THE NEW WAREHOUSING SYSTEMS INSTALLED IN THE PHOENIX PHARMAS´ DISTRIBUTION CENTER ACCELERATE ALL THE FULFILLMENT PROCESSES
Client: Phoenix Pharma is a well-known international brand operating in more than 27 countries. The company is a reliable partner for numerous pharmaceutical manufacturers and has more than 153 local distribution centers;
Specifics: The company provides added value to its customers through effective supply chain management. Through its online business platform in Bulgaria - https://b2b.phoenixpharma.bg/, Phoenix offers exceptionally high-quality and specialized service, both for its business clients and for a widespread network of pharmacies and healthcare organizations;
Project Location: The new distribution center in Burgas is a key logistics hub through which Phoenix Pharma can provide fast deliveries to all its customers in the region – pharmacies, hospitals, and members of its partner programs. Local distribution centers, located near bigger urban areas, provide fast deliveries and an important competitive advantage;
Execution Period: The project was completed in the second half of 2023;
Challenge: The space can be defined as a new type of micro fulfillment center within the city. The engineering and project management teams of STAMH Group and Phoenix had to design a comprehensive engineering solution – a warehouse system capable of:
- Intralogistics operations with pallets, picking cassettes, cartons, and numerous smaller and lighter SKUs;
- Better organization of the processes in the distribution center;
- Definition of special picking zones for orders assembly;
- Automating intralogistics transportation, reducing times and efforts;
- Ensuring fast fulfillment and quick order processing operations;
Solution: The engineering and software teams at STAMH Group and STAMH Solutions, worked together to create a new system that combines pallet racks on the periphery of the warehouse, MITO racks for small SKUs, automated conveyor systems, and a Carton Flow solution for high-velocity picking operations;
MITO racks, part of the system, permit two-sided picking of items and have 7 levels in height. The Carton Flow solution reloads the front part of the rack by the forces of gravity. This way, the warehousing team at Phoenix's distribution center can access every item or box quickly and easily. The items need to be taken from the front side of the rack and placed in the picking bins in front of them;
The warehouse is divided into 2 levels – 2nd floor at 4.4 m. and 1st floor, or an expedition area, at 0.45 m, from where Phoenix's vehicles are loaded conveniently and quickly. Orders to the warehouse are issued by the WMS software and are assembled on the second floor, and from there, through a special gravity conveyor module, the picking bins are transported to the warehouse expedition zone;
The intralogistics conveyor system is designed as a combination of motorized and non-motorized roller conveyors. Special automated transfer modules are able to move product-picking bins from the motorized roller conveyor to the non-motorized conveyor line and vice versa, depending on whether the order is ready for expedition. This means perfect synchronization between the WMS - Warehouse Management System in the distribution center and the newly designed MFL – Material Flow System;
Of course, the warehouse teams are equipped with special barcode readers, and the automated conveyor system is controlled through an intuitive HMI and an electrical panel, designed by STAMH Solutions systems engineering teams;
Achievement: Today, Phoenix's warehouse team doesn't have to transport or search for items. They have precisely defined working and product-picking zones and can handle easily peaks in demand. The processes are perfectly organized;
Every order to the warehouse, regardless of the quantity and quantity of products, is fulfilled in minutes. The ready-picking bins can be transported from the picking area to the expedition zone automatically - with no human intervention, with the specially designed gravity spiral conveyor module allowing for the moderate-speed movement of the bins from the second level in the warehouse to the ground floor;
The spiral gravity conveyor module consumes 0 electricity and allows fast loading of vehicles with completed orders from the expedition area. It connects the two levels in the warehouse, saving effort, energy, and resources;
The new automated storage and distribution system is an engineering achievement, taking warehouse operations to a new, higher level!
