Körber Supports BIO-FROST in Building a Deep-Freezer Warehouse

BIO-FROST Westhof, Europe’s largest organic freezing company, is planning the construction of a deep-freezer warehouse in Friedrichsgabekoog (Schleswig-Holstein) and is receiving support from the international technology group Körber. The goal of the project is to create a highly automated, climate- and resource-friendly production facility for a variety of vegetable types. For logistics and conveyor technology, as well as the automated integration of production and storage, Körber’s supply and cold chain experts have been commissioned as general contractors.

(Bad Nauheim/Friedrichsgabekoog) The capacities of the existing facilities of BIO-FROST Westhof in Wöhrden, Schleswig-Holstein, had recently reached their limits, prompting Germany’s only pure organic vegetable freezing company to search for a new production and storage location. A climate- and resource-friendly production with a completely CO2-free energy supply is now to be established in the adjacent Friedrichsgabekoog. In implementing the associated warehouse, the freezing company is supported by Körber’s Supply Chain division. With its experience from numerous cold chain projects, Körber aims to ensure an automated integration of production and logistics, as effective transitions between both areas play a particularly important role in terms of the cold chain.

Special Requirements for Logistics

The new building presents special requirements for logistics and conveyor technology and must reliably and timely manage the following processes: Freshly harvested organic vegetables are processed immediately after harvesting, deep-frozen, and automatically filled into the octabins provided by the logistics system. These are stored in the deep-freezer warehouse until further processing. The deep-freezer warehouse is to be designed as a pallet shuttle system and will have approximately 5,100 pallet spaces. The organic vegetables required for further processing will be outsourced and delivered to the designated production machines. Finished, packaged, and palletized organic vegetables will be taken over and stored in the deep-freezer warehouse until delivery to customers. Additionally, the quality of the organic vegetables will be monitored at ergonomically integrated workplaces within the logistics system.

High Quality Standards Require Efficient Processes

Westhof produces organic vegetables at the highest level, making the new building demanding. Mark Vogt, Director of Sales & Marketing at Körber, is very pleased with this challenge: “The high quality standards require efficient processes in production and logistics, which must be closely interlinked and synchronized here. This is even more true for frozen goods. We are pleased to support Westhof from the very beginning with our expertise to guarantee the most effective logistical processes. BIOFROST Westhof’s Managing Director Berit Carstens-Lask further explains: “We want to respond to the increased market demands with our new building. However, this must be on our terms as part of our symbiotic energy and nutrient cycle. A climate- and resource-friendly production is important to us. Accordingly, we consciously rely on partners like Körber, who plan in close exchange with us and implement this forward-looking project together.”

Photo: © Körber