More efficient warehouse for a leader in frozen food transport

Integral temperature-controlled solutions

Headquartered in Getafe (Madrid, Spain), Montfrisa is a leading logistics provider in Spain’s frozen food industry. Currently, it has temperature-controlled facilities in Madrid, Barcelona, Pontevedra and Valencia. Its vehicle fleet, pioneering in Spain due to its mega and duo trailers (megatrucks), covers over 200 million km a year.

• Founded in: 1919
• Total storage space: 338,000 m³

Montfrisa, a logistics provider for temperature-controlled food, receives and sends over 350,000 tonnes of products a year from its warehouses in Spain to different countries in the European Union.

Its logistics centre in the town of Algemesí (Valencia) has been expanded several times in line with the company’s needs. Montfrisa CEO Enrique García says: “The business is rapidly expanding. Our aim is to continue to be a benchmark for the logistics and distribution of temperature-controlled food.”

To boost its storage capacity, Montfrisa has once again chosen Mecalux as its warehousing solutions supplier. “We’re customers of Mecalux, and we know how well its racking systems work. We’ve installed them in other facilities of ours — and with optimal results,” says García.

When choosing a storage solution, Montfrisa’s fundamental needs were quite clear: to make the most of the space and maximise capacity. “We wanted a system that would help us optimise warehouse management, reduce the company’s operating costs and allow a high occupancy of space,” says García.

Two storage solutions in a single space

Montfrisa has expanded its logistics centre with two Mecalux storage systems: Movirack mobile pallet racking and adjustable pallet racking. In total, these solutions can store 7,238 Euro-pallets with a maximum unit weight of 1,000 kg and at a controlled temperature of -20 °C.

“Every day, we receive 600 pallets from different customers based in Spain and other countries,” says García. The pallets are stored on the racking according to product type, characteristics and turnover. Both systems enable direct access to the goods, which is essential for facilitating storage and order dispatch tasks. In addition, the levels of both storage systems have been adapted to be able to store extra-tall goods (2.2 m).

“At our centre in Valencia, we prepare about 60 orders every day. In other words, we ship an average of 425 pallets a day to warehouses and points of sale all over Spain and Portugal,” says García.

Movirack mobile pallet racking

Mecalux has installed three racking units on mobile bases, with a total storage capacity of 5,784 pallets. “With the mobile racks, we can store a larger number of goods in a small space without hindering the rest of the daily operations,” says García.

This system is extremely common in freezer warehouses: it decreases the energy used to generate cold air by optimally distributing the air among the pallets. The racks stand 12.5 m tall, have five levels and are installed on mobile bases that move sideways autonomously. This is the only compact system that provides direct access to the goods. It does so by opening the required aisle by means of a remote control or directly via the onboard control panel.

The racks are equipped with devices that ensure the integrity of the products as well as efficient, uninterrupted operations.

• Exterior safety barriers. Stop the racks from moving the minute an operator enters the aisle.
• Interior safety barriers. Detect the presence of objects or people in the aisle that would prevent the system from operating properly.
• Emergency buttons. Serve to stop the racks from moving in the event of an incident.
• Proximity photocells. Ensure that the racks come to a smooth, safe stop.

Warehouse with minimal energy consumption

Montfrisa has maximised the storage capacity of its logistics centre in Algemesí (Valencia) with two warehousing solutions in the same space.

Thanks to the direct access and space optimisation offered by the mobile pallet racking, operations in the Montfrisa facility are perfectly streamlined to receive and dispatch over 1,000 pallets a day. Likewise, the company has reduced its energy use per pallet by optimising the volume of the freezer store with Mecalux solutions.

We’re really pleased with the performance of the mobile racking operating at a temperature of -20 °F. It’s an ideal storage system for optimising space. It enables us to store more of our customers’ products, which increases our bottom line.