Iberfrasa expands personal care products warehouse with Pallet Shuttle system

Company under constant growth

Founded in 1984 in Quintanar de la Orden (Toledo), Iberfrasa is a company dedicated to the manufacture and marketing of personal care products, cosmetics and household products.

In 2014, it launched one of its most ambitious projects to date: the unveiling of a new logistics centre where it manages all the products distributed to its customers in Spain. Initially, it took up 5,000 m², but it has been enlarged on numerous occasions. In total, it has undergone six different modifications.

Between 2018 and 2019, 1,680 m² have been added to meet its projected growth. “In 2019, we expect to produce between 15 and 18% more than the year before. We also anticipate growth of between 8 and 10% over the next two years,” reports Julián Bricio, Iberfrasa’s operations manager.

The company has always relied on the Mecalux’s collaboration when it comes to finding the best solution to solve its logistics needs. “We’ve been working together for 20 years now and so we trust Mecalux because it’s always kept its promises and deadlines,” says the operations manager.

Advantages of the Pallet Shuttle system

“We manage a large volume of SKUs and our priority is to minimise loading and unloading times as much as possible to improve customer delivery times,” explains Julián Bricio. For this reason, the Iberfrasa logistics centre is made up of different blocks of compact racks with the semi-automatic Pallet Shuttle system.

With this solution, the operators, using reach trucks, place the motorised shuttle in the corresponding channel, insert the pallets in the first position on the racks and the Pallet Shuttle moves the pallets straight to the next vacant location.

This storage system gives Iberfrasa many advantages, among which the following stand out:

• Optimisation of available space in the interests of greater storage capacity. -
• Time saved in the loading and unloading of goods, by stopping operators from having to drive into the storage lanes.
• Increase in productivity because the goods movements within the storage channels are carried out automatically.
• Versatility. SKUs can be grouped by channels, as opposed to full lanes. Moreover, the racking distribution can be modified to adapt to Iberfrasa’s needs.
• Safety. Thanks to the structure’s construction system, and the fact that the forklifts do not need to enter the lanes, the risk of accidents is practically non-existent.

Logistics centre expansion

Iberfrasa has installed three blocks of compact racks with the Pallet Shuttle system as part of its logistics centre’s latest expansion. They are 11.5 m high and provide a total storage capacity for 2,125 pallets measuring 800 x 1,200 mm.

The new warehouse area is very close to the production plant and, “in fact, the two buildings are adjoining,” says Julián Bricio. Both facilities are interconnected to meet Iberfrasa’s requirements.

Every day, the warehouse receives an average of 500 pallets of finished products and dispatches between 600 and 700 pallets. “80% of our production is marketed in the domestic market and the rest is exported,” he adds.

Julián Bricio - Iberfrasa Operations Manager
“For this project, we have once again hired Mecalux because we feel very confident about this supplier. With the new installation, we can store a large number of SKUs and continue to serve our customers well.”

Advantages for Iberfrasa

• Storage capacity: with the latest expansion, Iberfrasa can house a total of 2,125 pallets with finished products.
• Custom installation: Iberfrasa has gradually expanded its logistics installations, adapting them to its logistics requirements and growth potential.
• Agile operations: the Pallet Shuttle means faster handling of goods and guarantees the arrival of 500 pallets and the dispatch of another 600–700.