you’re having an ice-cold Pilsner, remember this modern, fully automated warehouse that your drink has been through.

Pilsner Urquell has always prided itself on its progressive ideas and we’re glad to have been able to help with such a complex project, which the automated warehouse undoubtedly is.

42 000
pallets

15 000
m²

Check out other automation projects we have been involved in!

HOW IT ALL STARTED...

The most famous Czech beer producer was planning to expand its production capacity. This also entails consolidation and an increase in storage capacities. Our task was to compare different types of warehouses and recommend a solution that would not only meet the capacity requirements but would also be cost-effective.

Supply chain love

“I enjoy the fair approach, we do not cooperate at the supplier-customer level, but I see the whole cooperation as a strategic partnership.”

PROJECT STAGES

OR HOW TO BUILD AN AUTOMATIC WAREHOUSE

1. FEASIBILITY STUDY

STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING, TENDERING AND INVESTMENT ADVOCACY

In the preparatory phase of the project, we compared different levels of automation and developed a business case as part of a feasibility study.

It might seem that an automated warehouse is primarily about the choice of technology, but it is a much more complex issue.

The design must take into account all process requirements. The compatibility with existing operations, connection to IT, ergonomics, occupational safety, fire safety etc. Maintenance of the technology during subsequent operation, for example, must be addressed as well.

2. DREAM TURNS INTO REALITY

WE’RE INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROJECT

The new warehouse will be built in two phases, differing in capacity and required flow rate, with up to 42,000 pallets stored in the target state and a flow rate of up to 360 pallets per hour in continuous mode.

Our recommended option is a fully automated pallet warehouse with a height of approximately 30 metres, located on the current site close to the central bottling plant.

The implementation phase starts with detailed planning of the technology, followed by the preparation of project documentation – here our role is to supervise that all the requirements for the technology are taken into account and at the same time moderate the inspection days of the expert teams, to oppose the proposed technological or construction solutions or, on the contrary, to offer suggestions based on our extensive experience from already implemented projects.

The warehouse will be connected to the central bottling hall by a monorail that will bring pallets of beer to the high-bay warehouse. The latter is served by 10 single-tower stackers, which stack the beer in double-deep racks while preparing it for dispatch. The dispatch section uses conventional roller and chain conveyors to prepare the loading of the trucks.

3. IMPLEMENTATION

HOW IT’S ALL GOING TO WORK

After building the basic skeleton, the next, no less important phase was the implementation of the proposed technologies. They all have to run like clockwork and work together without any hesitation.

The connection between production, warehouse and dispatch is ensured by the monorail and its connecting conveyors. The monorail is flexible, has a high capacity and is suitable for transporting goods prone to damage over long distances. At speeds of up to 2 m/s, the monorail can handle up to 600 pallets/hour.

The pallets pass through the transfer points to the self-storage facility, which consists of double-deep pallet racks. These are operated by automatic rack stackers that are capable of handling 2 pallets at a time.

On unloading, the pallet is passed back through the transfer point to the monorail and transported either to the dispatch area of the primary distribution or for distribution to the so-called secondary distribution or mixing line.

4. START OF OPERATION

OUR “D” DAY

The test pallets have already passed through the warehouse and the official opening took place in the presence of the media on 26 January 2023! 🎉

Many thanks to our partners at Pilsner Urquell for the great cooperation and especially for the opportunity to participate in the project.

The new warehouse is located directly on the premises of the Pilsner Brewery on an area of 10,000 square meters, which is equivalent to the size of 1.5 football fields. . The main building is a self-supporting rack system warehouse, which thanks to the equipment used is the most modern Prazdroj warehouse and one of the most modern warehouses of this type in the Czech Republic.

Goods from the bottling line are transported to the warehouse by an automatic pallet system with 28 carts, the so-called gondolas, which move along tracks with a total length of over half a kilometre. Bottles and cans are picked up directly at the warehouse by automatic racking cranes, which are equipped with energy recuperation to save electricity.

The unique self-supporting racking system can store up to 16,000 pallets, or approximately 18,000,000 beers. The total storage capacity of the brewery has thus increased by more than 20%. Three retention tanks have been built underground to capture up to 838 m3 of rainwater, which will be reused by the brewery to cool the production technology in the adjacent Gambrinus brewery.

WAREHOUSE FULLY OPERATIONAL IN:

days

hours

minutes

seconds

„Systém JEDNÉ PRAVDY je to, co stále nejen v retailu, ale vlastně všech společnostech dost chybí. Albert Česká republika nyní tento systém má a celá společnost se podle jedné pravdy i řídí.“

THE END? QUITE THE OPPOSITE! THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Pilsner Urquell and the entire project team have done a huge amount of work and it is only now coming to fruition. We are looking forward to getting the warehouse up and running and enjoying the first drinks that have passed through it!

LOGIO 2022. SUPPLY CHAIN LOVE.

INTERESTED IN MORE INFORMATION?

Automation And Its Case Studies
Our Cooperation With Albert
FMCG Case Studies