Picking storage with walkways and cantilever racks optimally organise the textile products of the Polish manufacturer Eurofirany

About Eurofirany
Founded in 1991, Eurofirany in one of the most well-known textile businesses in Poland. It started out manufacturing curtains, but these days it has widened its product catalogue and also sells cushions, blankets, bedding and home décor items.

In the last few years, Eurofirany has not stopped growing in Poland and has its eye on expanding internationally. The company has constructed a new warehouse next to its production centre in the town of Żywiec (Poland) to deal with increased sales.

Needs and the solution

Eurofirany required a storage solution that would provide a high storage capacity for the broad range of SKUs it works with. Furthermore, it needed a very dynamic system for picking orders.

Taking these needs into account, Mecalux installed 9.5 m, three floor high racks that support walkways —otherwise known as raised aisles.

Each of the floors corresponds to a sector, letting the goods be organised correctly.

Next to the racks with walkways, two cantilever racking units were installed for longer unit loads. They consist of columns and cantilever arms to rest the loads on. Beside this, a work zone was enabled where profiles are cut and where some products needed for the orders are assembled.

Racks with walkways

Each warehouse level is allocated to a type of product and has a certain number of assigned operators, which may vary depending on the demand and the amount of orders that must be prepared.

The racks stand out for their versatility, adapting to a huge variety of available products, with different volumes and turnovers. They give direct access to the goods, a crucial factor in speedy order picking. Racking levels have metal shelf inserts that provide greater load stability.

Aisles are wide enough to let operators move around with handcarts, picking and replenishing products. The two operations are carried out during different time slots to avoid interference.

The three levels are connected by six staircases and a goods lift which moves the carts from one level to another. Heavy-duty galvanised mesh decking covers the floor of the two upper levels.

Picking is based on the person-to-product criteria. In other words, operators, assisted by RF devices, move to the locations instructed by the warehouse management system. Once there, they collect the articles that are part of the order directly from the shelves. Afterwards, these articles are verified, consolidated and classified in the preloading zones, waiting to be sent to dispatch.

Docking area
In bottom warehouse level, the orders are verified, packaged, labelled and the required documentation issued for dispatch. Boxes are grouped on pallets and these are classified based on the corresponding order or transport route, in order to streamline loading into the distribution vehicle.

Advantages for Eurofirany

• Increased storage capacity: the racks with walkways optimise the warehouse surface, ramping up the storage capacity.
• Goods organised: products are organised according to their size and demand. Moreover, similar products are classified in the same area.
• Efficient service: direct access to goods speeds up picking tasks.