Van Gelder's new warehouse complex

Dutch wholesaler Van Gelder has focused on innovation for its recently opened warehouse.

The warehouse boasts an advanced Vanderlande shuttle system with 52,000 tray storage locations.

This system sends products to order pickers, in crates, at their work stations. Prepared orders are then immediately refrigerated. When needed, these orders are automatically placed on the loading docks, ready to be delivered.

"We bring the products to the people, rather than having the people fetch the products. For this market segment, this type of technology is truly innovative," says Van Gelder general director Gerrit van Gelder. "Far fewer order pickers are, therefore, needed. More staff are, however, required in the company's technical division."

The head office upgrade, including the new warehouse system, aims to meet the company's rapid growth.

"We have grown tremendously in recent years," says van Gelder. "Last year, we again realized a healthy growth in revenue. This new location was, therefore, desperately needed."

Consafe Logistics was selected to implement the Astro WMS in a new warehouse. "By investing in automation and mechanisation, Van Gelder can continue to respond to the rapidly growing demand for fresh products in the coming years. The WMS also helps to optimise logistics efficiency and to process all customer orders more flexibly and faster," according to the systems vendor.

The complete relocation to the new 32,000 sqm facility will be completed at the end of the first quarter of 2020.